It is not always easy to grow marijuana as getting that little seed up to a healthy and lush plant can at times require a much patience and effort not leaving out the expenses too. As such throwing away most of plant at harvest as stems time really seems like a huge waste. Many frequent marijuana consumers keep marijuana stems and/or trim leftover from packing a bowl or baking with raw material which is seemingly useless as this roughage has a usable amount of trichomes that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the intoxicating compound. This articles looks at how one can make the most out of his/her flower buds with these top uses for cannabis stems.
Benefits of Using marijuana Stems
re-using and saving marijuana stems might seem time-consuming and confusing work for new users, but it should be noted that many benefits hoard every part of marijuana buds from the stems to the already vaped weed. Marijuana stems (and leaves) have some leftover therapeutic cannabinoids, albeit, considerably less than flower buds which can be harsh to smoke but very beneficial in a myriad of effective and fun ways.
Since many states have purchasing and possession limits, which dictate how much marijuana a medical or recreational consumer can buy in a certain period of time, consumers can save their stems to get the most out of their medicine saving some money and providing them with an extra perk such as a cannabis tea or a tasty edible. Below are some 5 Uses for Cannabis Stems.
THC Content
The colour of marijuana Stems vary in color from bright green to deep violet and also grow minuscule trichome glands. It should however be noted that there hasn’t been extensive testing to reveal the amount of THC that exists on stems and leaves. MCR Labs, an ISO-accredited cannabis testing lab in Framingham, Massachusetts sampled different stems and “ran an analysis using HPLC-UV” used to separate and detect specific molecules. The first tested sample came from a personal stem jar full of stems from high-quality strains which had previously been sifted over a screen to collect kief. The results showed a maximum amount of 1.2 percent THC and 0.1 percent CBN. A second stem was sampled from pollinated flowers which yielded a max THC amount of 1.1 percent. This was followed by a third sample from flower buds (18.3 percent THC) which had a max 9.2 percent THC amount. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that essentially, stems vary in THC levels, so the best ways to use the THC bounty in your stems are as follows.
1. Cannabis Tea
Even though marijuana is mostly consumed in forms of flower buds, concentrates, and edibles, marijuana-infused tea is also a traditional and effective way to consume cannabinoids and reap their numerous health benefits of marijuana. History holds that marijuana tea has been used by ancient cultures in China, Egypt, and India for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Cannabis tea is advantageous in that it avoids the problem of marijuana smoke or vapor, which can be harmful to people with respiratory problems.
Marijuana stems must NOT be decarboxylated when using for tea to activate the THCA compound into the psychotropic THC Since the acid forms of cannabinoids are soluble in water. It should be noted that THC is not soluble in water, so it won’t be infused into your tea and also, common cannabis tea recipes will require a larger amount of starting materia since marijuana stems have a smaller concentration of THC. Marijuana stems can also be ground and wrapped in a coffee filter or loose tea leaf container which can then be simmered on low for five to seven minutes and then mixed with a tea of choice.
2. Cannabis Cocktails
Another new way of consuming marijuana and alcohol are Cannabis cocktails . the best alcohol to use when infusing cannabis stems is High-proof liquor such as Everclear or vodka. The stems can be ground, decarboxylated, and added into a glass jar with enough alcohol to cover the stems then the mixture is kept in a cool, dry, dark area for a few weeks, while occasionally shaking the jar which produces a high-octane base for your cannabis cocktails.
3. Rick Simpson Oil
Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is one of the famous marijuana oils and is a a type of marijuana concentrate made from the cannabis resin glands that contain cannabinoids. This cannabis concentrate can be eaten, dabbed, or used on the skin, depending on the user’s preference. As such multiple dabs worth of RSO can be made with leftover cannabis stems simply by collecting them, grinding them in a blender, and mixing them with Everclear. The solution is then shaken for 30 seconds to one minute, after which the stems are then strained with a coffee strainer into a glass Pyrex dish or bowl and a fan allowed to blow over the mixture for anywhere from 3 to 24 hours which pushes the liquid to everporate and the RSO is scraped off and enjoyed.
4. Cannabis Edibles
Another potent and long lasting delivery method of marijuana are Marijuana edibles that can be made from the comfort of your home. They are mostly made with ground flower buds, but can also be made with cannabis stems simply by increasing the amount of cannabis stems to be used, since they contain minimal THC levels.
5. Marijuana Topicals
Leftover marijuana stems can also be used to make Cannabis topicals which can be applied to the skin and provide localized relief. This can be done using coconut oil, olive oil, or beeswax, vitamins and essential oils for aroma and therapeutic effects can be added. Cannabis Topicals can be made by slowly heating the base and stems over an extended period of time.
As seen above Cannabis stems have multiple creative uses including being used to make screens or filters at the bottom of a bowl piece and be woven together to make baskets or sharpened to make skewers for a summer barbecue so never throw away your cannabis stems as waste again….