How To Make A Healthy Raw Cannabis Smoothie

Most people picture red eyes, goofy giggles, and a raging appetite when thinking about people enjoying cannabis. Although we love the herb for offering those things, the plant has so much more to it than a high.

THC—the molecule behind these effects—remains only one chemical out of hundreds that exist in the plant. The species produces many other non-psychoactive cannabinoids and terpenes that boast their own health benefits, and several strains contain almost no THC at all.

Although we just know it as something we smoke, cannabis is—at its core—a leafy green vegetable. Sounds strange, right? Much like the kale in your fridge, cannabis holds its own status as a nutritional superfood.

Packed full of healthy compounds, raw cannabis can make a fine addition to a healthy smoothie or shake! Consumed this way, the cannabinoids and terpenes will still light up your endocannabinoid system while the raw leaves offer a host of vitamins and minerals.

Rather than munching on a bowl of fresh leaves, making a refreshing smoothie provides a fast, efficient, and tasty way of getting these phytochemicals into your body. Juicing your cannabis prior to adding it to the mix will offer you even high concentration of compounds.

Before you head into the kitchen, though, you should discover the benefits of juicing in general, and see why cannabis should become a regular part of your diet.

The Benefits of Raw Juicing

Juicing allows you to squeeze all the beneficial vitamins and minerals from carrots, apples, ginger, and other desired foods while leaving unwanted fibre behind.

While fibre is an essential part of the human diet, removing it vastly increases the concentration of healthy micronutrients in your juice. For example, drinking the juice of ten carrots will provide you with plenty of beta-carotene, while sparing you the chore of munching and digesting such a large amount of the vegetable.

The most impressive benefits of juicing include:

• Improved Absorption: Your body will have an easier time shuttling nutrients into the bloodstream. A juicer effectively “pre-digests” your food by removing the fibre, meaning your gut has to do less work in that department.
• Higher Nutrient Concentrations: Eating a bowl full of cannabis leaves might take a toll on your belly and your jaw. Instead, juicing them will allow you to get all of those nutrients in a single glass. It’s all you need to convert a handful of veg into a quick and efficient shot of liquid.
• Easier Way to Meet Fruit/Vegetable Requirements: Nutritional guidelines state we should aim for a minimal amount of fruit and veg each day. Juicing makes it much easier for people to consume this baseline requirement.

Why You Should Add Raw Cannabis To Your Diet

Raw cannabis contains several molecules that users don’t get access to when exposing the herb to heat during smoking and cooking. Cannabinoids such as THC and CBD exist as cannabinoid acids in raw cannabis (THCA and CBDA).

Both of these cannabinoid acids act differently within the body to their decarboxylated counterparts. THCA binds to the receptors of the endocannabinoid system, and may help to settle the stomach, along with increasing levels of the body’s own cannabinoids.

Unlike THC, THCA produces no psychoactive effects because of its weak action on the CB1 receptor. So, you can drink as much juice as you like without getting stoned.

CBDA also produces interesting effects. Early research suggests the molecule may increase serotonin receptor activation^[1], possibly elevating the mood. Nothing is certain, though.

Raw cannabis flowers also contain high numbers of aromatic terpenes. These chemicals give cannabis strains their unique smell and flavour. In theory, terpenes also work in synergy with cannabinoids to boost their effectiveness through the entourage effect^[2]. They degrade quickly when heated, so consuming cannabis raw guarantees higher levels of these pleasant-smelling compounds.

All of these benefits, in our opinion, make raw cannabis worth including into your routine on a regular basis.

How To Juice Raw Cannabis

Juicing raw cannabis before you include it in a smoothie will free up all of the desired cannabinoids, terpenes, and other phytochemicals. Follow the quick tips below to complete this process as easy as possible.

Tip One: Roll Up The Leaves

Roll all of your cannabis leaves into tight cylinders, passing them through the juicer. This will work with the centrifugal force of the device.

Tip Two: Combine With Large Fruits and Vegetables

Chop up some of your favourite fruits and vegetables to round out your juice. Add items with high water content such as apples and cucumbers for a more substantial output.

Tip Three: Use a Wheatgrass Juicer

If you’re aiming to make juiced cannabis part of your daily routine, purchase a wheatgrass juicer! These devices work at lower temperatures and use a press to extract the juice (as opposed to centrifugal force).

Raw Cannabis Smoothie Recipe

Now you know the benefits of juicing raw cannabis, and you even know how to do it!

Next, you’ll discover a tasty recipe to put all of that goodness to use. Follow the recipe below to light up your tastebuds and ignite your endocannabinoid system.

You Will Need

Gather these ingredients before plugging in your blender. You don’t need everything, but try and get as close as possible for the best-tasting experience!

• A handful of ice cubes
• Up to 15g of raw cannabis leaves and flowers
• A few sprigs of parsley (stalks removed)
• A handful of washed spinach leaves
• One large, ripe avocado (skin and seed removed)
• A handful of blueberries
• A quarter of a cucumber (unless already juiced)
• 600ml freshly squeezed apple juice (unless already juiced)
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Pinch of turmeric powder
• Pinch of hemp seeds
• 2 tsp baobab powder
• 2 tsp powdered green superfood complex
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Remove the seeds, stalks, and skin from the necessary ingredients
2. Place them into the blender one by one
3. Blend away!

It’s as easy as that! All of these ingredients synergise to create a sweet, creamy, fresh, and cannabinoid-rich smoothie that tastes incredible and feels even better!