In addition to some cannabinoids contents, marijuana leaves and stems are typically full of a number of nutrients that can benefit humans, animals and even other plants. Raw cannabis leaves and stems can be consumed like a greens superfood. This leftover plant material is full of vitamins & minerals that are simply going to waste in many cases. Juicing cannabis leaves, mixing cannabis leftovers into smoothies, utilizing weed leaves in salads or cuisine, and making simple weed leaf tea are just a handful of the creative ways you can get the most out of your plants.
Combining the earlier concept of trace amounts of cannabinoids with the nutritional value of weed leaves, cannabis leftovers can also be rendered into incredibly beneficial topical creams, lotions, oils or made into medicinal teas, edibles and capsules. These kinds of products that are derived from marijuana leaves are an excellent starting point for anyone who has a very low tolerance for THC, or someone who is leery about consuming cannabinoids at all.
Cannabis topical extracts can be obtained by rendering cannabis leaves into oils or creams which can be combined with other beneficial ingredients to create a healthy lotion, cream, gel or salve. Weed leaf tea is an excellent way to make use of leftover plant material as it can be dried and stored for long-term use. If consuming fresh cannabis plants is more your thing, cannabis juices can also have a lot of remedial applications for pain, inflammation, nausea and sleep disorders.
Deciding what to do with marijuana leaves should be an easy thought process: should you make use of the easy-to-absorb, raw/acidic forms of THCA, CBDA, CBGA? Are anti-inflammatory compounds like canniprene of interest to you? How about the high amounts of vitamins K & C, iron or calcium found in every simple weed leaf? The question isn’t necessarily “SHOULD you repurpose cannabis leaves?”, the obvious truth is instead “HOW can you start benefiting from marijuana leaves?”.