Can Tea get you high

Why do people smoke tea?

It’s more usual to think of green tea as something we drink. In recent years, smoking green tea has also become popular.

Green tea cigarettes gained favor in Vietnam decades ago. It’s also been a recent trend in America.

The green tea plant (Camellia sinensis) — also the source of oolong, black, and white tea — has many health benefits.

In tea form, it’s been consumed for health and ritualistic purposes for thousands of years. Many other types of tea plants have also been smoked for spiritual and health uses throughout history.

People smoke green tea for these reasons and more, such as to help quit tobacco cigarette addiction.

However, studies on these benefits, risks, and safety of smoking green tea are lacking.

Health effects of smoking tea

The health benefits of drinking tea are supported by scienceTrusted Source.

There’s no research on the health benefits of smoking tea, however. Its beneficial compounds could possibly be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream through the lungs. But smoking, or inhaling anything burning, is unhealthy.

Regardless, people who smoke green tea report certain health benefits.

Lowered anxiety

Green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid. Studies show this compound has anxiety-lowering effects by interacting with neurotransmitter receptors.

Drinking green tea or taking extract is the most research-supported way to experience this effect.

Smoking green tea could have similar effect. Some people who smoke it report this. However, more studies are needed to prove if L-theanine can be absorbed through smoking.

Some may claim green tea gives you a marijuana-like high. No studies or science support this.

Cognitive enhancement

L-theanine may have mild cognitive-enhancing effects. This means it may help improve memory, focus, learning abilities, and overall mental function.

Studies show this may have to do with the combination of L-theanine and caffeine. However, these studies have only tested this with green tea beverage or extract.

There are currently no studies that prove cognitive enhancement from smoking green tea, and if L-theanine can be absorbed that way. Drinking green tea is recommended as a better way to take in the health benefits.

Better metabolism

Green tea is a popular supplement for boosting metabolism, burning fat, and promoting weight loss.

Studies support this, especially with use of extract rich in catechins, green tea’s powerful antioxidants. However, there are no studies showing antioxidant benefits can be experienced by smoking it.

How to Brew Marijuana Tea, by Strength of High

There are a few ways you can use marijuana leaves to make tea, varying from no intoxicating effects to very mild to just as strong as smoking. 

Based on your health needs and interests, any of these recipes could be a fit for you. If you just want to feel calm and soothed, choose the recipe for little to no psychoactive effect. If you are not an experienced weed smoker but want to try the high, try the recipe with some psychoactive effects.

Marijuana Tea vs. Smoking: Which Is Better For You?

Only use decarboxylated weed when you’re looking for a strong high. Below, we describe three methods to decarboxylate your weed and prepare it for cooking. These methods can be used to prepare weed for any edible recipe. 

Little to No Psychoactive Effect

Because THC requires fat to dissolve, if you make your tea with water instead of butter or oil, it will merely flavor the tea. You may experience some feelings of calm, but you won’t get the usual effect anything like when you smoke.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients for cannabis tea with rose and chamomile. 

• 2 teaspoons ground cannabis trim, stems, or buds
• 2 teaspoons dried chamomile
• 2 teaspoons dried rose buds

Since there’s nothing to dissolve the THC and you’re not decarboxylating your marijuana, it will likely have little effect beyond the usual calming effects of tea.

Directions

Here is what you should do to make cannabis tea with rose and chamomile.

1. Add all the dried flowers, including the cannabis, into a tea infuser.
2. Steep in hot water for 5-10 minutes. This is not long enough or hot enough to decarboxylate the tea. 
3. Once the drink has steeped, add honey or another sugar to sweeten. 

Don’t use milk, butter, or other fat-based creams or sweeteners if you don’t want to increase the effects of the THC.

Some Psychoactive Effects

You can make a lovely tea called “cannabis golden milk” using cannabis-infused coconut oil. These instructions will guide you through making the oil as well as the tea.

Ingredients

Make sure you’ve assembled all of the following ingredients before you begin making your tea. Leaving out any in the recipe could negatively affect the taste of your tea.

• 1 cup of ground cannabis flower. Feel free to use less if you want even milder effects
• 1 cup of coconut oil
• 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1” piece of fresh turmeric. Do not peel it. Slice it thinly. This can be substituted for ½ teaspoon dried turmeric
• 1 ½” piece ginger. Do not peel it. Slice it thinly.
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• Ground cinnamon
• Strainer or cheesecloth
• Hand grinder
• Double-boiler, slow cooker
• Small saucepan

This tea will actually show the effects of a marijuana high, so be careful with your potency and how much cannabis you use. Start with lower doses at first to make sure you’re not using too much.

How to Get Cannabis Tea with a Strong High

To get a strong high from weed tea, you have to decarboxylate your marijuana first. The following are three ways to prep your marijuana before using it in tea. 

Then you can use it in any marijuana tea recipe, and it will be strong and have psychoactive effects.

The process of decarboxylation is also called “decarbing” or “decarb.”

Decarboxylation Using an Oven

Keep in mind this little known fact: the temperature you set your oven at is not exact. It’s more of an average and can fluctuate as much as twenty degrees during cooking. 

Avoid damage to your cannabis by watching its color and smell. If it smells like it’s burning or the color is browning, turn the oven down. An oven thermometer is also helpful.

1. Set the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place the oven rack in the middle position
3. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to roughly the size of the baking sheet, crumple it slightly, and lay it across the sheet
4. Lightly break up the cannabis until it’s about the size of rice. Any smaller and you increase the chance of burning
5. Spread the cannabis across the foil
6. Lay another piece of foil along the top
7. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes
8. Remove and let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature
9. When it has cooled enough for you to touch, put the cannabis into a storage container so you can use it later

When all is said and done, your cannabis should look golden brown and slightly toasted.