Raw cannabis is far from the strongest form of weed, but it might have some health benefits worth considering.
There’s been a lot of talk about eating raw cannabis lately. It seems like people that are interested in exploring the other benefits of cannabis outside of just getting high on THC. Part of this comes down to cannabis just being easier to access these days which makes people want to explore the potential benefits of this plant.
Let’s take a deep dive into eating raw cannabis and see what, if any, benefits this could have.
What is “Raw” Cannabis?
The terminology “raw cannabis” might be a little confusing.
Raw cannabis simply refers to a cannabis flower that has not yet been dried. Raw cannabis is just the plant as it is in nature, but any processing is done to it. That dried flower you can buy at the dispensary isn’t technically “raw” even though it hasn’t been cooked into anything yet.
Raw cannabis has some pretty interesting properties. The first one we need to discuss is why raw cannabis can’t get you high.
Can Raw Cannabis Get You High?
The best dabs will get you completely stoned, but raw cannabis won’t even get you a little high. It’s not that the dabs thc percent is that much higher than raw cannabis, but that raw cannabis technically doesn’t have any THC at all!
Here’s how it works. Cannabis, in its natural state, doesn’t have any THC at all. What it has is a chemical known as THCa. This is Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, and it’s the chemical precursor to THC. With a little heat, THCa transforms into THC.
This is why we need to smoke weed to get high. The fire from the lighter heats the THCa and turns it into THC. Edibles, extracts, and other cannabis products all have their THCa turned into THC during their production process.
That process is known as decarboxylation. You can decarboxylate your cannabis in the oven by baking in between 230 and 250 degrees fahrenheit for about an hour. Weed is “decarbed” once it turns brown. Don’t go longer or over 250 degrees, or you’ll risk burning your weed.
In short, raw cannabis just can’t get you high because of its chemistry. There’s just no THC in cannabis until you decarboxylate the plant.
Does Raw Cannabis Have Health Benefits?
This brings us on to another big question. If raw cannabis doesn’t get you high, then why do people consume it?
THCa might have some potential health benefits that individuals are looking for. There are some individuals out there suggesting that THCa has anti-inflammatory properties. This could prove beneficial for the health of individuals looking to consume raw cannabis.
Raw cannabis is also like plenty of other leafy greens. It’s got nutrients, vitamins, and dietary fibers that could be great for your health. There are other cannabinoids and other beneficial chemicals in raw cannabis an individuals can get from eating this point.
This all comes down to how new cannabis is on the legal market. Individuals are looking to try and to experiment with a product that is now newly accessible to them. This is why we’re seeing a boom in all kinds of new edibles as well as people looking to consume and market raw cannabis.
So, what does science have to say about eating raw cannabis?
What the Research Says About Eating Raw Cannabis
As it turns out, there’s not much research into the health benefits of consuming raw cannabis. Because cannabis has been illegal on a federal level, researching the effects of cannabis on human beings has been incredibly difficult. This means there’s a big gap in our knowledge when it comes to a scientific understanding on the benefits of raw cannabis.
There also have been many studies done into the potential benefits of THCa. However, there’s some good news on the horizon.
Cannabis legalization is becoming increasingly popular. One of the benefits of legalizing cannabis is that scientists will be able to study this plant without worrying about breaking federal, local, or state laws. This will help us better understand the potential benefits that cannabis can have for health and well-being.
How to Eat Raw Cannabis
You could eat raw cannabis in a salad, but it’s got a potent taste that might be better suited to other recipes. One of the best ways to eat raw cannabis is to juice it. You can think about this as the Cannabis equivalent of a wheatgrass shot.