Written by Renata Filiaci, MSHW

Build your own smokeable blends with these select herbs to add more therapeutic effects on top of the cannabis. Pair the herb to the cannabis strain by its terpene profile or the desired effects and benefits that you are looking for

Sage

Constituents: The main components of the oil include borneol, camphor, caryophyllene, cineole, elemene, humulene, ledene, pinene, and thujone (bornyl acetate, camphene, camphor, humulene, limonene, and thujone are the most present phytochemicals in the leaves). The most abounding carbohydrates described in this plant are arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, xylose, uronic acids and rhamnose.

Benefits: Improves cognitive function, improves mood, improves memory, antinociceptive, reduces blood sugar levels, reduces cholesterol, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory.

Energetics: Energetically, sage is pungent, bitter, cooling and drying. Sage is slightly astringing. It helps to stabilize and firm up loss of integrity. It relaxes, soothes and restores.

Taste: Earthy, slightly peppery taste with hints of mint, eucalyptus, and lemon.

Clove

Constituents: The major terpenes present are beta-caryophyllene, beta-caryophyllene oxide, alpha-humulene, alpha-humulene epoxide I, and eugenol. It has been reported that clove also contains tannins (gallotannic acid), flavonoids (eugenin, rhamnetin, and eugenitin), triterpenoids (oleanolic acid, stigmasterol and campesterol).

Benefits: Improves asthma and allergic disorders, helps with headache, sore throat, respiratory illness, dental disorders, anti-inflammatory, digestive issues, an increases libido.

Energetics: Clove is considered a warming herb that breaks up stagnant energy by encouraging chi (energy) flow, and is used to support the kidney, spleen, and stomach meridians. Cloves are highly aromatic, pungent, and energetically heating.

Taste: This intensely aromatic spice has a subtly sweet flavor. Cloves also have a slight note of bitterness and astringency that counterbalances the sweetness.

Lavender

Constituents: The main constituents of lavender are linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole B-ocimene, terpinen-4-ol, and camphor.

Benefits: Anti-inflammatory, promotes hair growth, lowers blood pressure, combats fungus, helps with menopause symptoms, relieves asthma, pain relief, and skin blemishes.

Energetics: Lavender (lavandula) is pungent, slightly bitter and cooling or slightly warming. It is both stimulating and relaxing at the same time. It can help Qi descend to the center of the body while dispersing it to the extremities. Lavender is both restoring and astringing.

Taste: The flavor of lavender can be described as sweet and floral with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It also depends on how it is prepared: dried or fresh, chopped or whole sprigs.

Damiana

Constituents: Damiana contains damianin, tetraphyllin B, gonzalitosin I, arbutin; tricosan-2-one, acacetin, p-cymene, β-sitosterol, 1,8-cineole, apigenin, α-pinene, β-carotene, β-pinene, tannins, thymol, and hexacosanol. In total, 22 flavonoids, maltol glucoside, phenolics, seven cyanogenic glycosides, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids, the polyterpene ficaprenol-11, fatty acids, and caffeine have been found in the genus Turnera.

Benefits: Damiana is used to treat headache, bedwetting, depression, nervous stomach, and constipation; for prevention and treatment of sexual problems; boosting and maintaining mental and physical stamina; and as an aphrodisiac. Some people inhale damiana for a slight “high.”

Energetics: Warm, dry, slightly bitter, aromatic, pungent, yang nourishing.

Taste: It blossoms in early to late summer and is followed by fruits that taste like figs. The shrub is said to have a strong spice-like odor somewhat like chamomile, due to the essential oils present in the plant.

Mullein

Constituents: Mullein has saponins, iridoid and phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids, vitamin C and minerals.

Benefits: Mullein is an expectorant, which means it helps the body expel excess mucus, usually by helping make your coughs more productive, to bring up mucus that may be settling in the chest or in the throat. It is also a demulcent. Studies show that demulcents create a soothing anti-inflammatory coating over mucous membranes. Other uses include dry coughs, incontinence, earache (external), mild sedative for lungs, good for the early stages of a lung infection.

Energetics: The leaves and flowers are cooling, astringent and bitter.

Taste: Mullein has a subtle, earthy, and bitter taste.

Hops

Constituents: Hops also contain many chemical components, such as resins (α-acid and β-acid), flavonoids, polyphenols, fructose and so on. Eight common terpenes in hops are Beta-pinene, Caryophyllene, Humulene, Farnesene, Geraniol, Linalool, Myrcene, and Limonene.

Benefits: The biological activities of hops compound such as antibacterial, antifungal, cardioprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer.

Energetics: Cooling and drying.

Taste: It has bitter flavors along with a whole spectrum of aromatic notes that can range from woody, spicy, and earthy to floral, citrus, and fruity.

Marshmallow

Constituents: Marshmallow has a mixture of natural terpenes and terpenoids. These compounds including carvacrol, thymol, linalool, beta-bisabolene and terpinene. The leaves also contain mucilage which helps break up mucous.

Benefits: Marshmallow leaves are demulcent, expectorant, diuretic, emollient, anti-catarrhal, and pectoral. Marshmallow enhances a peaceful toke that is gentler to the lungs.

Energetics: Sweet, nutritive, neutral, cooling, soothing, and moistening.

Taste: This smokable herb is sweet and soothing to the chest and throat.

Chamomile

Constituents: Chamomile contains terpenoids, flavonoids, and lactones, including matricin and apigenin. Chamomile may have sedative effects because apigenin binds to benzodiazepine receptors and potentiates the activity at GABA A receptors. Bisabolol, or a-Bisabolol, is the most common terpene found in chamomile

Benefits: Chamomile has been valued as a digestive relaxant and has been used to treat various gastrointestinal disturbances including flatulence, indigestion, diarrhea, anorexia, motion sickness, nausea, and vomiting. Adding chamomile to your herbal smoke blend is a fantastic way to relax at night. It has a strong calming action on your muscles, quieting down any twitchiness or restlessness you may be feeling.

Energetics: Sweet, bitter, and warm.

Taste: Chamomile has gentle notes of apple, and there is a mellow, honey-like sweetness.

Catnip

Constituents: Catnip is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids and phenolic acids, these include: caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid. The active ingredient in catnip is the terpene nepetalactone.

Benefits: Catnip has long been used in traditional medicine to relieve numerous ailments. It is said to have sedative properties, may relieve headaches, improves sleep, boosting digestion, help with infections, relieve toothaches, and stimulate menstruation.

Energetics: Spicy, pungent, warm, and neutral.

Taste: Catnip is an aromatic herb belonging to the mint family. It is woodsy, almost grassy in taste with hints of mint and citrus.

Passionflower

Constituents: Passion flower has many constituents, including flavonoids, maltol, and indole alkaloids. Active ingredients include chrysin, vitexin, coumarin, and umbelliferon. The terpenes are alpha-terpineol, beta-myrcene, limonene and gamma-terpinolene

Benefits: Passion flower has been shown to help with anxiety and sleep problems, as well as for pain, inflammation, heart rhythm problems, menopausal symptoms, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Energetics: Cooling

Taste: Mild in flavor with a grassy earthiness and floral taste.

Red Raspberry Leaf

Constituents: The constituents of red raspberry leaf include antioxidants, tannins, alkaloids, terpinolene, fiber, vitamins A, B, C, E, and minerals — calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

Benefits: Raspberry leaf is also useful to overcome various diseases such as diabetes, menstrual disorders, fertility disorders, and diarrhea. An alternative for those who want to stop smoking, neutralize poison that had been caused by the nicotine content in tobacco, lowers blood sugar levels, reduce pain in childbirth, increases the fertility for men and women, tighten the skin, sedative, and muscle relaxant.

Energetics: Drying and cooling.

Taste: Very similar to black tea or earl grey as well as has neutral taste and slow-burning leafy texture.

Spearmint

Constituents: It is a rich source of phytochemical compounds like diterpenes, steroids, tannin, flavonoids, cardial glycosides, alkaloids, phenols, coumarin, and saponin. The main terpenoids were carvone (51.7%) and cis-carveol (24.3%), followed by limonene (5.3%), 1,8 cineol (4.0%), cis-dihydrocarvone (2.2%), carvyl acetate (2.1%) and cis-sabinene hydrate (1.0%).

Benefits: It’s high in antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds that may help balance hormones, lower blood sugar, relieve congestion, and improve digestion. It may even reduce stress, calm nerves, and improve memory. It has also been shown to be antimicrobial and antibacterial, good killing bacteria in your mouth and can help us fight off cold and flu germs.

Energetics: Cooling

Taste: Spearmint has a subtler, lighter flavor, vaguely sweet flavor. Adds a mild cooling sensation to any smokeable blends.

Hyssop

Constituents: Hyssop bioactive compoundsinclude volatile oils, tannins, bitters, and flavonoids. The leaves and flowers contain ketone terpenes such as pinocamphone and thujone, which produce the nerve stimulating effect. Other terpenes are isopinocamphone, pinocarvone, pinene, camphene, linalool, cineol, pinocamphol, myrcene, and limonene.

Benefits: Smoke some hyssop and you’ll not only get rid of the phlegm and mucus clogging up your lungs, you’ll also soothe the mucus membranes in your throat and lungs. It’s usually used to treat emphysema or to clear out the lungs. However, hyssop is also helpful in treating anxiety, provoking sweating, and increasing focus and concentration.

Energetics: Warming

Taste: Hyssop has a bitter and pungent taste.

White Horehound

Constituents: Horehound contains a few constituents, including alkaloids, flavonoids, diterpenes (marrubiin), and trace amounts of volatile oils. The major active constituent in horehound is marrubiin, which is thought to be responsible for the expectorant (promotion of coughing up of mucus) action of the herb. It also has monoterpenes such as camphene, p-cymol, fenchene, limonene, α-pinene, sabinene, and α-terpinolene.

Benefits: White horehound is a plant that belongs to the mint family and grows wild in many areas of the world. This perennial herb has been used to treat coughs and sore throats and was also used by some ancient cultures as an aphrodisiac. White horehound is also used for digestion problems including diabetes, loss of appetite, indigestion, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and liver and gallbladder complaints.

Energetics: Bitter, salty, pungent, and cooling

Taste: It’s known for its bitter taste (something between root beer and licorice).

Mugwort

Constituents: It contains several beneficial components such as triterpenes, flavonoids, and coumarin derivatives among others. There are identified terpenes, including camphor, eucalyptol, alpha-pinene, and beta-pinene.

Benefits: Mugwort offers digestive and relaxing properties, stimulate suppressed or irregular periods, sedative properties, which makes it beneficial for those suffering from insomnia, may cause lucid dreaming, soothe the mind, and keep stress at bay.

Energetics: Bitter, acrid, and warm

Taste: Mugwort has a unique taste that contains a hint of bitterness and sweetness in the flavor. There is also a well-rounded flavor of subtle aniseed.

Skullcap

Constituents: Skullcap contains many constituents, and more than 60 structures (for example; oroxylin A, paconiflorin, glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin and ononin) have been identified. Among these components, baicalein, baicalin, and wogonin are known to be the major flavonoids of skullcap.

Benefits: It has been used for more than 200 years as a mild relaxant and as a therapy for anxiety, nervous tension, diarrhea, insomnia, hypertension, and convulsions. Studies show American skullcap has significant antioxidant effects, and may help protect against neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, and depression.Wogonin may be a preventive and therapeutic agent for allergic disorders such as food allergy, atopic dermatitis, and asthma.

Energetics: Cooling and neutral

Taste: Although skullcap is a member of the mint family, it does not have a minty taste. Skullcap has a bitter, earthy but semi neutral taste.