Written and Fact Checked by S. Zulfiqar
While cannabis as of today has been long stigmatized, the sale and use of cannabis is becoming fully legal in several states with the end of prohibition in sight. With a greater public acceptance and scientific research of the versatile plant funding now available, we are starting to see more and more applications for cannabis. Even in ancient times, people knew of cannabis’ wonderful potential for treating many conditions, including stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain and many others.
As far back as 2700 BCE, the Chinese Emperor and father of Chinese medicine Shen Neng used the cannabis plant as a remedy for many conditions — in fact, in an ancient Egyptian medical text, cannabis use was also mentioned. Not just one part of the cannabis plant was used but in most cases, the entire plant was used for different purposes. Do you believe that buds are the only valuable part of the weed plant? Read on for more insight!
Understanding the Term Trim
Marijuana trim is a term that you are likely to come across in your pursuit of marijuana leaf uses. This refers to the plant leftovers post manicuring of marijuana buds. Small and big leaves form the major percentage of marijuana trim. It is pertinent to mention here that removing this excess material is a prerequisite for smoking the marijuana flower.
Two main methods of trimming are dry trimming and wet trimming. Which one must be used when is a little out of scope of this discussion, so we will refrain from going into the details that will only confuse you.
A Bit about Marijuana Leaf Types
We used the terms big and small marijuana leaves in the previous section. However, these are not the exact terms by which these leaves are identified. The exact terms used are fan leaf and sugar leaf. We briefly highlight their features in the following lines.
Fan leaves are the broader version of marijuana leaves. Typically, these are the shade of dark green and contain minimal amounts of cannabinoids. Of course, there is no deficiency of flavors and nutrients in these leaves. But that’s not what most of us are looking for in a weed plant.
Sugar leaves are small and normally grow adjacent to the cannabis bud. It is their harvesting that makes the buds more appealing for the consumer section. We know that some of you are wondering why they are called sugar leaf in the first place. Well, this is owing to the white trichomes in which these leaves are coated. The appearance is not dissimilar to that of white sugar powder. Sugar leaves of a marijuana plant have more cannabinoids as compared to the fan leaves.
Putting Marijuana Leaves To Good Use
Let us now switch the focus of this discussion towards the point around which it has been orchestrated. How can you use marijuana leaves? That is a tough nut to crack, isn’t it? We mean to say, the discussion so far goes on to show that these leaves are about as useful as glasses on a bloke with one ear! Well, we would advise you to read on, for magic is about to happen.
Marijuana Leaf Juice
We mentioned in one of the previous sections of the discussion that these leaves are enriched with plenty of nutrients. Building on that point, let us remind you that there is a low percentage of cannabinoids found in the marijuana leaves as well. These cannabinoids, when consumed in the form of an edible, interfere with the endocannabinoid system of the human body in a manner that endows the human body with plenty of benefits. Making and drinking marijuana leaf juice is one fine way of allowing your body access to that set of benefits.
How are you going to make it? Well, it is a fairly simple process. You can use the routine kitchen blender for this purpose. Pulverize the buds and leaves in the first step. Use a strainer to separate the pulp from juice in the second step. That’s it, your drink is ready!
Marijuana Leaf Butter
Normally, it is the flowers of the plant that are used for making the butter. However, marijuana leaves are a nice choice for this purpose as well. Please note that it is the sugar leaves that we are talking about in this section. Now, as to making the cannabutter as they call it, well making it is quite an easy job.
Heat butter in a pan, add marijuana leaves as well. The rationale behind this simultaneous heating is to ensure maximal absorption of cannabinoids into butter. Strain butter of the plant material in the next step, and then cool it down. All you need now is some bread to spread it on and enjoy it!
Marijuana Leaf Tea
Probably the easiest recipe that you are going to try in your kitchen! Dry up any marijuana leaves that you have. Chuck them in the hot water and voila, your drink is ready! Of course, if the taste of the drink is not up to your liking, you can add a dash of lemon juice or some other herb that you find suitable for your drink. Some say they experience the high associated with the cannabis plant by drinking this tea.
However, there is not enough credible evidence to back up this claim.
Compositing Marijuana Leaves
Do you live somewhere that allows the cultivation of marijuana? If your answer is yes, well there could be no better use of these leaves than using them as a source for boosting your marijuana plant’s growth. Of course, we understand this is not an option that everyone can use to maximize the benefits of marijuana leaves, but lucky you if you can though.
Final Thoughts
The marijuana plant is a gift that just keeps on giving. It is as if there is nothing useless about this plant! We do hope that this discussion helped you find a way in which you can put the marijuana leaves to good use.
As we’ve learned, there are many ways to use weed leaves so be encouraged and start being more resourceful with your bud!
If you want to skip this whole process and buy weed online from a trusted cannabis dispensary, you can try out WeedSmart. You can find us featured on sites such as Cannabis Ontario, Weedlist, and BudHubCanada.
Interesting Reads
What Happens When You Eat Weed, Guide to Drying and Curing Marijuana Buds
