Herbal Smoking Blends
Herbal smoking blends have seen a recent increase in popularity. Are these blends safe, and are they of any benefit? Read this article for more.
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You may have noticed a recent increase in the popularity of herbal smoking blends. While these blends are certainly nothing new, you might be new to learning about them. If so, keep reading for everything you need to know about herbal smoking blends.
State Legalization Victories & COVID
2020 saw a huge change in the overall public perception of cannabis, even though it was pretty solid to start the year. The cause of this is perhaps two-fold. First, cannabis dispensaries and other businesses were deemed essential during pandemic lockdowns. Second, there were some huge wins in reforming state prohibition laws thanks to voter-approved ballot initiatives.
The suddenly improved public perception of cannabis, coupled with people staying home much more than normal, curiosity around herbal blends piqued. Blends with herbs said to help calm were a big thing amidst the pandemic - as anxieties still run sky-high as a result.
Other blends to help lose weight, improve sleep quality, or simply as a pleasant taste on the tongue saw an increase in popularity last year. This popularity increase is true for both search terms and pocketbooks. While this popularity is relatively recent, the wonderful world of healing herbs has been a thing for centuries.
Are Herbal Blends Safe?
We certainly are on board and give kudos to anyone looking to quit smoking cigarettes. While the jury is still out as to how much safer, switching to vaping is at least doing something better for your health. By now, you’ve likely seen social media posts for ‘custom herbal smoking blends’ and wondered about them.
Are they safe? Not exactly, but they do taste better than products you’ll get from big tobacco. But how much safer are custom herbal blends? The fact is that any combusted plant matter can produce tar and carbon monoxide that you are inhaling directly into your lungs.
We won’t be telling anyone what to do, we’re just here to report the facts. There are much safer ways to consume herbs of all kinds - such as herbal teas and adding them to your favorite foods. Speaking of which, here are some examples of exactly that - some ways to use healing herbs that don’t involve smoking them.
Consuming Healing Herbs
Believe it or not, there are herbs other than cannabis that offer potential benefits. Shocking, right? And of course, many people immediately associate cannabis as being a part of these herbal blends, but this just isn’t the case. A large portion of herbal blend crafters doesn’t use cannabis as an ingredient at all. This is either because it’s still illegal in their state, or they want to avoid dealing with inevitable added expenses that cannabis businesses must face.
Either way, consuming healing herbal blends is still a thing that’s not going away. With this in mind, here are some relatively little-known herbs and how they may help our holistic health and well-being.
Herbs that May Help Organs
Two notable herbs that are thought to help with organ health, particularly the lungs - mullein and hyssop. The tasteless mullein acts as an expectorant. This means that it can help break up the mucus associated with congestion. Since mullein has no flavor of its own, it’s often used as a base herb for many blends.
The other of these two herbs is called hyssop. Hyssop is an herb that dates back to ancient times and is even referenced in the Bible. It’s an herb that has been used to help clean and purge for centuries, as hyssop is also a powerful expectorant.
Herbs to Quit Cigarettes and Herbs to Calm
Sometimes for smokers, vaporizers just aren’t cutting it, and they still want to feel that “hit” of smoke. A decent alternative might be to check out some herbal blends with either bergamot or red raspberry leaf.
Smoking these leaves is thought to neutralize the poisoning of tobacco smoke. Additionally, red raspberry leaf impacts the central nervous system and can calm you down. The other leaf is Bergamot, which is rich in oregano oil. Bergamot is thought to help fight lung infection while reducing nicotine cravings.
There exists a plethora of calming herbs, as evidenced by the back of your sleepy time tea. Those include St. John’s Wort, Skullcap, Wormwood, and Mugwort.
Roll Your Own
Naturally, smoking these herbs isn’t a prerequisite. Are you as keenly aware as we are of the irony of smoking herbs to help your lungs? Hey, we don’t judge. Moving on.
Combusting anything is not exactly the most healthy thing in the world, which is why we always recommend consuming edibles, vaping, or at least rolling your own if you must smoke. Rolling your own herb blend ensures you inhale zero fillers or additives.
HashDash - Connecting the Cannabis Community
We hope you found value in our content about herbal smoking blends. Did you learn something, or have anything to add? Are you an herbal smoking blend crafter with some valuable input for readers? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know - @hashdash on all platforms, except for Instagram, where we are @hashdashdotcom.
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Thanks for reading! Please consume responsibly.