Herbs to Mix with Cannabis

There has long been a trend of adding herbs to cannabis and other cannabinoids. For example, adding mint or eucalyptus to cannabis joints has long been a trend in cannabis and hemp communities, but more recently the trend has shifted towards more active herbs like lavender and mugwort to enhance certain therapeutic effects. Combining the benefits of cannabis and hemp with traditional Chinese herbs is one of the core principle around which Dragon Hemp was founded.

If adding different botanical ingredients to your joints, bowls or other preferred cannabis consumption method piques your interest, we’ve put together this small guide down below. We’ll explore which herbs are the best mixed with cannabis and other cannabinoids and how some effects from cannabis and hemp could be potentiated by these herbs. So without further ado, let’s jump into which herbs to mix with cannabis.

• According to studies, some herbs added to joints, like lavender, have anti-depressing effects.

• Some of the benefits of adding certain herbs, like improving flavor, getting milder smoke, or even boosting the therapeutic effects of cannabis.

• Our favorite herbs like Yerba Mate, Corydalis, and Clove can be added to cannabis and hemp-based products for their wellness effects.

• How herbs like Anemarrhena root and Cajeput could help with inflammation and reduce it.

Most people add new herbs to their jays just to add a bit of unique flavor. Some botanicals like mugwort, lavender, damiana, jasmine, and mint are very aromatic. Some strains might pair well with a few ground-up fresh herbs, like adding some mint to a strain with a fuel-like profile or even some jasmine to add some umami to your earthy and hoppy buds.

Another reason to add botanicals is the potential wellness benefits added to the mix. An example of this would be a powerful Indica blend with some chamomile, lavender, Saint John’s Wort, and passionflower for some seriously soothing puffs.

Lastly, you might add certain herbs to lower the potential side effects of smoking cannabis. You could add Mullein to lighten the smoke’s harshness or even a little sage or mint to add to the freshness of each toke.

While using herbs might be a good idea to change up the flavor of your smoke, there are also some wellness benefits that come with each herb. Depending on your choice and needs, herbs could help with relaxation, boost your mood, increase the potency of the joint, or just help you unwind after a long day.

Some herbs have naturally soothing effects, like lavender. This herb is known for its strong relaxing properties, and this 2019 review noted how it could contain some anti-depressive and even anti-inflammatory properties.

Another good example is damiana, which this scientific review noted had strong anti-anxiety, anticonvulsant, and even sedative properties.

Of course, more research would be needed to understand how it could work in synergy with cannabinoids like CBD, but for now, we know there is positive wellness potential to these herbs besides the added flavor they provide.

You’ll want to find a ratio depending on which botanical ingredient you choose and how much cannabis flower you want to add. The first step, however, is choosing both your hemp buds and your desired flower.

Then, you can mix your ground-up herb and cannabis in a joint or pipe. Some people have also vaped them together for smoother smoke, but this would require a herb vaporizer.

If your botanical has a strong flavor like lavender or mint,  go for a 30% to 70% blend, with cannabis being the dominant ingredient in the mixture.

To add botanicals to your smoking sessions, we recommend getting a dedicated vaporizer for better flavors and pairings, depending on the strain. For now, figuring out how much you should add to your bowl or joint will be fine to experiment with.

Now that we’ve explored some of the reasons why people add herbs to their smoking routine let’s get into our favorite herbs to mix with cannabis. Some we’ve chosen because of their wellness potential, others because of their flavorful ability to elevate each puff.

This botanical ingredient has been used by ancient traditional Chinese medicine as a potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic product. Current studies from 2021 analyzed the analgesic properties of this flower, specifically the pharmacological effects of alkaloids in this plant.

While finding actual corydalis to dry up and roll might be a little more difficult than mint, it could still add to some of the wellness effects of hemp and cannabis. However, if you want to try the synergy of CBD and Corydalis without the smoke, you can try our Recovery Tincture at the Dragon Hemp store.

Besides the delicious and potent 1,200mg of premium full-spectrum CBD hemp extract, it also has turmeric, myrrh, corydalis, and frankincense to add to the mix. It is believed that some of these botanicals, together with CBD, might potentially reduce pain and promote blood circulation.

Remember clove cigarettes? People already enjoy this spice in their regular tobacco cigarettes, so adding it to cannabis is not a stretch. Clove is known to have antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.

While adding ground-up cloves could be nice, you can also try the topical benefits of clove through different balms. If you want a cooling effect with anti-inflammatory properties, you can try our Cooling Balm, which has corydalis and Red Peony roots. 

This balm has a whopping 3,600mg of cold-extracted, full-spectrum CBD extract to help cool tissue and reduce swelling. Now, if you need your muscles to warm up or have tensed-up zones, the Warming Balm helps to stimulate blood flow, soothe your skin, and even help with redness due to Dragon’s Blood, a natural botanical ingredient. It uses the same amount of CBD per jar and can help with joint or back pain.

For those who appreciate diesel aromas in strain profiles, adding some mugwort to your joints can elevate the experience. This herb, known for its very pungent smell, is believed to have psychoactive effects when smoked. Ancient cultures have utilized these psychotropic properties in rituals to induce trance states.

To incorporate mugwort into your joints, replace up to half of the usual cannabis amount with mugwort. This blend is valued for the softer smoke and unique flavor it brings to cannabis, imparting sage-like notes and mellow puffs.

In our Warming Balm, mugwort works synergistically with frankincense and other herbs and cannabinoids to enhance the therapeutic effects. Mugwort's aromatic properties and its traditional use in easing muscle tension complement the warming and soothing effects of the balm. This combination ensures a deeply penetrating warmth that alleviates chronic pain and stiffness, providing comprehensive relief and support for your well-being.

This herb is well-known in South American households as a substitute for coffee or tea, specifically in Uruguay and Argentinian cultures. But instead of having the traditional Mate drink, you could try adding some of the ground-up herbs to your joint or bowl.

We recommend adding Yerba Mate if you want to soften up the flavor of weed. Users have added this botanical to make their smoking more pleasant, as well as an alternative to tobacco.

If smoking is not for you, but you still want to explore the effects of hemp and Yerba Mate together, you might want to give Dragon Hemp's Energy Capsules a try. 

These offer the potential to aid clarity, focus, and even energy, with the main ingredients of 750mg of premium CBD isolate with yerba mate and other native botanicals. These capsules come in a 30-capsule pack.

This is a favorite herb that users seek out to unwind and give that extra punch to their smoke. These flowers are believed to have harmala alkaloids, which could balance emotions and may even help to “boost the high”, according to users.

Users who mix passionflower and weed usually pack about 25% of their joint with this flower along with 75% of hemp or cannabis.

This ancient root has many uses across cultures, including helping with longevity. This 2019 study proved its adaptogenic and anxiolytic effects that could help and improve overall human health.

Stress-relieving strains that could help with your mood, like Sativa buds, could benefit from Aswagandha rinds.

Delivering strong flowery notes and an incredible aroma profile, this plant is well-known for its anti-inflammatory effects. Thanks to this 2020 study, scientists have found that it could help with reducing overall inflammation.

So if you want to add some strong aromatic flavors to your bud along with potential anti-inflammatory effects to aid your wellness goals, we’d go for a 1:4 ratio when packing up your grind.

This herb is one of the most widely used for wellness purposes. Lavender has a refreshing, light, and aromatic taste. Funnily enough, this herb has lots of linalool content which is known for the anxiety-reducing properties in some cannabis strains.

We recommend adding up to half of your regular mixture worth of lavender and using Indica-heavy strains. The aroma could also help mellow out the smoke.

Blue lotus flowers can be easily added when dried. Our recommendation would be to add up to 50% to your mix if you want to feel more relaxed with a bit of a buzz.

This botanical ingredient has apomorphine and nuciferine in small quantities. These two are considered mild narcotics that may make you feel lucid and boost your mood. Some users have said to have more vivid dreams when pairing it with Indica-heavy strains too.

Linden is an herb that has traditionally been used to help relieve symptoms like indigestion and even anxiety. Users nowadays add it to their joints for this reason as well as its sweet floral flavor.

This plant has a long history as a spice and even supports relief for the symptoms of certain ailments. Thanks to its strong flavor and aroma, it could help to intensify the euphoric sensation of certain psychoactive cannabinoids, like a strain that has Delta-9 THC.

The ideal ratio for sage is about 25% of the mixture. However, due to its strong flavor, you might want to start with a few sprinkles first while you get used to it.

Besides the smokey and spice notes that rosemary can add, it also has significant anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective additives. Some clinical effects from this research have also found positive therapeutic improvement in mood, memory, and even anxiety.

Much like other fragrant herbs and spices, we’d first go for a sprinkle of rosemary and slowly increase it to up to 30% of your mix. This way, you can also tweak the ratio to your preferred taste.

Also known as Melissa, it is very close in likeness to peppermint. Instead of the minty and spicy flavor, Lemon Balm has a sweet and citrus-like note, similar to the scent of bergamot that would go great with strains like Hawaiian Haze or Super Sour Candy. In traditional medicine, this plant is used to help with relaxation through aromatherapy or to add citrus notes to dishes or teas.

Adding mint to your blunt is a fairly old trick to add a bit of freshness. Grind some fresh leaves and add them to your pipe or bong’s bowl. You could also sprinkle some dried-up mint as it can burn better, but nothing beats fresh herbs in both jays and mojitos.

We’d start with a 1:4 ratio with your regular weed dose, but depending on how much you like minty flavors, you could add up to half of the jay or bowl’s capacity worth of mint.

This plant, indigenous to the Indian continent, has been used within the Ayurvedic and even Siddha traditional medical systems. Some of the reported properties, according to this scientific paper, are adaptogenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and even cardioprotective.

Due to its strong flavor, we’d recommend sprinkling some ground-up Holy Basil first to experiment with its notes and if it can help your wellness goals.

This plant is native to North America and is known in some cultures for its aphrodisiac properties. When used dried, users have also sought this plant for its relaxation and mild euphoric feelings.

Damiana has also been used in mixology and drinks lately thanks to its smokey notes. If you want to add it to your bowl or jay, we’d recommend adding up to 25% of this flower. Also, we’d go for strains that are earthy and high in piney notes, such as Super Silver Haze or Elektra.

While we wouldn’t normally recommend this kind of plant, this botanical ingredient has been used for treating the common cold due to its anti-inflammatory and immunity-boosting properties, as this review notes.

If you are smoking hemp with CBG, which is a complementary cannabinoid in Dragon Hemp's Leisure Gummies, you could add some dried-up echinacea to the mix. Cannabigerol is believed to help with the immune system and boost it up, so adding a healthful herb to the formula could boost both.

Blue Vervain is another herbal medicine for which we have to thank traditional Chinese medicine. This botanical ingredient comes with scientific evidence that its multiple compounds could have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even analgesic properties.

While it is a little more difficult to get, you could add a few dried-up sprinkles of this blue flower to add potential benefits to each puff. What’s more, these flowers are pretty. You could make a fairly aesthetic joint if you wanted to.

In most Hispanic households, chamomile tea is a pretty common remedy for tummy aches. Users have rolled chamomile herbal joints to smoke thanks to its sweet notes and strong floral aroma.

While there’s no evidence that chamomile could help your stomachache when smoked, it can mellow out some strains that might have a bit too much kick to their flavor. It could also give strains that are missing some sweet notes and a few floral undertones.

Mullein is one of those herbs the cannabis community has really taken a liking to, thanks to its smooth smoke. This botanical ingredient could also be great if smoked with a bong or bubbler with smooth icy cold hits.

Other users have said that mullein, in general, could be helpful to soothe the lungs with aromatherapy or as an expectorant in tea. Smoking it, however, will not heal or soothe the lungs thanks to the harshness and temperature, which is why we’d go for cold smoke if you want to add it to the mix.

Users have used this botanical ingredient to help them cope with anxiety and depression. While there’s not much information about smoking this herb, studies like this have declared that it could significantly improve depression symptoms.

You could technically add some of this ground-up herb to your weed mix. Flavor-wise, don’t expect much difference in the taste, as it might only provide earthy notes to your strains. This is why most people add it to their joints for its potential wellness effects instead.

This one is another herb with a long history. This herb has been used in medicinal teas and tinctures for years and has a similar aroma to cinnamon, sweet berries, and fruits.

People usually use this herb to manage ailments like inflammation, anxiety, and some insomnia symptoms or to add berry and spicy notes to their smoke. You could add about 50% of Skullcap to your joint if you want to experience some of these effects and spices.

Petals can also be added to elevate your smoking sessions. Some people have even experimented with using these petals as cones or paper for their joints. Rose petals can add herbal and sweet notes to your smoke.

Herbal strains and rose petals are an incredible pair. Some flowers, such as Double Dream and Phantom OG, have strong floral and spicy notes.

Eucalyptus is known as an expectorant, and some people already use it with aromatherapy to help with colds. However, when smoked, it can add a spicy yet fresh flavor. It is also believed to help open your lungs, leading to more THC absorption.

For this, we’d go anywhere from 20 and up to 25% of eucalyptus at first to see how you feel. Creamy and vanilla-like strains like Gelato or Girl Scout Cookies would go perfectly with its sweet and pastry-like flavors.

While sweet, sour, and very floral, Hibiscus is widely known for its strong red coloration and delightful tea. However, when smoked, it can add all these flavors to each toke, lightening up creamy or rich strains that might need an extra kick.

It is also believed that this flower can have aphrodisiac properties thanks to its ability to help regulate blood pressure. This study analyzed how it could be helpful to regulate blood pressure and help with hypertension symptoms, which could give us insight into adding dried-up Hibiscus to boost the blood circulating properties of some joints.