We’ve all heard about the health benefits of raw juice; whether it be a fresh-squeezed cocktail of apples, spinach, lemons, and ginger, or the latest cannabis juice craze. Juicing is especially beneficial because of its high antioxidants from the raw plant material used. When you juice the fresh, raw plant you’re not losing any nutrients like you would when you heat the plant through cooking or smoking.
Why Do Antioxidants Matter?
The Mayo Clinic states, “Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals may play a role in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.”
When the government issued Patent No. 6,630,507 it proved that cannabis contains antioxidants and cannabinoids that are beneficial for human consumption. By juicing raw cannabis you are getting THCA, CBDA, and cannabinoid acids; which are non-psychoactive, so they will not give you the high most associated with marijuana.
Choosing Your Cannabis
Select strains that are proven to be effective in treating what ails you; different strains produce different results. As the Marijuana Doctor says, “Indica strains are sedatives/relaxants and are effective for treating the symptoms of medical conditions such as anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, muscle spasms and tremors while sativa strains are more of a stimulant, and are effective in appetite stimulation, relieving depression, migraines, chronic pain, and nausea.”
Type of Juicer
The best juicer to use is a masticating juicer that grinds fruits and vegetables and then squeezes the juice out in the process. Masticating juicers can press the maximum amount of juice from the pulp. They also make use of the significant amounts of nutrients contained in the leaves, stems, and flower. Use this juicer for fresh blends and pure shots of cannabis juice. Below you’ll find a blended recipe created just for our stoners!
Where to Obtain Raw Cannabis
Summer is the best season for the availability of fresh cannabis. Finding an outside grower would be your best bet for a steady supply of fresh leaves, flowers, and stems. Even better, if you pop a few seeds into the ground in your backyard you will have an abundant supply of cannabis for yourself.
It’s not about getting high, it’s about getting healthy!
Smoothie Recipe
1 small bunch of spinach
½ medium cucumber
1 lemon, peeled
1 small piece of ginger
1 cup of ice
Juice from 10 grams of large fan leaves, flower and/or stems
Juice your cannabis leaves in the masticating juicer at a slow speed. In a blender add cannabis juice and other ingredients till blended. When finished, sit back and enjoy!
Photo by Sebastian King
References
1. Mayo Clinic (2014, April 06). Antioxidants: Why are they important? Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org
2. Marijuana Doctors (2013). Medical Marijuana Effects: Indica vs. Sativa. Retrieved from https://www.marijuanadoctors.com
United States Patent: 6,630,507
Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This newfound property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of a wide variety of
oxidation-associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular applications as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention.
USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (2003, October 07). United States Patent: 6,630,507. Retrieved from http://patft.uspto.gov/
