Feeling curious about what benefits lie beyond the buds of your favorite plant? Although cannabis flowers and buds receive the bulk of attention in the medicinal and adult-use marijuana communities, the cannabis plant is rich with potential health benefits hiding in plain sight — specifically in its iconic fan leaves. Even though cannabis leaves are typically considered waste products in the hemp and marijuana industries to be discarded after extracting the desired compounds from the plant’s flowers, buds, and fibers (taken from the stalks), these leaves are still brimming with healthy nutrients and therapeutic plant metabolites that are too good to waste!
While raw flower seems like a more potent option for obtaining the health-promoting active compounds in cannabis, the leaves actually display a remarkable nutritional and phytochemical profile. Most notably, cannabis leaves deliver a variety of beneficial antioxidant compounds — like cannabinoids, flavonoids, phenols, and terpenes.
So, whether you have some cannabis fan leaves left from defoliating your plants or if you just want to try something new to enhance your wellness routine, this article will guide you through interesting findings pointing at potential health-promoting properties of cannabis leaves, providing tips and recipes for incorporating these nutritious, underappreciated leaves into your cannabis routine.
Health-Promoting Compounds in Cannabis Leaves
Cannabis provides over 750 beneficial secondary plant metabolites, such as cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, which are responsible for the plant’s unique aromas, flavors, and therapeutic properties. These secondary metabolites found in cannabis are believed to interact synergistically to induce the therapeutic effects associated with cannabis consumption. Keep in mind that there will overall be a lower density of certain beneficial compounds found in the plant’s leaves than in their championed flowers. Nevertheless, further understanding of the numerous substances found in cannabis is essential for deciding how you want to use your cannabis leaves to take in the abundant offerings of the cannabis plant holistically.
Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids are the most well-known compounds in cannabis, with over 150 cannabinoids identified by modern science. These cannabis compounds interact with the human body’s internally manufactured cannabinoids, known as the endocannabinoid system, to bring about various physiological effects. Cannabinoids found in cannabis leaves include more familiar compounds, CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
While THC is the compound responsible for the plant’s reputation as a mind-altering substance, numerous different “minor” (rare) cannabinoids also produce physiological effects and potential therapeutic benefits. Some other lesser-appreciated beneficial cannabinoids found in the plant include CBN (cannabinol) and CBG (cannabigerol). Moreover, the leaves also contain various cannabis acids, like THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), and CBGA (cannabigerolic acid), with their own unique properties.
Terpenes
Terpenes are found in almost all life forms on earth and contribute numerous flavors and aromas characteristic of cannabis plants. They also possess potential medicinal properties in the form of anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial benefits. Some of these particular aromatic plant-derived substances are found not only in cannabis plants but in other familiar botanicals like pine (pinene), lavender (linalool), citrus (limonene), and many more herbs, flowers, and spices (e.g., black pepper, basil, chamomile, hops etc.)
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are another class of compounds present in cannabis and various other organisms that are associated with many health-promoting effects. Flavonoids are associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.
Essential nutrients
Other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and essential oils and fatty acids can also be found in generous quantities in the leaves of the cannabis plant. Cannabis leaves in hemp plants are tested for their macronutrient and micronutrient content.
Comparing the target nutrient levels for healthy cannabis leaves according to a 2021 study sampling of over 6,000 hemp plant tissue samples from over 100 Cannabis sativa varieties, cannabis leaves are observed to contain essential nutrients — like potassium, iron, and calcium — at comparable levels to spinach leaves. So, these raw leaves can boost the nutritional power of your next super smoothie or bowl, along with adding the other benefits offered by the compounds found in the cannabis plant.
Health Benefits of Consuming Cannabis Leaves
Though cannabis leaves are the plant’s more underrated counterpart, they offer some significant benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidant Properties
Cannabis leaves are packed with beneficial compounds that act as antioxidants, which help protect the body from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. These free radicals are naturally produced in the body but can also come from stress, illness, or environmental factors. If too many free radicals build up, they can cause oxidative stress, which is linked to aging and degenerative diseases like arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.
The antioxidant compounds in cannabis leaves — like cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes — help neutralize free radicals, reducing potential harm to cells. Compounds like CBG, CBGA, CBD, and CBDA, which are found in both cannabis flowers and leaves, are especially effective in promoting antioxidant effects. Flavonoids such as luteolin and kaempferol, along with terpenes like pinene and linalool, also contribute to these protective effects.
Instead of throwing cannabis fan leaves away, consuming them — like in smoothies or salads — could provide health benefits by helping to combat oxidative stress.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Excessive inflammation is associated with a variety of chronic health issues — including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, chronic pain, as well as neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. When the body’s immune system responds too strongly or for a prolonged duration, the reaction can cause the body to attack its own tissues, leading to chronic inflammation. When inflammation is persistent or overactive in this way, it can cause damage to tissues and organs, resulting in complications such as pain, swelling, and degenerative disease progression. Poor diet, excessive stress, environmental toxins, and various infections are all factors that can contribute to the development of inflammation and potentially chronic inflammation.
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Various compounds found in cannabis leaves can help reduce this destructive response and support overall physical health. Cannabinoids like CBD, THC, and CBG modulate inflammation via the endocannabinoid system, and evidence from animal studies, in vitro applications, and clinical trials provide evidence that these substances may help relieve inflammation affecting the skin, colon, and brain. Thus, cannabinoids can offer potential relief for inflammatory conditions like acne and Crohn’s disease.
On top of the better-known cannabinoids, certain terpenes found in cannabis plants also demonstrate promising outcomes for inflammation, with limonene having been shown to reduce intestinal inflammation in mouse studies on colitis, and pinene playing a role in reducing brain inflammation from stroke in a rat study. Furthermore, the flavonoid apigenin is well-studied for its anti-inflammatory therapeutic potential, which beckons future research into the other benefits possibly offered by not only this flavonoid, but also by other chemical substances belonging to this diverse group of polyphenols.
Encourages Entourage Effect
Another benefit to eating your cannabis leaves is that it can enhance your experience consuming other parts of the plant, such as the flowers. This is because multiple cannabinoids can interact with the body at once and produce what is known as an “entourage effect,” where the combination of different cannabinoids, terpenes, and other cannabis compounds provide complementary effects with unique therapeutic potential. Eating the cannabis leaves introduces a full range of cannabis phytochemicals into the body system, allowing you to experience the plant’s beneficial properties to the fullest potential.
Since various cannabis compounds have different binding affinities in the body, the presence of particular terpenes or minor cannabinoids may alter the effects that you would usually expect to experience from just smoking the flower or consuming edible products with only CBD or THC. Hence, snacking on the leaves of the cannabis plant on top of consuming edibles or smoking can offer distinct effects and perhaps even further benefits when the variety of different substances from the whole plant interact in harmony across various bodily systems.
How to Consume Cannabis Leaves
There’s some debate about the best way to consume cannabis leaves, as many of their beneficial substances are heat-sensitive. Before preparing cannabis leaves for eating or drinking, understand the difference between consuming the raw leaves versus leaves that have been exposed to heat.
In their raw form, cannabis leaves contain acidic forms of cannabinoids, such as THCA and CBDA. To produce the expected effects of THC, if psychoactive effects are desired, the cannabinoid acid THCA must be exposed to heat by a process called decarboxylation to convert to psychoactive THC.
If you want to experiment with heating your cannabis leaves before consuming, you can dry them and steep some cannabis leaf tea. If you want to get even more creative, the leaves can also be made into versatile cannabis flour that can be used in a variety of recipes. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even try to deep-fry your cannabis leaves!
However, cannabis acids have their own unique benefits and are more bioavailable and reactive than their neutral counterparts when consumed raw. Some of the special benefits studied so far in these cannabinoid acids include anticarcinogenic and neuroprotective properties.
While heating cannabis leaves (and subsequently converting the cannabinoid acids) provides access to the range of psychoactive effects (particularly from the conversion of THCA to THC), raw cannabis leaves are still an excellent choice for those seeking the health benefits of non-psychoactive cannabinoids. Since cannabis leaves are comparable to spinach in terms of their calcium, potassium, and iron content, they can serve as a healthy addition to juices and smoothies or be finely chopped and added to a salad or slaw. Consuming the leaves raw also allows you to preserve more of the beneficial cannabis-derived flavonoids and terpenes that are lost when cannabis is exposed to high heat.
Cannabis Leaves: Promoting Wellness for Both Humans and the Planet
With emerging research on cannabis compounds revealing the critical potential of these underappreciated leaves, the future could hold breakthrough developments in the prevention of diseases, but further studies must be completed to verify and enhance the efficacy of the leaves’ potential benefits. However, it is becoming more evident that cannabis leaves are more than just a byproduct—they’re a rich source of beneficial antioxidants, and intriguingly, they can also serve as a potential solution for minimizing agricultural waste and promoting environmental sustainability.
Not only are cannabis leaves rich in antioxidants and other active compounds, making use of them can additionally offer new eco-friendly health and wellness products that support sustainable agriculture. By utilizing cannabis fan leaves that are typically discarded, new innovative applications can allow the cannabis and hemp industries to potentially operate zero-waste enterprises, reducing the environmental impact of intensive agriculture and conserving resources for both growers and the planet.
Although more research and development is needed to realize the ever-greener future of sustainable cannabis farming, there are exciting efforts to tap into the potential benefits offered by these iconic leaves that are progressively revealing how cannabis fan leaves can contribute to promoting wellness, as well as a more sustainable future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any benefits to eating cannabis leaves?
Cannabis leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. Whether eaten raw or cooked, cannabis leaves contain helpful compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes, which can promote significant health benefits.
What are the health benefits of juicing cannabis leaves?
Similar to spinach, cannabis leaves are a rich source calcium, potassium, and iron. Juicing these leaves allows you to reap these benefits without the health risks associated with smoking or vaping.
What are the benefits of cannabis leaf smoothies?
Adding cannabis leaves to your smoothies boosts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects while providing significant levels of calcium, potassium, and iron. Plus, adding raw leaves to your smoothies allows you to enjoy these benefits without psychoactive effects.
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