How-To Make A Cannabis Infused Blueberry Banana Smoothie

According to Dr. Courtney, the pioneer for juicing cannabis and founder of Origins of Cannabis International Foundation, cannabis is a dietary essential. When we decarboxylate or heat the cannabinoids found in cannabis, we lose ~99% of the health benefits when the THC-A is converted into THC. The THC-A found in raw cannabis is filled with essential amino acids and other astounding properties that directly influence our immune systems, tapping into a wide range of therapeutic and reparative benefits.

Raw Cannabis, Blueberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

For today’s medical marijuana how-to article, I am sharing my personal blueberry banana smoothie recipe. Adding fruits to smoothies helps cover the bitter taste of cannabis (it has a very sharp taste similar to a wheat grass shot) and boosts the smoothies nutrient levels. As you may or may now know, most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. None have cholesterol.

Consult your caregiver or physician about your sugar intake before making this recipe, especially if you suffer from cancer or any other sugar-feeding disease.

As a general rule of thumb when cooking with cannabis, the fresher the leaves, the better. If you have access to live plants, make the juice fresh each morning. Just be sure to consume the leaves within three days of being cut and cleaned. You also only want to use flowers when the glands are clear and turning cloudy/milky white, but not yet amber.

Be sure to rinse your leaves with water to remove any excess residue before getting started. Treat the leaves as you would any other vegetable by storing them in the fridge when not in use, to extend their shelf-life.

Ingredients You Will Need:

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 large frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen whole blueberries
• 1/2 cup regular almond milk
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• 1 tbsp chia seed
• 1 tbsp flax seed
• 1 tbsp hemp seed
• 15 fresh cannabis leaves and 2-4 2in. fresh cannabis buds (If you do not have access to this much cannabis, feel free to add spinach in replacement.)

Editor’s Note: I aim to use fifteen fresh leaves a day plus two to four 2in fresh raw buds, the recommended dose for the chronically ill patients by Dr. Courtney. I suffer from Late Stage Lyme disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder. If Lyme disease is not caught early, many people suffer long term symptoms. Juicing cannabis has helped me tremendously to keep my symptoms at bay. My doctors have approved my consumption of natural sugars, however, it is advised that consult your doctor before making this at home, especially if you have any health concerns.

Tips To Making A Delicious Cannabis Smoothie

Frozen fruit isn’t mandatory. I prefer to use frozen fruit to help the drink stay colder longer. You may want to cut up the banana before freezing it if you make your own. Depending on the strength of your blender, chopping up a whole banana can become troublesome and you’ll end up with a couple surprise banana chunks. A Blendtec is strong enough so I did not cut mine up, but it is not necessary for you to purchase that blender! It just may take longer to get the consistency you desire.

I recommended drinking the smoothie within fifteen minutes or less because chia gels, thickening the material of your smoothie. Depending on your tastes, you can always omit the chia or wait until it gels up, if you prefer it that way.

The hemp and flax seed both add a rich, nutty flavor. If you wish to cut back on those, know you are losing protein and healthy omegas. You can train your taste buds so don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone or ramp up slowly. Another option you may want to consider is almond milk, as this will increase the creaminess of the smoothie more than half a cup of almond milk + half a cup of coconut water (as called out in the recipe above).

The motor of the blender does release some heat, so you will want to keep the cannabis as far away from the blade as possible, so as not to decarboxylate the cannabinoids, increasing the psychoactive effects while decreasing the amount of THC-A present. I blend all the other ingredients first, only adding the cannabis after all other ingredients are completely blended. Blend the cannabis on pulse until the smoothie is your desired thickness.

Dr. Sulak, a well known MD in Maine that treats thousands of patients with cannabis, suggested that people should consider only blending smoothies using quick pulses, to avoid creating heat from the friction.

Final Thoughts And Friendly Advice

This cannabis-infused blueberry banana smoothie recipe will make ~21 ounces and comes to ~422 calories. Until the USDA considers cannabis a food, we are unable to give the exact calorie count. The calorie count listed includes all of the ingredients except cannabis.

The great thing about making cannabis-infused smoothies is that there is no one, perfect way to do it. Also, you really can not mess up too bad. Even if you don’t like the flavor of your infused creation, you can always add more of something sweet (like strawberries) to the mix and re-blend with a few quick pulses.