Hemp Flower: What Is It and Is It For You?
You may have heard a lot of talk lately about Hemp Flower, CBD Buds, and Pre-rolls.
You may be wondering what those things are, how to use them, and if they are the right CBD choice for you.
Today we are going to get you familiar with these terms, how and why you use hemp flower, and give you the information to decide if these CBD products are right for you!
Basic Terminology: What are Hemp Flowers and CBD Buds?
Hemp Flowers are the flowers from the female hemp plant.
When a female hemp plant is fully matured it produces hemp flowers or buds just like its close cannabis relative.
It is important to note that cannabis and hemp are used to describe multiple plants in the same family (sometimes called a species), the most distinctive difference is hemp that is a plant that contains no more than .3% THC.
CBD bud or CBD flower are other terms for hemp flower.
Which means it comes from the female hemp plant and contains low levels of THC (Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and high levels of CBD (cannabidiol).
THC is the compound in cannabis that is responsible for the “high” when consuming cannabis.
CBD is found in both strains of Hemp and Cannabis, but it is not intoxicating aka it does not produce the “high” that THC does.
What Does Hemp Flower Look Like?
Hemp leaves on a plant may appear skinner than its cannabis cousin marijuana if you see them growing.
If you see a hemp plant it may appear taller and skinner than marijuana which may appear more bush like.
However, to the untrained eye, hemp and marijuana may look very similar, they also have similar smells.
Hemp flowers and CBD buds are the unprocessed flowers of the hemp plant.
Hemp flower may appear to look like green leaves, but close inspection will show varying shades of green interwoven with brighter greens, purples, and oranges depending on the strain.
It should be dry but have a soft, sticky feel to it.
If your hemp flower appears dry and crumbly like oregano or parsley, there is a pretty good chance that you are not getting legitimate, top quality hemp flower.
In fact, top quality growers take pride in their unique strains appearance!
CBD buds should have rich, vivid colors, they may appear sugary, sticky, and even shimmer from trichome density.
Different terpenoids will make each strain smell a little differently.
What is the Difference between Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid?
Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid strains refer to different types of hemp plants.
Indica, Sativa, and Hybrids share many similarities but do have some distinctive differences between them.
Research indicates that different strains may serve better medicinal purpose for some illnesses than others.
In general, sativa strains can have an alert, euphoric, and uplifting feeling. They may have creative, energizing, sociable effects and may assist with anxiety; making them better suited for daytime use.
In general, indica strains can have a relaxed, calm, and mellow feeling. They may stimulate appetite, sleep, and add in some pain relief, making them better for nighttime use.
Hybrids land somewhere in between the energized, social effects of sativa strains and the sleepy, relaxed effects of indica strains.
They may assist with pain and anxiety. Hybrids may be a good choice for you if you have a wide variety of ailments.
It is important to note that this is just a general rule of thumb.
Each individual strain has its own unique genetic make-up including CBD, trace amounts of THC (no more than .3%), THCA, CBG, in addition to other minor cannabinoids, plus it’s own genetic make-up of terpenes, which new research shows, may be just as impactful as the CBD, THC, and CBG content.
What Is the Difference Between CBD Oil and Hemp Flower?
CBD oil and Hemp flower both come from the hemp plant.
CBD oil often goes through an extraction process to harvest the CBD from the hemp plant.
Hemp flower is simply dried and harvested before it is packaged for sale.
This leave the plant flowers intact, including any terpenes, cannabinoids, fatty acids, and other compounds in that strain of hemp; sometimes refining hemp for CBD oil results in these parts of the plant being destroyed.
Hemp Flowers are simply harvested, cured, and packaged for you as the end consumer.
How Do You Use Hemp Flower?
Hemp flower must be activated for the CBD and other cannabinoids to work in your body’s endocannabinoid system.
When you smoke hemp flower, the heat from the flame or heating element activates your hemp flower.
Therefore, hemp flowers are usually smoked or inhaled through a dry vape system or through more familiar methods like glass pipes, joints, or blunts.
You can use hemp flower to make CBD edibles at home, although the process is time consuming, because you must decarboxylate the hemp flower before cooking with it.
Decarboxylation involves heating the hemp flower in the oven or water-bath (sous vide) before using it.
We will cover making edibles from hemp in a more in-depth article.
For now, we will focus on smoking hemp flower.
To smoke hemp flower, you simply break up the bud, some people use a grinder, and wrap it in rolling papers, blunt wraps, or place it in a bowl for a glass piece.
Dry Herb Vaporizers work by heating and evaporating the hemp flower with out combustion.
Place the hemp flower in the chamber on your dry herb vape, and enjoy.
Just remember that you should always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your dry vaporizer.
What are Pre-rolls, Caviar Cones, and Moon Rocks?
Pre-rolls are joints or blunts of hemp flower that are made ahead of time.
The convenience with pre-rolls are that you do not have to buy hemp flower and papers, prepare them, and roll them at time of use.
Pre-rolls are convenient and fast for the consumer, particularly if you have ailments that may prevent you from rolling your own hemp flower joints.
Caviar cones such as the CBD or CBG caviar cones from Urb are a type of pre-roll, usually hemp flower coated in CBD distillate and rolled in CBD kief.
There are also caviar cones for cannabis products as well!
Moon Rocks are hemp buds coated in CBD distillate and rolled in CBD kief, however you can also find marijuana moon rocks!
Moon Rocks tend to be seen as cost effective because a little bit goes a long way.
They are great for people who want high doses of CBD, but they can be messy.
Most people use moon rocks in glass, but you can roll them in a joint or blunt, just don’t put them in a grinder as that would be a sticky mess.
Is Hemp Flower the Right Choice for You?
As with all CBD products, there are no guarantees. What works wonderful for one consumer, may not work for the next.
Hemp flower is a great choice for consumers looking to experience the “entourage effect” because it is the whole part of the hemp plant.
However, some people may want to avoid the trace amounts of THC in CBD hemp flower and like the ease of use of a broad spectrum or CBD isolate oil tincture.
Hemp flower is a great choice if you prefer to inhale your CBD, and looking for near immediate absorption.
CBD hemp flower can also be used to make a variety of edibles (if you don’t mind being in the kitchen).
Some illnesses may benefit more from certain types of strain use, such as a sativa for anxiety in large crowds, a hybrid for pain during the day, and an indica for pain and insomnia at night.
Perhaps you would like to try hemp flower and have joint pain or hand issues, making pre-rolls a good choice for you.
Maybe you have a complete CBD care plan that works for you but on those rare days where your pain isn’t being helped by a maintenance dose, adding CBD flower (especially Moon Rocks or Caviar Cone) may bring you that extra relief you need.
Maybe you just like the way CBD makes you feel, there is more than likely a hemp flower out there for you too!
I hope this information assists you in deciding if CBD hemp flower is the right choice for you, and where you may need to start to experiment with types of hemp flower strains and consumption methods.
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