Add Raw Cannabis to Your Diet With Bluebird's Green Smoothie

It’s that time of year — the time where we all share our favorite smoothie and salad recipes, embracing the coming summer as a source of fresh motivation to eat healthier and boost our daily wellness routines. You may have seen CBD making its way into many drinkable variations, and smoothies are certainly no stranger in this equation. But what about raw cannabis? Bluebird Botanicals is here to confirm that yes, you can add raw cannabis to your green smoothie. 

Here’s how.

Let’s back up — what IS raw cannabis?

In the same way as it pertains to the food we eat, “raw” when applied to cannabis essentially means unheated. When we’re discussing raw cannabis, we’re generally talking about the THCA and CBDA compounds, the most prevalent of the raw cannabinoids. In contrast to the better-known THC and CBD molecules, these raw cannabis compounds are not considered “activated.” This means they haven’t been through a process called decarboxylation, which just means a chemical change as a result of heating over time. It also means these raw cannabinoids will not get you high. 

Why raw cannabis?

Cannabis is a mighty plant. In its raw form, it’s actually one of the most nutritionally complete food sources known to man. Contained within its seeds, stalks, stems, and other plant matter are a whole host of beneficial goodies, like omega fatty acids, proteins, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and E, and minerals such as calcium and iron. The proteins found in the cannabis plant are considered “complete,” meaning they contain all forms of amino acids that are essential to a healthfully-functioning and happy human body.

Both Bluebird's Hemp Complete and Hemp Complete Concentrated contain raw cannabinoids.

Scientists have theorized that raw, inactive cannabinoids may have the potential for just as much of an impact on bodily homeostasis as their activated cousins — perhaps even greater. While the evidence is not yet conclusive, it stands to reason that the raw form of cannabis could offer benefits when the raw version of foods certainly do. 

Green smoothies are celebrated for their ability to boost energy without making the digestive system work quite as hard. Consuming raw ingredients also has the added benefit of preserving the nutrients found in plants, including those we mentioned that are found in cannabis.

Like CBD and THC, raw cannabis also interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, the system responsible for regulating homeostasis in the body.

If we’ve piqued your interest enough to want to sample a truly green smoothie, read on for where to obtain raw cannabis for your nutritious beverage and for Bluebird’s favorite recipe. 

Where to source raw cannabis

So these raw cannabis benefits sound pretty appealing, right? But where in the Bluebird planet does one actually source raw cannabis?

While it’s not an option for everyone, the simplest and most sustainable answer is to grow your own. This ensures that you have full control over how and when you utilize your raw cannabis. When using home-grown raw cannabis, it’s important to pay close attention to the plant and make sure it doesn’t begin to dry out or cure.

If growing cannabis is not available for you, you could ask friends who might have cannabis growing at home, or check in with your local dispensary about where you might be able to find a source for live cannabis. Some may even have a clone available for purchase that can start off your home-growing project. 

If you've expended all of your resources and just cannot get ahold of raw cannabis, fear not! Bluebird's Hemp Complete is a full-spectrum CBD oil containing various hemp extracts with both raw and heated cannabinoids, plus an extra serving of terpenes. It's essentially the same thing as juicing the whole cannabis plant and it's fully federally legal, making it an excellent and easy substitute for raw cannabis in any recipe.

As the regulations around cannabis shift, it will become easier for people nationwide to start incorporating raw cannabis into their regular routines. Check in with your local state laws to see where your locality stands on the cannabis conversation.

Related Article: Progress to Legal Cannabis in All 50 States

Bluebird’s raw cannabis smoothie

This is a medium-thick green smoothie that's packed with nutrition and antioxidants and, of course, raw cannabis. The recipe features other superfoods to complement the cannabis. It's simple to make, and suitable for even the pickiest of palates! 

Green Smoothie Ingredients

• 1-2 cups ice cubes
• Up to 15 g raw cannabis trim, leaves and/or bud OR Bluebird Botanicals' Hemp Complete full-spectrum CBD oil
• Two handfuls of washed spinach leaves
• 1 large, ripe avocado (remove skin and seed)
• ½ cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• ¼ of a cucumber
• 2 ½ cups (600 ml) freshly squeezed apple juice
• A spritz of lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp hemp or flax seeds

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients together in a blender.
2. Flip the switch.
3. Blend and enjoy!

That’s all, easy peasy cannabis-squeezy.

If juicing is more your style…

A special note for those looking to juice your cannabis instead of blend it: make sure to use a masticating or cold-pressed juicer. These appliances use a slower crushing and squeezing process to distill the juice, as opposed to centrifugal juicers, which may produce heat as a result of the high-speed spinning mechanism. This heat can inadvertently convert raw cannabinoids into their activated cousins. While masticating juicers are more expensive than centrifugal juicers, they are twice as efficient at extraction, and they ensure your end product won’t cause you to experience a high.