CBD Tea

by Regan Crisp

Part of releasing cannabis’ old-school stigmas is accepting the myriad ways it can make you feel. Sure, if you load up your bong with some high THC indica, you might fall into a TV trance, couch-locked by marijuana’s sleepy side. But cannabis can be energizing, too, and increasingly users are realizing that it doesn’t even have to get them stoned: it may just make the day go more smoothly.

I first discovered the balanced calm that CBD gave me when I was driving for Uber. Full days behind the wheel were hard on my neck and back and prolonged interaction with a wide variety of customers was leaving me feeling drained. Coffee helped me start the day, but it inevitably shortened my energy with a mid-afternoon crash.

Looking for relief but needing to stay sober, I started taking small doses of CBD honey in the morning and afternoon. At first I didn’t notice much. CBD is non-psychoactive, so its effects are less startling than those we usually expect from cannabis. After just a few days of taking CBD on the road, I realized a few things I’d become accustomed to were now missing: tension, exhaustion, and emotional fatigue.

CBD, like THC, acts with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. But unlike THC, which can aggravate nervousness, CBD is noted to soothe anxious thoughts.

For me that meant relaxed shoulders while I navigated traffic; less urgency to “power-through” and more willingness to take short, necessary breaks; and less reactivity to my customers, whose moods I was prone to absorbing.

Partly needing a ‘vehicle’ for my medicine and partly because I couldn’t cope without it, I started adding CBD honey to my morning caffeine, eventually switching to tea, which was gentler on my immobile body and caused less afternoon tiredness. A strong cup of quality Earl Grey, CBD honey, and almond milk became my new power tonic, a concoction strong enough to rev me up but potent in its ability to alleviate my nerves. The British Speedball was born. It’s drinks like these that save the world, I thought.

To make your own CBD tea latte, find (or make) hemp-infused, CBD-rich honey. If you don’t have access to CBD honey, CBD tincture will also do. Find a quality tea you like, start with a two-to-five milligram dose in your morning cup, and see how it takes you through your day. If you still find yourself wired or stressed, increase the dose incrementally, up to fifteen milligrams. Experiment with your favorite teas (mine are Earl Grey and matcha), milks, and honeys if you are making your own. If you don’t normally drink caffeinate, bravo, and don’t worry: I also love a CBD tea latte made with herbal tea, particularly lavender with a strengthening herb like holy basil, or energizing blends like a gingery, herbal chai.

Consider that CBD in higher doses can make you sleepy. Caffeine seems to counteract this. Also realize that caffeine, while giving us needed oomph, can increase tension, too. CBD seems to counteract this. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the future of cannabis is about much more than getting high.