Did you know that you could use almost every part of a cannabis plant?
That’s right! From its stem to leaves to seeds to roots, every part of a cannabis plant has a use.
For instance, its stem can be used for making fiber, roots for bioremediation, and seeds for making products such as food, cosmetics, animal feed, biofuel, and edible oil.
Of all the parts of a cannabis plant, the flower is perhaps the most common.
Cannabis flowers refer to the inflorescence part of a cannabis plant, or the flower head which may include the leaves, stalks, bracts, buds, and so on.
As the most important part of the whole plant, it contains the most amount of trichomes and terpenes which give it a particular flavor and aroma, as well as hundreds of active cannabinoids such as CBD and THC which give you health benefits and high respectively.
As such most people tend to smoke it up in its resinous or dried-out form (often mixed with tobacco) as you may have seen.
Apart from the high, cannabis flowers are also used for their herbal and medicinal properties. As such they can also be ingested via food and beverages.
There are all kinds of edibles you can find in the market that are infused with different amounts of cannabis compounds to give you a much-needed effect.
It is the ratio of these active compounds that define the potency and effects of a product on a user.
The same goes for flowers. That is, depending on the concentration of different compounds that are found in a plant of the cannabis genus, the type of flower is determined.
Types of Cannabis Flowers
While there are well over 700 strains of cannabis found worldwide with each having a different set of composition, most of them fall under two basic categories or subspecies i.e. indica and sativa.
Indica is often identified by its densely leaved branches or foliage and smaller size of about 2-4 feet. Whereas, Sativa is known for its taller size of about 5-18 feet but with fewer branches.
Another important factor that makes them of opposing nature is the ratio of chemical compounds found in them. Mainly, CBD and THC as two of the most common and active chemical compounds found across the entire cannabis plant family.
These two compounds alone are responsible for most of the effects you may feel upon smoking or consuming marijuana.
In essence, CBD offers its medicinal effects, and THC delivers the high be it for recreation or leisure.
And since Indica is known to have higher CBD than THC, and Sativa is infamous for higher THC content, it’d be safe to say that Indica gives you health and Sativa gives you the high!
Aside from these basic varieties, a cannabis flower could also belong to a third, an almost rare subspecies of cannabis called Ruderalis, and hundreds of other hybrids and industrial strains.
How does cannabis flower work?
A cannabis flower can take up to 4 months to grow and fully develop.
Also known as its reproduction phase or flowering time, it is when the flower starts producing heavy amounts of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids.
A cannabis bud can also be either male or female with the latter having the highest concentration of cannabinoids and other chemicals.
Moving on, once the flower is matured, it is harvested, trimmed, dried, and cured which may take another 1-2 weeks.
And finally, the flower becomes ready to be used in edibles, medicines, and smoking.
Benefits of using Cannabis flowers
Cannabis is one of the most widely grown plants globally, both naturally and manually.
Compared to other products, its flowers are less expensive and easily available as they do not need a lot of processing.
They have high amounts of THC, trichomes, and other cannabinoids which offer instant high and health benefits upon vaping or smoking.
Some of the most potential health benefits of consuming cannabis include:
- Lowering of blood pressure.
- Reducing pain and inflammation.
- Drug and alcohol withdrawal.
- Treating anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.
- Controlling Gastrointestinal diseases.
- Preventing seizure and epilepsy.
- Fighting cancer and chemotherapy.
Now, you can either buy them as loose cannabis flowers or concentrated flowers that are mixed with other types of cannabis extracts such as hash, kief, and rosin.
Regardless, most of these flower buds can be smoked using a variety of methods and apparatuses such as vapes, pipes, joints, and bongs.
Or if you don’t want to get into all that hassle of preparing or rolling up a joint yourself, you can always go with the pre-rolled joints and marijuana cigarettes that come in various strains, concentrates, and flavors.
Before you decide, there is another important factor that you must remember about cannabis flowers.
A bud, although interchangeably used to mean a flower, is not exactly a flower, whether in terms of its composition or potency.
There are subtle differences between the two, which once you know would help you big time in getting the best value for your money.
Also Read: How Cannabis Can Improve Mental Health
The difference between a flower and a bud
Although sold and contained together, a bud could either be made of leaves or flowers.
Leaf buds are made up of leaves that are loosely situated on the lower parts of the plant where light penetration is highly limited thus giving it a lower concentration of cannabinoids.
Flower buds on the other hand are highly potent and valuable as they are rich in trichomes that contain the main compounds such as cannabinoids and terpenes. Located at the topmost corners of the plant, and hence the term “flower top”, flower buds are densely packed with typically larger leaves or petals.
Takeaway
Cannabis flowers are more potent and health-oriented than any other part and are thus considered the main fruit of cannabis cultivation.
When consumed in limited amounts, they can help achieve a lot of calm and relaxation along with several physiological and psychological benefits.
