Cannahoney is Cannabis Honey That You can Make at Home

Cannabis-infused honey, or cannahoney, is delicious and nutritious, plus it has a long shelf life.

Honey is a sweet golden elixir, with a few significantly unique characteristics. For starters, honey is said to be  the only food that never spoils. In fact, archeologists discovered pots of honey in the Asian country of Georgia that were 5,500 years old! And still edible! Additionally, honey has long held position as a valuable medicinal ingredient, both for its therapeutic qualities and as a carrier for other medicinal herbs. Even better, cannahoney is an ancient concoction that you can make at home. Cannanbis honey can be made with decarboxylated bud, THC extract, CBD extract, and even raw cannabis. It all depends on what your wellness goals.

What is Cannahoney?

The sweet addition of honey to your medicinal cannabis arsenal is delicious, nutritious, versatile, and has important wellness properties. Additionally, look for raw honey straight from a local apiary, if you can. Raw honey comes directly from the honeycomb and contains no added sugars, like pasteurized honey often does. This makes cannahoney a healthy, unprocessed alternative to the white sugar and corn syrups. Unlike the refined sweeteners found in processed edibles today, cannabis honey is good for you.

What Makes Honey Healthy?

In a recent review, published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (2018), researchers reported honey, “Exhibits strong wound healing, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, and antidiabetic effects.” Interestingly, preliminary work has highlighted several additional properties, such as antitumoral, immunomodulatory, estrogenic regulatory, and more. The authors of the review go on to conclude, “The literature suggests that honey administered alone, or as adjuvant therapy, might be a potential natural antioxidant medicinal agent warranting further experimental and clinical research.”^[1]Ahmed, S., Sulaiman, S. A., Baig, A. A., Ibrahim, M., Liaqat, S., Fatima, S., Jabeen, S., Shamim, N., & Othman, N. H. (2018). Honey as a Potential Natural Antioxidant Medicine: An Insight into … Continue reading

As you may have already noted, medical cannabis may contain several of these very same qualities. Cannabinoids, like CBD, are already under heavy research as  anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, and antioxidative agents, as well as for immunoregulatory properties. Consequently, CBD honey creates a cannhoney wellness powerhouse with ample therapeutic potential.

Going Beyond Infusions to Cannabinoid Honey

Cannabis honey recently received a lot of media attention thanks to a Spanish beekeeper nicknamed Nicolas Trainerbees. According to the widely shared reports, Trainerbees had begun producing cannabinoid honey by training bees to target his cannabis crop. The media exaggerated several critical details of the story, but the concept is interesting.

Rxleaf spoke with Trainerbees in 2018, and clarified the facts on cannabinoid honey. Firstly, cannabis produces minimal amounts of nectar, which is the substance bees collect to produce honey. Instead, as Trainerbees details, he’d successfully trained his hives to collect cannabis pollen.

Importantly, cannabis is a highly attractive pollen producer, as studies in Colorado and New York have demonstrated. Bees collect pollen to product propolis, which is food for bee larvae. So, many people consider propolis a superfood in its own right.

Further, propolis is yet another antioxidant ingredient. In “Recent Advances in the Chemical Composition of Propolis,” published in 2014, researchers discuss the many possible applications for propolis, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti tumor, anti ulcer and even anti-HIV.^[2]Huang, S., Zhang, C. P., Wang, K., Li, G. Q., & Hu, F. L. (2014). Recent advances in the chemical composition of propolis. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 19(12), 19610–19632. … Continue reading

So, it’s highly unlikely that any bee can produce cannabinoid-infused honey, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in some capacity. Trainerbees’ process is secretive, but some have proposed his cannabis honey is simply a mixture of propolis and honey. Making honey/CBD honey at home, with propolis, produces a sweet, superfood, with synergistic ingredients.

How to Make Cannabis Honey

You can make your own cannahoney using local, ethically sourced honey and cannabis. Talk about farm to table!

Ingredients

• 14 g Decarboxylated cannabis (chose the chemovar with the right characteristics for you: THC dominant for THC honey and CBD-rich for CBD honey)
• 400 g Honey
• 6 g Ethically sourced propolis
• 27 g Clear grain alcohol (ex: Everclear)
• Additional herbs if desired (lavender, lemon balm, etc.)

Equipment:

• Large mason jars
• A large piece of cheesecloth
• Slow cooker or hot water bath

Directions:

1. Firstly, make the propolis tincture. Combine clear grain alcohol and propolis in a Mason jar. Shake well, and store in a dark cupboard. Shake every few days for two weeks.
2. Secondly, using a cheesecloth, filter the mixture into a new jar. Discard spent propolis.
3. Thirdly, pour honey into the new propolis tincture jar.
4. Fourthly, taking a fresh piece of cheesecloth, tie a bundle of decarbed cannabis and place inside the jar. Using a spoon, push the cannabis under until it’s covered.
5. Next, stir to combine.
6. Place the jar, loosely covered, into a hot water bath on the stove or slow cooker. Set to low heat.
7. Allow the mixture to come to a low simmer for four to six hours.
8. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
9. Remove the bundle, squeezing out as much honey as possible.
10. Store in the refrigerator.

Cannahoney and Propolis

In conclusion, the power is in your hands. Cannhoney, whether that be CBD honey or THC honey, only contains three medicinal ingredients. DIY cannabis honey gives the advantage of knowing exactly what’s in every dose. Moreover, there are no harmful chemicals or additives.

Make a batch of propolis infused cannahoney to have on hand for that next cup of tea, or to drizzle over an especially good bowl of granola. Cannabis honey can be a useful wellness tool for patients everywhere, especially when used as a replacement for refined, processed sugars.