Cannabis Popsicles – a New Twist on Ancient Herbal Medicine

Cannabis popsicles are a summer treat to beat the heat. These ones combine cannabis and herbal medicine, too.

Did you know that adults typically come down with at least two or three colds a year? Conversely, while we are all on high alert in the wintertime, nothing beats the dreaded summer cold. As one news report explained, “colds can happen all year round, and although summer colds are less common, they’re particularly notorious.” This summer, it’s time to beat the summer cold with cannabis popsicles (A favorite summer treat).

The three cannabis popsicle recipes below include additional herbs targeting fever, sore throat, and general immune support. Nothing is stopping you from drinking these cannabis-herbal infusions on their own (like a tea), however they taste best when snuck into a sweet summer snack.

Nobody said herbal infusions tasted great, which is why we recommend adding them into a cannabis popsicle (sneaky summer treat).

Cannabis Popsicles for Immune Support?

Cannabis is a smart addition to any medicinal herbal concoction targeting cold and flu. Recently, several studies have indicated cannabinoids as immunoregulatory compounds. These qualities, combined with other common medicinal herbs, may help reduce the symptoms of colds and flu.

Thus far, the potential of cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, for immune support is a relatively new area of study. It’s only been in the last ten years or so that animal trials have gotten underway.

In 2011, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses published a paper titled “Cannabinoid Administration Attenuates the Progression of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus.” In this study, researchers gave monkeys THC for 28 days before exposure to the Simian immunodeficiency virus. Simian immunodeficiency virus is a monkey version of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV). The results indicate that THC improved immune system response following virus exposure, reducing the viral load, and lengthening their lifespan.^[1]Molina, P. E., Winsauer, P., Zhang, P., Walker, E., Birke, L., Amedee, A., Stouwe, C. V., Troxclair, D., McGoey, R., Varner, K., Byerley, L., & LaMotte, L. (2011). Cannabinoid administration … Continue reading

Cannabis For HIV/Aids Patients

Researchers from Vancouver, Canada, have also measured the reduction of viral load among human participants of a recent study. Consequently, their research, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, looks at “High-intensity cannabis use” and its impact on HIV. As they concluded, “Our findings support the further investigation of the immunomodulatory or antiviral effects of cannabinoids among individuals living with HIV/AIDS.^[2]Milloy, M. J., Marshall, B., Kerr, T., Richardson, L., Hogg, R., Guillemi, S., Montaner, J. S., & Wood, E. (2015). High-intensity cannabis use associated with lower plasma human immunodeficiency … Continue reading

Although positive, its especially important to note that these are very preliminary studies. Further, there are no studies at the time of writing looking at cannabis for cold, flu, or other common infections. However, what this early work does indicate is that cannabis can positively impact immune response and viral load. Future work will necessarily look into how different cannabinoids interact with the dozens (if not hundreds) of common infections that cause colds and flu.

How to Make an Herbal Infusion

Herbal infusions are ancient medicinal methods of preparation. Accordingly, infusions of herbs into hot water, oils, and alcohols have a long history of use in herbal medicine from different cultural traditions around the world.

Infusions always include herbs, plus a carrier liquid. Generally, for popsicles, the best carrier liquid is water, because the infusion will be frozen. A herbal infusion is made with hot or boiling water and is essentially an herbal tea.

Further, the following three cannabis popsicles (great summer treats) include custom herbal infusions to potentially target fever, support the immune system, or help a sore throat.

Use the following simple recipe to create each infusion:

1. Firstly, select dried herbs, including dried cannabis flower, according to the recipe.
2. Secondly, add herbs to a large quart jar.
3. Thirdly, pour boiling water over the herbs to cover.
4. Fourthly, allow to steep overnight, if possible. A few hours will do if that’s all you have.
5. Next, strain out organic material, and label the jar’s contents.
6. Finally, store in a cool, dry, place until ready to use.

Cannabis Popsicle Herbal Infusion for Fever (Raspberry Lime Flavor)

Herbal Infusion Ingredients:

• ¼ cup yarrow (recognized in the past as a panacea, or “cure all”)^[3]Applequist, W. L., & Moerman, D. E. (2011). Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.): A Neglected Panacea? A Review of Ethnobotany, Bioactivity, and Biomedical Research1. Economic Botany, 65(2), … Continue reading
• 4 tablespoons catnip (a relaxant, and emetic, see this document for dosage recommendations)^[4]Grognet J. (1990). Catnip: Its uses and effects, past and present. The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne, 31(6), 455–456. https://europepmc.org/article/med/17423611.
• 4 teaspoon lemon balm (A terpene rich fever fighter)^[5]Lemon Balm. (1997, December). Retrieved March 5, 2020, from https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/LEMON_BALM.html
• 1 gram cannabis flower
• 2 cups boiling water

Popsicle Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• Maple syrup (or honey) to taste
• ½ cup of the above fever-fighting herbal infusion

Directions:

1. Firstly, if using frozen berries, thaw in a bowl on the counter for a few hours beforehand.
2. Secondly, add all ingredients except herbal infusion to a blender.
3. Thirdly, mix on high for thirty to sixty seconds.
4. Fourthly, add herbal infusion and blend for about 10 seconds more.
5. Next, using a funnel if needed, carefully pour the mixture into the popsicle mold. If you do not have a popsicle mold, you can use a large icecube tray with popsicle sticks.
6. Finally, place in the freezer overnight to completely freeze.
7. Enjoy!

Cannabis Popsicle Herbal Infusion for Sore Throats (Lemon Ginger Honey Flavor)

Herbal Infusion Ingredients:

• 2-inch piece of ginger roughly chopped (commonly used for sore throat and a wide variety of other maladies)^[6]Ali, B. H., Blunden, G., Tanira, M. O., & Nemmar, A. (2008). Some phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe): A review of recent research. … Continue reading
• 4 tablespoons marshmallow root (Soothes irritated throats)^[7]Benbassat, N., Kostova, B., Nikolova, I., & Rachev, D. (2013). Development and evaluation of novel lozenges containing marshmallow root extract. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences, … Continue reading
• 1 gram cannabis flower
• 1 cups boiling water

Popsicle Ingredients:

• 4 tea bags (look for throat coating varieties in the herbal section)
• 32 ounces of boiling water
• 5 teaspoons honey (or more)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Slices of lemon
• ½ cup herbal infusion

Directions:

1. Firstly, place slices of lemon in each popsicle mold, and place it in the freezer to stabilize. If you do not have a popsicle mold, you can use a large icecube tray with popsicle sticks.
2. Secondly, add boiling water to the tea bags, allow to steep for at least twenty minutes.
3. Thirdly, remove tea bags. Combine with honey and lemon juice. Stir to dissolve
4. Fourthly, allow to cool.
5. Next, using a funnel if needed, pour the mixture into popsicle molds. The slices should stay in place as they were frozen.
6. Finally, place the popsicles back in the freezer overnight to freeze.
7. Enjoy!

Cannabis Popsicle Herbal Infusion for Immune Support (Chocolate Fudge)

Herbal Infusion Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons echinacea (commonly used for the common cold)^[8]Karsch-Völk, M., Barrett, B., Kiefer, D., Bauer, R., Ardjomand-Woelkart, K., & Linde, K. (2014). Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. The Cochrane database of systematic … Continue reading
• 2 grams of cannabis flower
• 1 cups boiling water

Popsicle Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Kleinworth Co.

• 1 can coconut milk
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup herbal infusion

Directions:

1. Firstly, add all ingredients (except herbal infusion) into a blender. Blend on high for thirty to sixty seconds.
2. Secondly, add in herbal infusion, and mix until combined, another twenty seconds.
3. Thirdly, using a funnel if needed, carefully pour into a popsicle mold. If you do not have a popsicle mold, you can use a large icecube tray with popsicle sticks.
4. Next, place in the freezer overnight to allow to completely freeze
5. Finally, enjoy!

Herbal Cannabis Popsicles As an Immuno-Supportive Summer Treat

Evidently, building a strong immune system can benefit from seasonally appropriate recipes. For example, the wintertime is for herbal-infused teas, and summers are for cannabis-herbal infused popsicles. Because popsicles keep for several months in the freezer, why not keep a stash of these popsicles at the ready for the coming summer?

Moreover, these summer treats leave the consumer with decarbed cannabis flower. Once strained out of the mixture, the consumer can still dry this flower. Consequently, this flower has already been decarboxylated by the boiling water. This means that most of the terpenes and medicinal goodness are present in the cannabis popsicles. Despite that, however, some cannabinoids and terpenes might be left behind in minor quantities. Can this be used? Yes, it can. Even bud left over after vaping is useful. Firstly, collect the flower and strain it until it seems dry. Secondly, use paper, rice, or a humidity pack to further dry out the cannabis. Further, consider putting it near (but not on) a working household de-humidifier. Thirdly, consider how you’d like to consume this bud. Following this step, it could be turned into low-dose capsules, tinctures, or even edibles. Lastly – enjoy your waste-saving creation!

Accordingly, if an adult of legal age for cannabis consumption comes down with the dreaded summer cold – you’ll have a pack of delicious cannabis popsicles ready, a supportive and delightful summer treat.