The Benefits of Hemp Flowers and How to Use Them

Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill and the legalization of industrial hemp in the United States, the number of ways you can consume hemp-based CBD and experience its benefits has increased tenfold. Of the many different ways, one of those less talked-about is hemp flower—the legalized plant itself! (Or part of it.)

Hemp-based CBD is most commonly found in more processed forms, but you can, in fact, purchase hemp flower fully intact and without further processing for hemp au naturel, if you will. 

What are hemp flowers? 

Hemp flowers are flower buds chock full of CBD. They get clipped right off the stalks of hemp plants and remain as is—no more extraction or purification or manufacturing needed. They may not look pretty, but they do give you CBD at its simplest. 

What benefits do they have?

People use hemp flowers for similar reasons that they use any other CBD products—relaxation and their anxiolytic properties, help with sleep, reduction in pain and inflammation, aid in muscle recovery, increasing focus, and so on. The benefits are numerous. 

But the reason some might choose hemp flowers over some other popular CBD products has to do with that thing called the entourage effect. The entourage effect is what happens when all the compounds in a hemp-derived product work together to ultimately coalesce to an even greater extent with the body’s systems and bring more comprehensive benefits. See, in hemp flowers, because there is no further processing, not only are the buds replete with the CBD compounds, but they’re also still full of the terpenes and flavonoids that go along with them, which is not what you get with a CBD isolate. Plus, the CBD-THC ratio is ideal: in hemp flower, CBD is naturally very high, while THC is naturally very, very low—most often low enough to be below the 0.3 percent legal limit.

How to use them

Hemp flowers are typically smoked. You can roll hemp flowers by yourself, or simply buy pre-rolled joints from a CBD supplier. Despite hemp flower not needing further processing, you still need to make sure you’re buying it from a reputable company with rigorous growing standards and safety protocols so as to reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides. Keep in mind that the market for hemp flower in the United States is smaller than that of CBD oils and other products, with more roadblocks to selling and distributing it, so there are fewer suppliers. For this reason, definitely do your homework before making your purchase.  

Yes, but . . .

Hemp flowers do provide the same benefits as other CBD products, of course with the added entourage effect. However, smoking is not the healthiest option for your lungs. The direct inhalation does allow it to go straight to your lungs, so the effects hit quicker—but it is still smoking, and smoking in every form is tough for our lungs to handle too much of. 

Smoke in moderation, but certainly enjoy the effects and broad benefits of CBD in its unprocessed purity.