Mix and Match Blends
Smoking gives us a direct connection with the plants mother earth provided. Smoking can be a nurtured ritual or ceremony that creates bonds. It is a lovely way to join friends, or to invite people into your circle. Smoking sets the scene to bring participants into the same vibration. It also creates a meditative state or atmosphere of calmness, listening, and presence.
Making your perfect herbal smoking blend for your ritual can take on many combination. There are over 1500 plants that have been documented for use as smoke at some point in history. Uses for these plants varied widely. They were used for repelling insects, for supporting the health of the lungs, for veterinary needs, to balance or influence the emotions, or even as weapons during warfare.
It can be helpful to think of herbal smoking blends as three parts:
Base or Carrier herbs
Specific supportive role herbs
Flavoring herbs
Base/Carrier Herbs:
Cannabis
Mullein
Red raspberry
Tobacco
Damiana
Lung Health Herbs:
White Horehound
Mullein
Hyssop
Thyme
Korean Ginseng
Marshmallow
Lobelia
Nervous System Herbs:
Skullcap
Passionflower
Mugwort
Hops
Catnip
Rose
Damiana
Woodworm
Flavoring Herbs:
Angelica
Peppermint
Spearmint
Monarda
Lavender
Anise
Mix & Match Your Blend
Next, you can pick a few herbs from the list above geared to the specific vibe or boost your body needs. Whether you’re looking for help with insomnia, anxiety, or something more severe like chronic pain, there is an herb for it!
The ratio of ingredients in your herbal smoking blend is a personal calculation. You can start by measuring in parts, like tablespoons, to create a small test amount. Keep notes on your recipes so you can recreate the ones you like in larger quantities.
A basic formula below could be a great simple start:
2 Tablespoons base herb(s)
1 Tablespoon specific herb(s)
½ Tablespoon flavoring herb(s)
It’s important to take into consideration the dryness of your smoking blend. A little moisture goes a long way to make an herbal smoking blend have a smoke. Herbs that are dried for storage are sometimes too dry to make a good smoking blend, so spritzing your smoking blend and storing it in a closed container to allow the herbs to absorb the moisture can help.
Spritz with enough water and honey to moisten and store the mix in a tin or glass jar with a lid. The amount of water you need will depend on how dry the herbs are. If you accidentally get things too wet, leave the lid off overnight for some of the water to evaporate.
*It’s important to remember that smoke is smoke no matter what way you serve it. Besides being harmful on the lungs from tar, smoking also lessens the amount of oxygen you are taking in and increases your exposure to carbon monoxide, neither of which are healthy. If smoking is done mindlessly and in excess, it will lead to an imbalance in the body (as will eating fast food, or not exercising, etc). So everything good in moderation friends.
