Can You Smoke Lavender?

Happiness and tranquility radiate from people, just like the fragrance of lavender emanates from its flowers. What makes this statement even more accurate is that the aroma of this plant carries a unique mysticism that evokes calm and relaxation.

This is why many people want to know if it is possible to smoke lavender. This article delves into the qualities of this wonderful plant, the potential effects and benefits, and the correct way to smoke it Read on and learn all about smoking lavender.

Key Takeaways

• Lavender is a smokable herb often mixed with cannabis.
• Lavender may have mood-regulating, stress-relieving, and pain-relieving benefits.
• Lavender can be smoked, turned into tea, and diffused into the air.

What are Smokable Herbs?

Smokable herbs are herbs that can be dried, ground, and smoked, just like cannabis or tobacco. They can be rolled into joints, put in pipes, or consumed in other ways too.

Smokable herbs may produce a variety of benefits for your mind and body when they are combusted and inhaled. Let’s break down everything you need to know about smoking lavender, including the pros, cons, and side effects.

What is Lavender?

Lavender is a small, aromatic evergreen shrub related to mint and is part of the Lamiaceae family. Its scientific name is Lavandula, and this genus of plants contains about 60 species, although there are more than two hundred in nature.

Besides the common lavender, other types of lavender include Portuguese lavender, French lavender, Spanish lavender, English lavender, Lavandula dentata, pinnata, and stoechas, among many other subspecies.

Lavender is the national flower of Portugal. This plant has been used for many purposes throughout history, mainly for its pleasant aroma that invites relaxation. This is why it has a privileged position in aromatherapy. In fact, the oil extracted from the brilliant bluish-purple flowers is highly valued in the world of cosmetics and traditional natural medicine due to its exquisite aroma and surprising qualities.

The oil is rich in terpenes such as linalool, geraniol, coumarins, and borneol, responsible for the plant's therapeutic properties and famous aroma. In addition to its aromatherapeutic properties, the qualities of lavender make it effective in keeping mites away from cabinets, drawers, and other places where these insects hide.

The repellent effect is primarily due to the high geraniol content. Lavender essential oil is also widely popular in hygiene and personal care products, such as hair conditioners, because it may stimulate hair growth and benefit hair health.

Lavender may also be useful as a skin toner. It also works as a natural tranquilizer and relaxant, helps fight bad breath, relieves insect bites, and helps treat muscle ailments.

What Does Lavender Do When You Smoke It?

Smoking lavender is thought to have a variety of benefits. One of the biggest benefits is that it helps relieve anxious thoughts even among children. Lavender contains linalool, a terpene commonly found in cannabis.

According to research, linalool was found to induce anti-anxiety effects in mice. It may also be able to help relieve some stress. The terpenes present in lavender may also have some mild analgesic effects, or act as painkillers to block pain signals from reaching your brain. It may also help improve the quality of your sleep. Many people also enjoy smoking lavender simply due to its enjoyable scent and flavor.

Benefits of Smoking Lavender

Although there is no scientific evidence to support the benefits of smoking lavender, it is thought that smoking it allows users to inhale small amounts of lavender essential oil.

Lavender oil does appear to have some health benefits supported by research. The oil is rich in linalool, so smoking lavender or other linalool-rich plants, like some cannabis strains, could provide the health benefits this terpene offers.

A 2009 review suggests that lavender essential oil may help with anxiety and headaches, improve sleep, and heal wounds. There is also some evidence suggesting that lavender essential oil might help fight certain types of infections.

A 2017 lab study showed that lavender oil had antibacterial properties on human cells by reducing the potency of some potentially dangerous species like Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Other studies suggest that lavender aromatherapy may reduce the need for morphine in post-anesthetic care units. Moreover, experiments on rodent models have shown that the linalool present in lavender oil may have anti-inflammatory properties.

Smoking Lavender for Better Sleep

Lavender flower oil is widely popular for its relaxing qualities due to its high linalool content. This has to do with this terpene's capacity as an anxiolytic agent. According to a 2009 study, inhaling linalool could facilitate its absorption into the bloodstream through the lungs. Linalool also occurs naturally in many strains of hemp and THC-rich cannabis strains.

So, if relaxation and better sleep are your goals, you might as well spice up your regular cannabis joint or pipe bowl with a bit of lavender, or add a little hemp or THC-rich cannabis to a lavender cigarette before smoking.

Strains like Bubba Kush and Zombie Kush combined with lavender could promote great rest nights. In case you want some psychoactive effects, you could combine some dried and ground lavender flowers with a bit of Delta-8 Bubba Kush, Delta- 8 Fruit Loops, or Delta-8 Zombie Kush in your next pre-bed smoking session.

You'll surely sleep like a baby. One of the benefits of lavender is that it could help stabilize some side effects of THC, such as paranoia or anxiety, further helping to make the cannabis experience relaxing and avoiding any discomfort.

Smoking Lavender Effects

One of the potential effects of smoking lavender is that it may help induce states of relaxation, combat stress, and relieve symptoms of chronic anxiety. This happens because, by inhaling lavender smoke, we absorb the combination of terpenes into the bloodstream.

As already mentioned, the dominant terpene in lavender is linalool, which is thought to strengthen the body's immune system and work as an analgesic. When smoking lavender, you could also experience mild analgesic and muscle relaxation effects since the linalool in this plant regulates acetylcholine.

This brain chemical affects pain perception and helps regulate muscle movements. Other benefits of linalool include helping reduce seizures in patients with epilepsy by blocking glutamate receptors. It also increases adenosine levels in the brain and could help regulate heart rate.

Can You Smoke Lavender By Itself?

The short answer to this question is yes. You can smoke lavender just as you smoke tobacco or cannabis. Just grind some dried lavender into a pliable enough texture to roll into cigarettes.

Alternatively, you could smoke lavender on its own or mixed with other smokable herbs. Obviously, if you decide to mix lavender with other herbs, the effects may vary. So the recommended thing is to carefully select the herbs you choose to mix lavender with based on the final effects you want to experience.

Can You Smoke Dried Lavender?

Yes, and in fact, it is the correct way to smoke lavender since if it is fresh, it won't combust well. In this sense, lavender is similar to cannabis. The smokable part of lavender is the flower, which, like the cannabis flower, must be dried and cured in order to burn well.

Can You Smoke Lavender Flower?

Yes, you can smoke lavender flower. In fact, lavender flowers are the parts that people smoke. The process is similar to how you smoke tobacco, cannabis, or other smokable herbs.

Other parts of the plant, such as the stems, can be difficult to grind for smoking. In fact, it is in the flower that lavender stores most of its beneficial terpenes and natural essential oils.

Can You Smoke Lavender Oil?

Can you smoke lavender oil the same way you smoke live resin? The answer is a solid no! You should not try to smoke lavender oil, especially its essential oils.

Like RSO, lavender oil may contain some components that make it harmful to combustion. In fact, the linalool in lavender oil is an alcohol. As such, smoking lavender oil can be hazardous and toxic to the body. In fact, it may cause adverse effects and long-term health problems.

Smoking lavender essential oil may also cause strong sedative effects. So, if you want to smoke lavender, the correct way to do it is in loose leaf form. Besides avoiding unwanted side effects, you will enjoy the experience because dried lavender burns well.

Can You Smoke Lavender Buds?

Yes, you can smoke lavender buds. But the buds should be dry. It is better if you grind them to allow uniform combustion.

Can You Smoke Lavender Leaves?

Theoretically, you can smoke lavender leaves the same way you smoke a flower. Both the flowers and leaves are edible, smokable, and have a pleasant but slightly bitter taste.

Alternatively, you can take lavender leaves as tea or let them dry slightly to smoke along with smokable herbs of your choice. The only difference between lavender flowers and leaves is that the linalool content of the leaves is slightly lower than that of the flowers.

Can You Smoke Lavender Mixed with Weed?

Yes, you can smoke lavender mixed with weed. Many people do so due to the enjoyable flavor and scent that lavender can add to the mix. Also, lavender isn't overly harsh when smoked, so it shouldn't make you cough.

Users enjoy mixing lavender with weed due to the beneficial properties mentioned earlier. Cannabis does, of course, have a variety of benefits for the human mind and body, which can compound with the benefits of lavender.

For those of you who don't know, THC can work in combination with terpenes to produce the so-called "entourage effect," which means that the effects of both THC and the lavender terpenes are enhanced.

Is Smoking Lavender OK?

Although smoking lavender may have a variety of benefits, it is still considered unsafe in the grand scheme of things. Human lungs are simply not designed to inhale smoke. And there is no evidence indicating that it is any safer than smoking tobacco.

We cannot say whether smoking lavender is safe for your health. However, it is important to note that most of the case studies mentioned here were not conducted on human models. Currently, there is insufficient evidence that smoking lavender can work as a reliable medicine for any condition.

Nonetheless, research on the benefits and safety of lavender and its essential oils is ongoing. But there are much healthier ways to use lavender, such as diffusing or applying the essential oil directly. Remember that smoking poses risks to your lungs and respiratory system health and exposes you to carcinogenic agents.

Potential Health Risks of Smoking Lavender

Human lungs are not meant to inhale smoke. Furthermore, smoking lavender also produces carbon monoxide, which is unhealthy to inhale. Although more research is required on this front, smoking lavender may increase your risk of lung cancer as well as other respiratory illnesses.

Smoking Lavender vs. Tobacco

Can you smoke lavender? In theory, yes. Is it any better than smoking tobacco? Maybe. There aren't any real studies that have compared smoking lavender to tobacco.

That said, tobacco, especially processed cigarettes that contain thousands of chemicals, contains man-made toxins, such as arsenic. Therefore, it is possible that smoking lavender isn't quite as bad as smoking tobacco.

One thing that is certain is that lavender doesn't contain nicotine, which tobacco does. Nicotine is, of course, a very addictive substance that can be dangerous on its own.

Other Ways to Benefit from Lavender

There are other ways to benefit from lavender without having to combust it and inhale it. For instance, you could make yourself a nice lavender herbal tea. Mix in some honey and make yourself a tasty treat. You could also use lavender essential oils for aromatherapy. Just put some lavender essential oil into a diffuser, sit back, and relax.