As a lifelong night owl, I’ve tried everything to help catch zzzs on demand when my schedule demands it, and one thing that always helps, besides cannabis, is tea.

One of the more commonly reported reasons to use cannabis is to fall asleep. Many non-recreational smokers own up to a toke or two before hitting the pillow to help wind down, and I think anyone would be stoked on more sleep. As a lifelong night owl, I’ve tried everything to help catch zzzs on demand when my schedule demands it, and one thing that always helps, besides cannabis, is tea.

Don’t use any old tea to try to help you sleep — caffeine may not hold you up from falling asleep if you’re going to bed immediately — but if you wake up, you will be alert and likely sorry. Mint teas, hops teas, chamomile, and other herbs are naturally relaxing, so why not make your own tea blend that uses precisely the flavors you enjoy with the dose of THC you may have been having anyway.

DIY​ ​Sleepy​ ​Eyes​ ​Tea

Danielle Guercio, 2017

Blend makes 2 cups of tea
With tincture: 3mg THC per cup estimated
Loose leaf: Omg THC, CBD potential depends on strain

• ¼ c rose buds
• 1 Tbsp lavender
• 2 Tbsp chamomile
• 1 Tbsp hops
• 1 Tbsp dried mint
• ½ g cannabis and/or 1 tsp cannabis glycerin tincture*

Deciding on your flower/herb ratio is crucial. It’s quite easy to get these flowers online or in most grocery stores, having them on hand can make lots of recipes more special.

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It’s also worth keeping these items around, as they are wonderful for garnishing and engaging your sense of smell. For a tea blend, their pleasant flavors help to relax and surround you with their smell, taste, and potentially sleep serenading properties.

Decide on finely ground decarboxylated cannabis stirred into hot milk as your cannabis dose, or you can use tincture for THC. Both are OK, but don’t forget you won’t get any THC from just pouring water over ground cannabis, though you might get some terpenes and lower on the heat spectrum cannabinoids, and those also have their own sleep magic to them.

Use either the proportions above, or prepare a blend to your liking of lightly chopped flowers. You can leave them whole for prettiness if you wish. Anything that is good for sleep can go in this blend. If using ground cannabis add to the blend, make sure it’s very finely ground and has been heated as if you were making cannabutter. Divide the tea blend into two portions or put into a classic teapot. Pour over water and allow to brew for 5 minutes before adding sweetener and sipping. If using tincture add now.

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Alternatively, you can prepare a milky tea concentrate in the style of an Indian chai latte or Middle Eastern rose tea. Add aromatics and cannabis to a saucepan with milk, and some honey, simmer for 5-10 minutes, strain, serve with sweeteners and add hot water. This will get you a bit more cannabinoids, and if you simmer longer you’ll eventually get THC as well. Always use care with milk on a stovetop.

*Cannabis​ ​Glycerin​ ​Tincture

Decarboxylate 3.5g of finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees for 20 minutes in a tightly sealed, oven safe container. Put cannabis in lidded mason jar or vacuum sealed bag with cannabis and ½ cup vegetable glycerin. Heat in water bath just under boiling for at least 1 hour. Strain and chill to use in recipes Get to sleep faster when you have a busy day ahead, and if you’re trying to keep the bedroom smoke free but need that helper, this way is an excellent choice. You can make the dry herb blend in big batches, if you like it, and either add tincture for a medicated sweetener or steamed milk to wake up the lower cannabinoids.

Photos: Maria Penaloza