3 Dreamy Ways Herbs & Flowers Elevate Your Smoke Session

art by Irina Vaneeva

A deep body high that adds a subtle tingle to your limbs. A softening around the mind’s edges. A gentle nudge into a more expansive and creative state. A citrusy spark of uplifting energy.

Depending on the strain (and your mindset), a cannabis smoke session can evoke a wide spectrum of effects. But before I started mixing smokable herbs and botanicals in, I often felt they were too strong. Now, for a daytime smoke that gets me lifted while keeping me grounded, I always roll half a citrusy Sativa (like Lemon Bean or Sour Diesel) with half of an herbal blend. And for an evening smoke that helps me chill and create, I go for half a body-high Indica (like Hindu Kush or Sherbert Queen) with mellow herbs and dreamy petals.

I turned my favorite combinations into Tierra! Here are three reasons why I add herbs and flowers to my cannabis spliffs—and why you might like it, too.

The layered taste: Herbs & flowers add complexity to the flavor.

Adding Tierra to a spliff is like adding lemon zest to a cake recipe. Or like adding cucumber and lemon to your water. Or like adding Madon sea salt to a perfectly ripe heirloom tomato. Or… you get it. It brightens up each pull with an additional layer of complexity, and deepens the experience.

Tierra adds an almost incense-like element to the pull. It fills your mouth with a bonfire and bouquet, all at once—yet the smoke is gentler on the throat than an all-cannabis spliff ;)

The effects: Herbs and flowers cut the cannabis for a less potent high— no tobacco required.

Whether it’s a midday smoke break to spark my creativity before a writing session or passing a spliff among friends on the Williamsburg sidewalk after dinner at Cafe Mogador… my preferred high keeps me present but adds a peaceful, blissful spin to my mind state.

When I smoke pure cannabis—especially pure Sativa, with a high THC percentage—the effects come on strong. They can be so overpowering that writing is out of the question, deep conversations are out of the question, and really anything but sinking into a cozy couch is out of the question. Either that, or a buzzy elevated state comes on, often served with a side of anxiety.

With a half herbal, half cannabis Tierra spliff, I consistently get that blissful spin to my mind state, and never have to deal with anxiety or couch-lock. It allows me to control the amount of THC I put in my system, without the negative effects (or smell) of tobacco.

The variety: With psychoactive plants like Mugwort and Blue Lotus, you can experiment with more nuanced effects on the mind & body.

If you’re interested in adding novel effects to your high, herbs and flowers can do that, too.

While smokable herbs like mullein and raspberry leaf are a non-psychoactive way to cut the cannabis while keeping the pull smooth and flavorful, there are other herbs and flowers that can palpably add to the effects.

Blue Lotus is one such mind-altering flower with calming, relaxing and euphoric effects—it can even be mildly psychedelic and hallucinogenic at a high enough dose (not in the dose you’ll find in the Dream Blend). Mugwort is another herb that I like to experiment with, which isn’t currently in a Tierra blend (if you’d like to see one, let me know!) Many ancient cultures smoked mugwort to bring forth vivid dreams, and I’d agree, adding that it helps with dream recall. While awake, it contributes to a deeply relaxed bodily state that pairs well with Indica-dominant cannabis strains.

While you should approach adding psychoactive plants to your blends with care, it can be an interesting way to add to a spiritual ritual or creative state of mind.

In general, for those looking for a blissful elevated state, without the couch-lock or anxiety-inducing potential of an all-cannabis spliff, mixing in herbs and botanicals can be a wonderful option. If you’re ready to try it yourself, Tierra offers two herbal blends you might like: an uplifting OG Blend & more mellow Dream Blend — available as both pre-rolls and loose-leaf mixes.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA or any other regulatory body. Consult your doctor before ingesting or smoking any herbal product and avoid smoking if pregnant.