There is more to cannabis than just its flowers. Learn about the different derivatives you can find in hemp plants in today’s post.

For many people hearing or reading the word “Cannabis” brings an image to mind of people smoking, having a good time, and getting high. 

This is entirely -and amazingly- true, but there is much more regarding Mary.

With cannabis legalized in many states, this plant demand is fastly increasing. And with demand on the rise, a large number of new products created from cannabis appear on the market day in and day out.

But many of them are not meant to make you high, and this is the case with hemp.

This is why today I’m going to tell you about many of the cannabis/hemp-based derivatives that you can find to feel better, reduce pain, decrease anxiety, and more.

Let’s get to it!

What are hemp derivatives?

Basically, a hemp derivative is any product that comes from any hemp/cannabis plant.

So, hemp fibers, hemp CBD cigarettes, hemp leaves to smoke, CBG or CBD gummies, ointments, hash, etc… They’re all derivatives from the hemp/cannabis plant.

In today’s post, we’re covering many derivatives of the hemp/cannabis plant, so you can learn about the different ways you can treat your discomforts with cannabis, just as you would with any other medicine.

As a matter of fact, there are already around 3.6 million people using medical hemp/cannabis in the US to treat conditions that rank from social anxiety to cancer.

Every year new patients add up to the list, and more and more countries over the world have legalized Jane, thus demonstrating that cannabis is a safe, reliable, non-addictive, and low on secondary effects solution for many people.

A little disclaimer

As you’re reading the words “cannabis” and “hemp” time and time again, you may get a little confused.

Cannabis is one specie, and you can find different varieties: Indica, Sativa, or hybrid. Biologically, there is no difference between the two of them. Legally, though, things are different.

According to US laws, any cannabis plant with less than 0.3% THC is tagged as “hemp cannabis”, while any plant with a higher THC percentage is tagged as “psychotropic cannabis”.

And that’s why sometimes you hear both terms referred to as different things. But Mary Jane is one and one only. And she has something to offer everyone. Even if there are different names for it.

How cool is that?

So, just know that in this article we will be covering the derivatives that come from hemp cannabis.

Drugs that are derived from the hemp/cannabis plant

As you very well know, a drug isn´t only a psychotropic substance that causes dependency, addiction, and probably death.

Certainly, hemp is nothing like that.

As the dictionary indicates, a drug is:

“A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.”

“A substance used as a medicine or used in a medicine.”

With many different studies confirming the beneficial medical effects of cannabis in many physical, chemical, and even psychological and emotional conditions, our beloved plant has become the go-to medicine to treat several diseases simultaneously.

And this is when cannabis/hemp derivatives come to play.

Cannabis derivatives can be obtained directly from the plant, with little to no process, and they can also be made with different techniques to create a wide variety of products.

Let’s dive into that.

Natural derivatives from hemp

When I say “natural derivativess”, I mean the substances you can get directly from cannabis: leaves and flowers, resin, and pollen. These substances are as easy to get as taking them from the plant and then using them anyway you want.

Well, kinda. Let’s elaborate:

Leaves

Is the most known hemp derivative, yet it can be a little less known when it comes to hemp.

Cannabis flowers and leaves in male or hermaphrodite hemp plants can be used in many ways, but especially smoked or vaped.

Cannabis flowers can blossom in any plant: males, females, and hermaphrodites, but female plants offer the best flowers, with higher THC percentages for a better and more extended high.

In the case of male plants, the THC percentage is really low and used as medicine.

You can find two types of hemp flowers:

Hermaphrodite cannabis

Hermaphrodite cannabis plants produce both flowers and seeds. Their flowers could also have enough THC to make you experience a psychotropic effect as well as reduce many health discomforts such as headaches, pain, anxiety, inappetence, and others.

But when it comes to hemp, THC contents are below 0.3%.

For organic and ecologic cannabis farmers, these plants are ideal for a sustainable crop, since they produce the flowers to use and the seeds to regrow new plants.

Male cannabis 

Male cannabis plants, commonly known as “hemp” is the less famous (and probably less loved) gender in the cannabis family.

But don’t let male cannabis fool you. Although with minuscule flower production, and a significantly lower THC content, male cannabis or “hemp” can have a million uses.

I won’t start with all the industrial applications you can give it (that includes textiles, construction material, isolations, medical appliances, etc.), but instead, I’ll focus on what male cannabis can do for your health.

Male cannabis can’t make you high due to its low THC concentration. THC (as I’m sure you already know) is one of the different cannabinoids you can find in cannabis. This cannabinoid causes the psychotropic effects we know -and love- in cannabis.

But male cannabis can still do you a lot of good. CBD and CBG, cannabinoids found in hemp have been linked to beneficial health results such as pain reduction, sleep improvement, anxiety reduction, blood pressure stabilization, and more.

Hemp is very used to produce non-psychotropic drugs: edible seeds for a good dose of Omega 3 fatty acids, resin from the stems, tea from the leaves, and infusions from flowers, stems, and leaves.

And, just so you know, when in the pre-flowering stage male cannabis has higher concentrations of cannabinoids than female or hermaphrodite plants.

Kief

The next best thing after leaves, if you ask me, is kief.

Kief, also known as pollen, is the combination of the plant’s trichomes and the resin that cover the plant’s flowers, leaves, and stems. Trichomes are the little “hairs” you can see on the cannabis plant that range from pale green to dark gold depending on the plant’s age. And resin is those cute clear drops of stickiness that share space with trichomes topping Jane’s flowers.

Kief is full of cannabinoids such as HC and CBD, which means it can be used to obtain any of the medical effects you normally get from cannabis.

But actually, kief is stronger. Due to its high cannabinoid concentration, pollen is normally used in small doses, to spice up a joint or edibles. It can also be pressed into hash.

Homemade production is quite easy. If you grow your own plants, you’ll obtain some kief from your curating box or jar.

During the curation stage of cannabis, the plant’s drying process will cause many trichomes to fall. These trichomes are already embedded with sticky resin and will stay safely in your jar until the right moment.

Once you get all your buds from your curating space you’ll get access to your first stacks of kief. You can grind them to turn them into powder or use them as is to add an extra kick anywhere you want.

Not a farmer? Nothing to worry. Just get a 3-piece grinder that comes with a special filter and a tray to pick up all your kief every time you grind. After a few joints or preparations, you’ll start to notice a fine golden powder in your tray. If you’re patient enough, you could get your hands on a good stack in a couple of weeks or so.

Hash

Hash is also called resin because it’s a sort of sticky dough that when heated can have a somewhat resinous consistency with a deep brown to black hue.

Hasheesh is obtained from a complex process that involves solvents, heat, and pressure to produce large amounts. But it can also be obtained at home by pressing kief until it has turned into a compact, dark, gooey ball.

You can also get it from hand-handling massive amounts of cannabis. The hash will be stuck in your hands.

Some people also like to clean all the “wax” that builds on the pipe during a period of smoking. They make balls or blocks with this wax and let it dry before storing it.

These, of course, are the simplest ways, but there are many more.

Seeds 

Hemp seeds are widely used, not only to grow new plants with amazing properties that go from fiber to super foods but also as a medical food on its own.

Full of fatty Omega 3 acids, hemp seeds are just as good as nuts or peanuts in your diet: they protect your heart and decrease your bad cholesterol.

Cannabis seeds are also high in fiber and are packed with anti-age agents that will keep your skin smooth like a baby.

Concentrated cannabis/hemp derivatives

Concentrates are obtained after different chemical and mechanical processes that allow the isolation of certain elements.

When it comes to cannabis/hemp, we’re talking mainly about three cannabinoids:

THC

Loved by many and unfairly hated by others, THC is the happiness cannabinoid in the cannabis plant.

Scientifically named tetrahydrocannabinol, THC or Delta-9 THC is the psychotropic compound on marijuana plants. This means this dude is the one in charge of making you feel amazing, happy, and with an exceptionally high sense of humor.

All cannabis plants have THC within them. Females present higher concentrations while males have a lower percentage.

But THC doesn’t only make you high. Researches show that THC can help to alleviate chronic pain (including cancer), sleep disorders, anorexia, bulimia, and even Parkinson’s disease.

CBD

Hemp, which is the way the law calls non-psychotropic cannabis plants, has been around for a long time.

Used in the food industry, or to make a wide variety of materials including fabrics or construction materials, hemp is going through a re-birth and becoming a trend because of this cannabinoid.

Cannabidiol, known as CBD, is one of the more than 120 different cannabinoids present in all cannabis/hemp cannabis plants. It acts right on your nervous system, but unlike THC, this cannabinoid is psychoactive, yet not psychotropic.

CBD offers all the medical benefits of cannabis to people who prefer not to get high.

This cannabinoid has taken a lot of attention from people all over the world due to its large number of benefits for health.

Some reported CBD benefits include:

• Alliviate convulsions
• Reduce seizures
• Decrease pain (migrain, chronic pain…)
• Treat anxiety
• Improve sleeping disorders
• Decrease shaking in Parkinson’s disease
• Decrease the discomforts of Alzheimer’s disease
• Reduce abstinence symptoms
• Reduce inflammation
• Complement for cancer treatment

Most CBD patients use their cannabinoids in oils that they drink or apply topically. CBD can also be found in edibles, ointments, patches, smokables, and many other products.

CBG

A less known cannabinoid taking some press is CBG.

Cannabigerol is the first cannabinoid to be produced in the cannabis growth process. All the other cannabinoids are synthesized from CBG, which means CBG is all cannabinoids’ daddy.

CBG’s concentration in all cannabis plants is normally below 2%, making it a rare compound, hard to find, and thus hard to study.

Nevertheless, there are already some discoveries about CBG: it can help treat neurologic and inflammatory diseases, treat sleep disorders, alleviate chronic pain (including migraines), reduce depression and anxiety, and even help inhibit cancer cell growth.

CBG’s presence in cannabis is very low, and it decreases as other cannabinoids' presence increases. This has farmers and scientists experimenting with breeding new strains, higher on CBG.

There’s a lot more to say about CBG, and not many products are 100% CBG. Most products with non-psychotropic effects have a mix of different cannabinoids, all of them with amazing health benefits.

As you can see, cannabis can be seen as a plant that can make you high, yes. But cannabis also has another variety of plants with an even wider variety of derivatives, from supplements to oils that don't get you high, and can actually help many people to treat and alleviate their illnesses, and with little to no side effects.

Cannabis is, no doubt about it, the drug of the future.