Stems are often overlooked as unusable. This video shows one easy, but kind of energy intensive, way to use them. Here are two other simple things you can easily do to make good use of your cannabis stems.

First is a simple tea that you can drink either hot or cold; I prefer it cold. All you need is a pot for boiling water, a pitcher, a sharp knife and a handful of stems. Here’s how you do it:

Set a full tea kettle of water on to boil. While you wait for the pot to boil, cut your stems down to a length that will fit easily into your pitcher to be covered by water. Then, split them lengthwise, as shown in the picture. You want to be able to see the white, pithy part inside. Put your processed stems into your pitcher.

Once the water has reached a rolling boil, pour it over the stems and cover the pitcher.

Tip: If you are using a glass pitcher, you can put a metal spoon in it and pour the water over the spoon to prevent your pitcher from breaking due to the quick temperature change – old bartender trick –

Set the pitcher aside and let the tea steep for twenty-four hours. You can put it in the refrigerator if you like. Serve over ice or re-heat via your preferred method and enjoy.

This tea provides quick relief from headaches and nausea. Since there isn’t a lot of THC in it, it can both help with sleep or provide enough pain relief to keep you going if that’s what’s up.

The second easy way to use your stems is a simple liniment. For this, you need a quart jar with a screw on lid, a quart of 70% rubbing alcohol and another handful of stems.

Process the stems the same way you did to make tea, but cut them down to a size that will fit in the bottom of the jar. Split the stems open, and put them in the jar. Pour the alcohol over the stems and seal the jar. Let it sit somewhere out of the way until the stems sink to the bottom of the jar. This take a few days.

Tip: Since this is going to be used on your skin, it is important to use rubbing alcohol that is 70% or less

At this point, you can either remove the stems and strain your liniment into another container or leave them in and use it as is. Some people like to put this in a spray bottle – seems like a great idea.

This liniment can be used on bug bites, bruises, gout, and even zits. It can be used as a skin toner, but, it is important to be careful not to get it in your eyes. It can be applied directly to painful joints for quick relief since our skin has an abundance of cannabinoid receptors. Do not use it on an open wound unless you are prepared for it to sting like crazy.

The combination of alcohol and cannabis creates a concoction that will kill any bacteria. There is evidence that cannabis can even kill MRSA. The anti-inflammatory components in cannabis combined with rubbing alcohol can also provide a delicious cooling sensation while it works to decrease inflammation.

The pictures here are all from my phone and show the liniment process. It looks very similar with the tea, too. You know it’s ready when the stems sink to the bottom!

So, save your stems, friends. They can help, just like the rest of the plant!