Is it possible to modify the taste of weed?

The cannabis varieties all have different flavors, some like Orange Cookie or the Cheese highly recognizable. But since nature does things so well, reviving old techniques allows us to naturally bring new flavors to cannabis.

Although olive oil producers claim to add a lemony flavor to their oil by throwing lemons at the base of olive trees, the same method as the Mangu'Carot, there is no scientific evidence that the cannabis roots absorb more than just nutrients and water.

However, David Allen, from Cannabis Digest, may have discovered a method that adds extra flavor potheads. While cannabis roots cannot absorb new aromatic molecules, it appears that cannabis stems are capable of doing so.

His method, called the Rootless Transport Mechanism (Rootless Transport Mechanism) is simple: cut a plant that is ready to be harvested, and dip the stem into a solution of purified, flavored water—for example, vanilla-flavored water. A process of transpiration then occurs. The water that evaporates from the surface of the solution collects on the undersides of the leaves, is then absorbed by the plant, and mixes with the buds.

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After 24 hours, in David Allen’s example, the plant smells like vanilla. After a week, the plant—saturated with the solution—is ready to be dried and then processed like a normal cannabis plant. When consumed, the aroma is hard to describe, but it’s definitely there.

This method can be used in various ways. Further experiments are needed to determine the optimal exposure levels for different flavors. But the possibilities are endless: strawberry, beer, maple, mint, or combinations of several substances.

No health studies have been conducted yet. This method therefore remains experimental, and its health effects have not been established at all. However, it raises some interesting possibilities for the cultivation of medical cannabis, such as combining CBD-rich strains to solutions rich in steroids, bronchodilators, or antibiotics, to create strains specific to certain treatments.

Yet another area where science needs to make progress, and where the legal restrictions related to research may evolve to explore the potential of cannabis in the medical field.