Tea Prepared from Dried Cannabis: What Do We Drink?

Abstract

Besides many other uses, dried Cannabis may be used for “tea” preparation. This study focused on a comprehensive characterization of an aqueous infusion prepared according to a common practice from three fairly different Cannabis cultivars. The transfer of 42 phytocannabinoids and 12 major bioactive compounds (flavonoids) into the infusion was investigated using UHPLC-HRMS/MS. Phytocannabinoid acids were transferred generally in a higher extent compared to their counterparts; in the case of Δ⁹-THC, it was only in the range of 0.4–1.9% of content in the Cannabis used. A dramatic increase of phytocannabinoids, mainly of the neutral species, occurred when cream was added during steeping, and the transfer of Δ⁹-THC into “tea” achieved a range of 53–64%. Under such conditions, drinking a 250 mL cup of such tea by a 70 kg person might lead to multiple exceedance of the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD), 1 μg/kg b.w., even in the case when using hemp with a Δ⁹-THC content below 1% in dry weight for preparation.