Whether you want to wake up or chill out, these five tinctures will help you embrace the holistic qualities of cannabis to the fullest — without having to get stoned!

Until recently, cannabis tinctures have occupied an unnecessarily obscure corner of the weed world. Made by decarboxylating plant matter, then concentrating the THC/CBD in a base of oil, glycerin, or ethanol, these miracle potions — enjoyed either topically or through oral consumption — are the perfect method of intake for anyone hoping to reap the medicinal benefits of cannabis without drawbacks like smoke inhalation and smelling like pot.

Due to the public's lack of understanding on what exactly tinctures are used for, or perhaps even the method's medicinal vibe as opposed to the recreational ceremony associated with smoking or dabbing, this sensible way of medicating is often overlooked.

As legalization spreads, cannabis companies have begun to focus more on creating products aimed at users' health — compared to ganja goods that lead to total inebriation. Tinctures, with their precise dosing, general discretion, and lack of harmful side effects, are a perfect fit to ride this wave. 

As the cannabis and wellness industries collide, a new type of tincture has emerged, one incorporating ancient herbs like lavender and damiana, as well as medicinal plants like reishi mushroom, with cannabinoids in order to help one achieve everything from a super productive day to a solid night of sleep.

Gaining specific traction among female consumers (what girl doesn't like a bougie, witchy little potion?), these new tinctures make you feel good not high, a welcomed shift for those who love cannabis but simply can't be stoned all the time.

I'm a huge fan of this movement, and would even go as far as to say tinctures have changed my life. I rarely feel the need to actually smoke anymore, instead opting for a few drops of these magic elixirs whenever I feel the need to enhance my day.

To better understand this hip, beneficial trend within the legal market, we've rounded up five favorite tincture brands. Whether you want to wake up or chill out, these suggestions will help you embrace this holistic facet of canna-products to the fullest.

Wake Up: Herba Buena's Rock n Roll

As the mellow, stoned-at-school mornings of your youth become the terrifying too-stoned-at-work mornings of adulthood, it becomes clear that waking and baking isn't always the look. However, those struggling with anxiety or other ailments warranting morning medication may still need a little something, and for many, even the lowest edibles dose may still be too trippy.

Herba Buena's Rock & Roll tincture supplies the perfect balance of energy and anxiety relief to help you have the most productive and stress-free day possible. Meticulously crafted to achieve the maximum effect at the lowest functional dose, each ½ dropper of this Emerald Cup winner contains 3mg of THC, enough to ease anxiety without making you stoned, in a blend of holy basil, gotu kola, flower, and gemstone essences, with an organic vegetable glycerin base.

Pass Out: Yummi Karma's Drift Away

At the end of a long and productive day, which if you're anything like me involves more than two large coffees, calming down enough to go to sleep without too much wine is, in a word, hard. While a joint or two before bed can do the trick, it can also leave you feeling super groggy in the morning, negating the whole concept of going to bed instead of watching TV til the coke birds start chirping.

One of my favorite new discoveries, one that has completely solved this life-long issue of falling the fuck asleep, is Yummi Karma's Drift Away. Each dropper full of this MCT (fractionated coconut) oil blend features 10mg THC, lavender, chamomile, melatonin, magnesium, and natural vanilla. Let the tincture sit beneath your tongue for 20 seconds, then swallow. Soon you'll feel yourself, as they say, drift far, far away.

Ease Anxiety: Select CBD Lavender

While the power of THC is undeniable, sometimes you really can't run the risk of being high at all. If I'm having an anxiety attack, the last thing on my mind is consuming THC, a cannabinoid that, despite all its advantages, can cause anxiety in even the most seasoned stoner.

For times when I'm freaking out over work, at work, or for no reason at all in my bed, Select CBD's Lavender Tincture is my go to. Working as well as a natural benzodiazepine (I kid you not), this CBD blend features lavender, known for its calming effects. In addition, chamomile, a sleep-aid that promotes relaxation, works with passion flower, an anti-anxiety aid, to produce a languid effect that won't bog you down or clutter your head with unnecessarily-stoned thoughts.

Wellness Staple: Apothecanna x Cap Beauty's The Daily Hit

The most complex blend of all the tinctures featured here, The Daily Hit (born from a collaboration between Apothecanna and Cap Beauty) takes the cumulative route to enhancing beauty through wellness.

Combining the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD, the immunity support of red reishi mushroom and shisandra berry, the mood lifting effects of mucuna puriens, and sea pearl's ability to enhance the skin's glow from within, The Daily Hit allows you to better handle the stresses of life, and look good doing it. Use in smoothies, juices, coffee, or whatever your morning ritual consists of to feel your energy skyrocket, notice your focus sharpen, and see your DMs pop off.

Cure-All: Acme Elixir's Premium CBD

In my opinion, CBD is the most exciting thing about cannabis. Whether your dog needs to calm down, your dad needs to go to sleep, your friend needs to kick pills, or you want to escape the gnawing depression plaguing each day, CBD should be your go-to panacea. And I've yet to find a pure CBD tincture more effective than this one.

Available only in small batches, Acme Elixir's Premium CBD tincture is the cure-all of all cure-alls. Created by the owner of the company's wife, this MCT oil base uses strain-specific terpene profiles to achieve maximum potency. This means instead of deriving the terpenes from cannabis itself, Acme takes cannabis, sends it to a lab, looks at the terpene profile of a specific strain, then extracts terpenes from nature to match the profile of the cannabis, ensuring the patient receives a larger scope of medicinal benefits.

Each 1 oz bottle contains a 10:1 ratio of 280mg of CBD to 28mg THC, as CBD works better when it's paired with full-spectrum THC. For those who still want to avoid THC, Acme also offers a 10:0 CBD/THC ratio. Sweetened by stevia and as healthy as possible, this highly-tested, highly-effective product simply works — just ask my friends, my dad, and my dog.