What Do You Mix With Mullein and Damiana for a Smoke Blend?

Before anything else: inhaling smoke of any kind carries risk to your lungs and airways, including smoke from plants with long traditional use. Nothing in this article changes that. If you are not willing to accept that risk, a tea or a tincture gives you the same plants without combustion. With that said, people have smoked herbal blends for a very long time, and a blend that is built properly burns cooler and more evenly than one thrown together.

The classic structure is a mullein and damiana base. Mullein is the traditional filler in Western herbal smoking blends because the leaf is light and airy and it holds a coal without much harshness. We do not stock mullein, so you will source that part elsewhere. Damiana we do carry, and it is the half of the base that gives the blend its character.

What you need

• Organic damiana leaf for the base.
• Dried mullein leaf, sourced separately.
• An accent: wild dagga flowers and blue lotus petals from our blue lotus collection are the two we reach for most.
• Rolling papers, 1 1/4 size, unbleached, or pre-rolled cones.
• A grinder, a pocket scale, and an airtight jar.

The ratio

Build to 20 grams so the numbers stay simple.

• Base, 14 g total. 7 g mullein, 7 g damiana. Half and half is the standard and it is a good place to start. More mullein burns lighter and smoother. More damiana gives a heavier, sweeter smoke that some people find too much on its own.
• Body, 4 g. Wild dagga flowers, or a mix of dagga and another cut leaf. This is where the blend stops tasting generic.
• Accent, 2 g. Blue lotus petals, rose, lavender or mint. Small. Floral accents go soapy above about 10% of the blend.

So: 70% base, 20% body, 10% accent. Write it down. Adjust one number per batch.

Grind

This is the part that decides whether your roll stays lit. Aim for a consistent fluffy grind with pieces around 2 to 3 mm, no powder and no stems. Powder packs down and chokes the airflow. Stems poke through papers. We pulse in a grinder a few seconds at a time and check, rather than running it straight through, because one long grind turns half the leaf to dust.

Pick out stems by hand after grinding. It is tedious and it is the single biggest improvement you can make.

Moisture

Bone dry herb burns hot and fast and tastes like a bonfire. Damp herb will not stay lit. The target is leaf that crumbles when you press it but does not turn to powder, and that feels barely cool to the touch. If a blend is too dry, put it in a sealed jar with a small piece of orange peel for a few hours, then take the peel out. If it is too damp, spread it on parchment in open air for an hour, not in an oven.

Mixing and rolling

1. Weigh each component separately. Grind each one separately, because they do not grind at the same rate.
2. Combine in a wide bowl, base first, and fold from the bottom 20 or so turns.
3. Let the mixed blend sit sealed for 24 hours. The moisture evens out across the components and the blend smokes more consistently after it does.
4. Roll about 0.5 g per 1 1/4 paper. Pack it evenly, snug but not tight. A roll you cannot draw air through will not burn.
5. Store finished rolls in child-resistant pop-top tubes.

Troubleshooting

• Keeps going out: too damp, ground too fine, or packed too tight. Usually too fine.
• Burns down one side: uneven packing. Roll again and distribute by feel along the length.
• Harsh: too dry, or too little mullein. Add mullein before you add anything else.
• Tastes like perfume: cut the accent in half.

Storage

Airtight jar, dark, cool. Label with the ratio and the date. A blend holds its character a few months and then goes flat.

Cautions

• Inhaling smoke or vapor from any plant carries risk. Smoke contains combustion byproducts regardless of the plant it came from.
• Use only plants you can positively identify. Never smoke material you cannot name.
• Do not smoke indoors around other people, and never around children or anyone with a respiratory condition.
• For adults 21 and over.

Disclaimer. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Traditional use of a botanical does not establish that it will produce any particular result. Keep out of reach of children.