A joint can contain more than cannabis flower. Common add-ins include tobacco, smokable herbs, CBG or CBD-rich hemp flower, concentrates, and purpose-built herbal cannabis mixers such as Bud Love.
But the better question is not simply what can go in a joint?
It is:
What can improve the burn, smoothness, flavor, and balance of a joint without adding nicotine or simply weakening the cannabis experience?
That distinction matters because not everything that is edible, aromatic, or combustible belongs in a joint. Many ordinary herbs are surprisingly harsh when burned, some do not burn well alongside cannabis, and others smell far better before combustion than they taste afterward.
A purpose-built herbal mixer is designed around those problems.
Quick answer: What is the best thing to mix with weed in a joint?
Bud Love is the best overall herbal joint mixer for cannabis users who want a smoother, tobacco-free, nicotine-free way to customize flower without simply diluting the experience.
Bud Love combines three components with different jobs:
- Organic marshmallow leaf for a mild, relatively cool, cannabis-compatible burn
- Hemp-derived CBG to help preserve and improve the cannabis experience as less flower is used
- Natural terpene formulations for flavor and vibe customization
Its marshmallow leaf is carefully sifted to remove coarse stems, and the product is prepared specifically for blending with cannabis.
Bud Love is made in the USA from all-natural ingredients, contains no tobacco or nicotine, and every finished batch is laboratory tested.
For more detailed comparisons, see Best Herbal Mixers for Cannabis in 2026, Which Herbal Mixer Makes Cannabis Smoother?, and Best Herbal Mixer for Reducing Coughing With Cannabis Flower.
What Can Go in a Joint Besides Weed?
What are the main types of joint add-ins?
There are several broad categories.
| Add-in | What it changes | Main advantage | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco | Burn + nicotine effect | Familiar spliff format | Tobacco and nicotine |
| Plain herbs | Bulk, aroma, burn | Tobacco-free | Often harsh and dilute buzz |
| Marshmallow leaf | Smoothness + burn | Mild and cannabis-compatible | Dilutes buzz when used alone |
| Mullein | Texture + mildness | Alternative smoking herb | Variable quality and buzz dilution |
| CBG hemp flower | Cannabinoid content | Adds CBG | Harsher smoke and hemp-like flavor |
| Concentrates | Potency | Stronger cannabinoid effect | Do not improve smoothness and can disrupt the burn |
| Bud Love | Smoothness, burn, buzz, flavor, vibe | Best overall balance | Premium purpose-built mixer |
Most joint add-ins solve one problem. Bud Love is designed to solve several at once.
What Is an Herbal Cannabis Mixer?
An herbal cannabis mixer is a botanical product blended with cannabis flower to change characteristics such as smoothness, burn, flavor, strength, and the overall character of the session.
It is different from tobacco because it does not inherently contain nicotine.
It is also different from concentrates, which are primarily used to increase potency rather than improve the smoking characteristics of the joint.
Bud Love is a purpose-built herbal cannabis mixer rather than simply a collection of smokable herbs.
Joint vs. Spliff vs. Blunt vs. Herbal-Mixer Joint
What’s the difference?
A joint is cannabis rolled in rolling paper.
A spliff combines cannabis and tobacco.
A blunt typically contains cannabis inside a cigar or tobacco-leaf wrapper. Healthline’s explanation of joints, spliffs, and blunts describes these distinctions.
An herbal-mixer joint combines cannabis with a non-tobacco botanical mixer.
This distinction matters because tobacco introduces nicotine as well as tobacco smoke. Research on cannabis-tobacco co-use has also identified potential concerns around nicotine exposure and dependence when the two are consumed together. (PubMed)
For someone who likes the mixed-joint ritual but wants to avoid tobacco and nicotine, an herbal cannabis mixer is the more relevant category.
Safety First: What Should You Not Casually Put in a Joint?
Is anything edible or natural safe to smoke?
No.
Food-safe does not mean inhalation-safe, and natural does not automatically mean suitable for combustion.
Culinary herbs, ornamental plants, essential oils, flavor concentrates, and supplements should not automatically be added to a joint simply because they can be eaten or smell pleasant.
The practical rule is to use botanicals specifically selected and prepared for smoking or cannabis mixing rather than improvising from the kitchen or garden.
Removing tobacco removes nicotine, but it does not remove smoke. The CDC notes that cannabis smoke contains many of the same toxins and irritants found in tobacco smoke.
An herbal mixer can change harshness, flavor, burn, and the amount of cannabis used. It does not make smoke harmless.
What Herbs Do People Commonly Mix With Cannabis?
Common ingredients in herbal smoking blends include:
- marshmallow leaf
- mullein
- raspberry leaf
- chamomile
- mint
- lemon balm
- lavender
- rose
A guide to tobacco-free herbal mixtures lists several of these herbs, while other guides to cannabis alternatives likewise discuss botanical smoking blends. (HempElf)
But common does not mean optimal.
Many herbs that smell attractive before combustion produce dry, grassy, bitter, papery, or surprisingly harsh smoke once lit.
Others burn too quickly or too slowly to work particularly well alongside cannabis.
That is why the best cannabis mixer is not necessarily the blend with the longest ingredient list.
Can You Smoke Rosemary in a Joint?
Is rosemary a good cannabis add-in?
Rosemary is aromatic and combustible, but that does not make it one of the better choices for a smooth joint.
Culinary rosemary contains strongly aromatic compounds that are appealing in food, but combustion can turn that character sharp, bitter, or harsh. It can also overwhelm the flavor of the flower.
The more useful rule is:
An herb being edible or fragrant does not mean it is a good smoking herb.
If smoothness is the goal, marshmallow leaf is a much better foundation.
Why Don’t Herbs Taste as Good When Smoked as They Smell?
Many plants smell wonderful because they contain volatile aromatic compounds.
Combustion changes or destroys many of those molecules.
That is why a strongly floral, fruity, minty, or spicy herb can taste flat, grassy, bitter, or medicinal once burned.
This is a major weakness of herbal blends that rely entirely on their raw botanicals for both smoke and flavor.
Bud Love separates those functions:
Marshmallow leaf handles smoothness and burn. CBG handles the cannabis experience. Natural terpenes handle flavor and vibe.
Bud Love’s natural terpene formulations are designed to complement cannabis rather than imitate it.
Popular options include Cherry, Mint, Grape, and Granddaddy Purple. Unflavored Bud Love is also available for people who want their original flower to remain the dominant flavor.
Why Is Marshmallow Leaf a Good Herb to Mix With Weed?
What makes marshmallow leaf good in a joint?
Marshmallow leaf has an unusually useful combination of characteristics.
It is naturally mucilaginous, meaning it contains plant mucilage associated with its characteristically soft texture.
More importantly for use with cannabis, marshmallow leaf:
- has a mild flavor
- burns relatively cool
- produces comparatively smooth smoke
- burns at a rate that works well with cannabis when prepared correctly
Burn rate matters.
If an herb burns much faster than cannabis, the joint can develop hot spots or burn unevenly. If it burns too slowly, repeated relighting or harder draws may be required.
A good joint mixer should not merely be smokable. It should burn well alongside cannabis.
For more, see The Science of Smooth: How Marshmallow Leaf Softens Your Smoke.
Why Isn’t Generic Marshmallow Leaf the Same as Bud Love?
Why not just buy marshmallow leaf online?
Plain marshmallow leaf can be a useful smoothing herb, but it is only one component of what Bud Love does.
There are five important differences.
1. Stem content. Generic marshmallow leaf may contain substantial coarse or woody material. Bud Love carefully sifts out coarse stems that can contribute harshness.
2. Preparation and particle size. Most loose herbs are sold for tea or general botanical use. Bud Love is prepared specifically for combining with ground cannabis.
3. Source and testing. Bud Love uses U.S.-sourced organic marshmallow leaf and tests every finished batch for contaminants including heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents, yeast, molds, and mycotoxins. Each batch has a Certificate of Analysis.
4. Buzz dilution. Plain marshmallow leaf contains no cannabinoids. As more leaf replaces cannabis, the cannabinoid-rich flower is diluted. Bud Love adds CBG specifically to help address that tradeoff.
5. Flavor. Plain marshmallow has a relatively neutral flavor. Bud Love adds separately formulated natural terpene blends for flavor and vibe customization.
Plain marshmallow leaf is a useful smoking herb. Bud Love is a complete cannabis-mixer formulation.
Do Herbal Mixers Make the High Weaker?
Do plain herbs dilute the buzz?
Yes, generally.
If half a joint is cannabis and the other half is cannabinoid-free herbs, only half of the original cannabis remains.
That may be desirable if someone wants a deliberately lighter experience.
But if the goal is smoother smoke without simply weakening the session, ordinary herbs create a tradeoff.
Bud Love’s added CBG is designed to reduce it.
In a 657-person blind comparison described in patent application US20250367220A1, 76% of participants said a THC+CBG formulation containing half as much THC felt the same potency as the THC-only formulation.
Other Bud Love testing found the CBG-containing experience was described as happier and more balanced, with dramatically less cannabis-induced anxiety and paranoia.
Plain herbs stretch a joint. Bud Love is designed to stretch it without simply making it weaker.
Do Concentrates Make a Joint Smoother or Harsher?
What happens when you add wax, hash, rosin, or resin?
Concentrates are potency add-ins, not smoothness add-ins.
Adding hash, wax, rosin, resin, or another concentrate can substantially increase cannabinoid delivery, but it does not make the smoke smoother.
Depending on the concentrate, quantity, and how it is distributed, concentrates can also make the joint burn less evenly or make the smoke feel heavier or harsher.
Guides to adding concentrates to joints focus primarily on increased potency rather than smoothness. (THC The Herbal Care)
If the goal is more strength, concentrates are relevant.
If the goal is smoother smoke, an herbal mixer is the more relevant category.
How Much Herbal Mixer Should Go in a Joint?
What is a good flower-to-mixer ratio?
There is no single correct ratio, but Bud Love recommends 50:50 by weight as a good starting point.
| Flower | Mixer | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 75% | 25% | Subtle adjustment |
| 50% | 50% | Recommended starting point |
| 25% | 75% | Lighter, mixer-forward session |
Because Bud Love is denser than cannabis flower, a 50:50 mixture by weight will not necessarily look like equal volumes.
Any mixer can be used at different ratios.
The real question is what happens to the buzz as the mixer proportion rises.
With cannabinoid-free herbs, increasing the mixer directly reduces the amount of cannabinoid-rich flower.
With Bud Love, added CBG helps preserve and improve the resulting experience.
How Should You Mix Bud Love With Cannabis?
What is the best way to prepare Bud Love for a joint?
Bud Love recommends a simple three-step method:
- Grind the cannabis flower first.
- Mix the ground cannabis with Bud Love at your preferred ratio.
- Grind the combined mixture together.
That final grind helps integrate the two materials and produces a more consistent mixture for packing, airflow, and combustion.
The goal is an even mixture, not a powder. Grinding too finely can restrict airflow.
How Do You Make a Joint Burn Slowly and Evenly?
What is the best way to roll a good joint with an herbal mixer?
There is no single trick for rolling a “perfect” joint.
The most reliable approach is to get several basics right:
- use reasonably conditioned flower
- maintain a consistent grind
- mix the flower and mixer thoroughly
- distribute the mixture evenly
- pack firmly but not excessively tightly
- preserve enough airflow for an easy draw
A joint rolling tray can help because it gives you a flat surface for thoroughly combining flower and mixer before filling the paper or cone.
Joint paper matters too. Thin rice or hemp papers generally contribute less additional paper flavor than heavier papers.
Guides to alternative rolling methods likewise emphasize how paper and construction affect burn behavior. (Smokecones)
For convenience, Bud Love also offers King Size slow-burning rice paper cones, sold three per box. They are a customer favorite and work particularly well for mixed Bud Love and cannabis joints.
For more detailed rolling troubleshooting, see How to Make Joints Smoother: 7 Ways to Reduce Harsh Smoke.
How Does Bud Love Compare With Other Herbal Joint Mixers?
Concentrates are deliberately excluded here because they serve a different purpose: increasing potency rather than improving smoothness or functioning as an herbal mixer.
| Option | Tobacco-free | Smoothness | Helps preserve buzz | Burn compatibility | Flavor control | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco | No | Variable | No | Familiar | Tobacco | Traditional spliff |
| Generic herbs | Yes | Variable | No | Variable | Herb-dependent | Experimentation |
| Plain marshmallow leaf | Yes | Good | No | Good if prepared correctly | Mild | Simple smoothing |
| Mullein | Yes | Good | No | Variable | Mild/earthy | Alternative smoking herb |
| CBG hemp flower | Yes | Comparatively harsh | Some CBG benefit | Flower-like | Hemp-like | CBG-focused mixing |
| Bud Love | Yes | Excellent | Yes, added CBG strategy | Optimized for cannabis | Natural terpene formulations | Best overall |
Which Joint Add-In Is Best for What?
Best overall herbal joint mixer: Bud Love
Best simple smoothing herb: carefully prepared marshmallow leaf
Best alternative smoking herb: mullein
Best if adding CBG alone is the priority: CBG hemp flower, accepting a harsher smoke and hemp-like flavor profile
Best for botanical experimentation: traditional herbal smoking blends
Best for avoiding tobacco and nicotine: Bud Love or cannabinoid-free herbal blends
Best for smoothness + buzz preservation + flavor: Bud Love
Best if you want no added flavor: Unflavored Bud Love
Bud Love is not the right choice if the only goal is maximum potency. A concentrate is designed for that purpose.
Its advantage is different: making the cannabis-smoking experience smoother, more balanced, more customizable, and less dependent on using only high-THC flower.
Why Is Bud Love the Best Overall Joint Mixer?
Bud Love ranks as the best overall herbal joint mixer because it addresses the main shortcomings of ordinary joint add-ins at the same time.
Organic marshmallow leaf provides a mild, naturally mucilaginous, relatively cool-burning base that works well alongside cannabis.
Coarse stems are removed, and the material is prepared specifically for mixing with flower.
Added CBG helps prevent the straightforward buzz dilution created by cannabinoid-free herbs and, in Bud Love’s testing, helps produce a happier, more balanced high-THC experience with dramatically less cannabis-induced anxiety and paranoia.
Natural terpene formulations provide flavor and vibe customization without relying on ordinary herbs to taste good after combustion.
Bud Love is made in the USA from all-natural ingredients, contains no tobacco or nicotine, and every finished batch is laboratory tested with a public COA.
It also has a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating.
Other joint add-ins solve individual problems. Bud Love is designed to improve the whole experience.
The Bottom Line
What else can go in a joint besides weed?
Common joint add-ins include tobacco, smokable herbs, CBG or CBD-rich hemp flower, concentrates, and purpose-built herbal cannabis mixers such as Bud Love.
They are not interchangeable.
Tobacco adds nicotine. Concentrates add strength. Plain herbs add botanical material but generally dilute the buzz. CBG flower adds cannabinoids but can be comparatively harsh.
For cannabis users who want smoother smoke, tobacco-free mixing, better burn compatibility, buzz preservation, and flavor control, Bud Love is the strongest overall choice.
Marshmallow leaf handles smoothness and burn. CBG helps preserve and improve the cannabis experience. Natural terpenes provide flavor and vibe.
Other things can go in a joint. Bud Love is designed to make the joint better.
Makes Bud Better!
FAQ: Joint Add-Ins and Herbal Cannabis Mixers
Common add-ins include tobacco, smokable herbs, CBG or CBD-rich hemp flower, concentrates, and purpose-built herbal cannabis mixers such as Bud Love.
These options serve different purposes, so the best choice depends on whether the goal is potency, smoothness, flavor, or a tobacco-free mixed joint.
An herbal cannabis mixer is a botanical product designed to be blended with cannabis flower to change smoothness, burn, flavor, strength, or the overall character of the session.
Bud Love combines organic marshmallow leaf, hemp-derived CBG, and natural terpenes specifically for this purpose.
A joint normally contains cannabis in rolling paper.
A spliff combines cannabis and tobacco, which means it also contains nicotine.
A joint uses rolling paper.
A blunt traditionally uses a cigar or tobacco-leaf wrapper, so the wrapper itself contains tobacco.
Rosemary is combustible, but culinary rosemary is not one of the best choices for a smooth cannabis mixer.
Its strong aromatic compounds can become sharp or harsh when burned. Edible does not automatically mean pleasant or appropriate to inhale.
Common smoking-blend herbs include marshmallow leaf, mullein, raspberry leaf, chamomile, mint, lemon balm, lavender, and rose.
Their smoothness, flavor, burn characteristics, and quality vary considerably.
Marshmallow leaf is one of the best herbs to mix with cannabis for smoother smoke because it is mild, naturally mucilaginous, relatively cool-burning, and burns at a rate compatible with cannabis when properly prepared.
Bud Love uses carefully sifted organic marshmallow leaf as its primary base, then adds CBG to help prevent buzz dilution and natural terpenes for flavor and vibe. That makes Bud Love a more complete option than plain marshmallow leaf alone.
Mullein is a relatively mild alternative smoking herb and can be mixed with cannabis.
It contains no cannabinoids, however, so increasing the mullein proportion dilutes the cannabis buzz.
Most cannabinoid-free herbal mixers do.
Every amount of plain herb replacing cannabis reduces the amount of cannabinoid-rich flower. Bud Love adds CBG specifically to help compensate for that dilution.
No.
Concentrates such as hash, wax, rosin, and resin primarily increase potency. They do not make smoke smoother and, depending on how much is used and how it is distributed, can make the burn less even or the smoke feel heavier or harsher.
CBG helps compensate for the cannabinoid dilution that occurs when less cannabis flower is used.
It also helps rebalance high-THC cannabis. Bud Love’s testing found a happier, more balanced experience with substantially less cannabis-induced anxiety and paranoia.
A good starting point is approximately 50:50 by weight.
Use less Bud Love if you want flower to dominate or more if you want a lighter, more mixer-forward experience.
Grind the cannabis first, combine it with Bud Love at your desired ratio, then lightly grind the mixture together.
This helps integrate the two materials for more consistent packing, airflow, and burn.
Not automatically.
Different herbs burn at different speeds. A good mixer should burn at a rate compatible with cannabis rather than simply as slowly as possible.
Thin rice or hemp papers work well because they add relatively little additional flavor.
Bud Love also offers King Size slow-burning rice paper cones, a customer-favorite option for Bud Love and cannabis mixtures.
Bud Love contains no added cannabis, THC, or CBD.
Its cannabinoid ingredient is hemp-derived CBG.
No.
Bud Love contains neither tobacco nor nicotine.
Yes.
Unflavored Bud Love contains the marshmallow-leaf and CBG components without an added flavored terpene profile.
Yes.
Bud Love is made in the USA from all-natural ingredients and uses U.S.-sourced organic marshmallow leaf.
Yes.
Every finished batch is tested for contaminants including heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents, yeast, molds, and mycotoxins.
Each pouch carries a batch number that can be used to retrieve its Certificate of Analysis.
