An herb grinder (or simply, a grinder) is a cylindrical device with two halves (top and bottom) that separate and have sharp teeth or pegs aligned in such a way that when both halves are turned, material inside is shredded. Though the manufacturers claim they are intended for use with

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s and

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

s for cooking, they are often used to shred

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

, and are often unsuitable for actual use with spices (which instead are prepared using a

burr grinder A burr mill, or burr grinder, is a mill used to grind hard, small food products between two revolving abrasive surfaces separated by a distance usually set by the user. When the two surfaces are set far apart, the resulting ground material is co ...

), resulting in a product that can be more easily hand-rolled into a "

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...

" that burns more evenly. Herb grinders are typically made of either

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

and come in a variety of colors and polished metals. Some grinders have two or three compartments instead of just one, with fine screens separating the bottom compartments from the ones above, thus allowing the marijuana

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s, also called

kief Kief (from Moroccan Arabic كيف ''kīf'', "Joy, pleasure"), sometimes transliterated as keef, also known as ‘’Dust’’ and "Chief" a.k.a cannabis crystals among other names, refers to the pure and clean collection of loose cannabis trich ...

, to be collected separately. The widespread adoption of

as a recreational drug in recent times has caused herb grinders to become synonymous with weed grinders. There are many types of herb grinders out there, from electric to hand cranked, in various styles. Advertisements describing them as "spice grinders" have sometimes confused buyers who were unaware about the actual intended use.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herb Grinder Cannabis smoking Drug paraphernalia Food grinding tools