Not long ago, two decades, three at most, cannabis came reserved for the stereotypical stoner. It was taboo. Prohibited. All anybody really knew was that it made you “high,” made you giggle uncontrollably, or made you fall asleep. The world changed since then. Unless you are unaware of civilization, you surely know by now that cannabis is fast legalizing around the world, mainly for its many therapeutic benefits.
That is not all. You can enter any cannabis dispensary to find a huge selection of different products and strains. You can even order marijuana in Los Angeles, all of California, and in other legal states. Back then, all people knew where a few strains and the only edibles were weed brownies. Today, cannabis has its own industry. The market is huge. If you are not using it yet, now is time to start.
Health Benefits of Marijuana
In those old days, getting “high” was part of using weed. No way around it. These days, there is no need to buzz at all. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis plants. When raw and fresh, this is still the non-psychoactive THCA, which converts into THC when heated. Raw weed will not make you stoned. Neither will extracts of other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, or CBD.
While still in its THCA form, cannabis contains all the health properties discovered by science, just without the “high.” According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, decarboxylation is the process of heating cannabis, by smoking or cooking, at which point it becomes psychoactive. Other products are also buzz-free, such as CBD or other cannabinoids, such as cannabigerol, or CBG.
Whether stoned or not, marijuana can benefit your health in these important ways:
Minerals and Vitamins
You will find an abundance of minerals, vitamins, and fiber in raw cannabis leaves. Some call marijuana a superfood. From the view of its biochemical composition, raw leaves are especially good sources of these vital necessities. This is not surprising. Despite the ability of marijuana to make you “high,” it remains just a leafy green. Like all leafy greens, it is rich in these important compounds:
- Folate, for repairing DNA,
- Calcium, for stimulating bone density and growth,
- Iron, for blood oxygenation,
- Vitamin K, crucial for blood clots,
- Vitamin C, essential for immune function.
Relief from Pain
Perhaps the most recognizable use for cannabis is to relieve pain. It is highly effective and much safer than modern-day painkillers, even in severe cases. Topical marijuana products provide targeted relief right where it hurts. However, ingesting it spreads that relief throughout the body, into joints and muscles. All strains have analgesic properties, but a potent Indica will numb it properly.
How you consume it makes a huge difference, however. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, routes of administration are important for pain relief. Smoking works quickly, since it enters the bloodstream directly through the lungs and into its oxygen network. Eating is takes longer. Effects of ingestion last longer too. Edibles can work for up to six hours, and more intensively, but you will wait.
Antioxidants
In order to fight disease and cleanse the body of toxins, you need a healthy dose of antioxidants. Cannabis provides that for you. Antioxidants are crucial for protecting you against stress and other damage, often environmental. They are the only defense your body has against reactive compounds, called “free radicals” which, over time, can cause serious health problems.
Whether you consume cannabis raw, eaten, smoked, cooked, it is rich in important antioxidants, specifically those you most require. In fact, it is so abundant in antioxidants it makes an ideal dietary supplement. If juicing, infusing, smoking, applying, or eating it, you will get the antioxidants you need to function healthily and keep you free from disease, environmental toxins, and stress-related issues.
Reduces Nausea and Vomiting
The effect of marijuana on the digestive system is extremely promising. One of the primary reasons people use weed is to help them quell bouts of nausea and stop vomiting. Even stimulate appetite. Many of studies exist attesting to its antiemetic properties, including both animal and human clinical trials. One of them, from the University of Guelph in Ontario, concluded with very interesting results.
The study found that manipulating the endocannabinoid system an incredibly effective way to regulate nausea and ease vomiting, regardless of whether the cause is a response to natural stimuli or a reaction to toxins, such as chemotherapy. The only potential downside of using it to quell the stomach is if you eat it. Because edibles take longer to work, they are not helpful for unpredictable, sudden bouts of it.
Fights Cancer
After decades of propaganda and prohibition, the National Cancer Institute finally admits on its website the anticancer and antitumor properties of cannabis. Cannabinoids are effective agents for fighting cancer itself, as well as both its symptoms and the side effects of conventional treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. Cancer patients have been lauding cannabis. We now know why.
In numerous studies, clinical trials on animals, researchers found that THC effectively isolates cancer cells and destroys them in a laboratory. However, nobody can smoke sufficient quantities of pot to treat the disease. Instead, you need to consume cannabis extracts, such as concentrated oils, to ingest doses sufficient to work. There are oils, edibles, capsules, and tinctures with levels high enough to do the job.
Marijuana Los Angeles
You can find all manner of marijuana products at any cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles, but weed remains the most popular method of procurement. Online menus are much larger, with a bigger selection of strains, products, and tools to use cannabis safely and effectively. Eating and otherwise swallowing weed is more potent than smoking it, however, so use edibles cautiously.
