Does Weed Help With Food Poisoning? Relief & Benefits
This post is part of our Best Dispensary in San Diego series, sponsored by THC of SD.
Disclaimer: Food poisoning can be life-threatening and should be treated with qualified medical supervision. The content provided in this article is intended for informational purposes only and not as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always speak to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.
Those who have experienced food poisoning know that it is no walk in the park. Food poisoning can come on suddenly, leaving you little time to get to the bathroom to release the beasts within. Not only can it irritate our tummies and cause us to dry heave and vomit, but it can be a nuisance out the other end, too. If you’ve ever experienced what it’s like to have things emerge from your body out of both ends at the same time…rest assured you’d do anything in your power to prevent it from ever happening again.
If Pepto Bismol and anti-nausea ginger chews just aren’t cutting it for your food poisoning, it may be time to trade out the pharmacy for the dispensary. That’s right–kick your symptoms to the curb using weed as a potential remedy for food poisoning. If you’re struggling for solutions, and now we’ve got you thinking–”Does weed help with food poisoning?”–you’ve come to the right place!
Table of Contents
How Does Weed Help with Food Poisoning?
It’s a wonder how weed interacts with the brain and body to help with food poisoning relief, so we are here to give you all the details!
Let us begin by addressing that the endocannabinoid system is responsible for regulating tons of gastrointestinal functions, including but not limited to fluid secretion, inflammation and pressure. This is why cannabis and its two key components–THC and CBD–are thought to be powerful in promoting healthy gut function and restoring your GI back to normal.
When toxins enter the body through food, our body attempts to break down and digest the food, and that is where the trouble begins. Symptoms can start to emerge anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours after you have consumed the toxic-ridden food, manifesting in intense stomach cramps and abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. It is a miserable experience to say the least–one that lingers on until you finally expel all the poisons out of your body (one way or another). After the damage is done and the worst is over, you are left feeling weak and powerless. With no nutrients in the body and a high likelihood of dehydration, one might feel vulnerable and defeated, often needing a full day or two to recover.
Thankfully, you don’t have to wait for food poisoning to end to start treating it–alleviating discomfort is one joint puff or edible bite away! You may experience relief from unpleasant gastrointestinal manifestations pretty soon after you smoke or vape cannabis, or around 30 minutes to an hour or 2 after you ingest a THC or CBD edible.
Unpleasant symptoms associated with food poisoning–namely upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, nausea, sweats, chills, body aches, and cramps–may begin to dissipate. Since you are losing a lot of fluid throughout this detoxification process, you’ll need proper rest and ample hydration to recover and start feeling back to normal.
The Role of Cannabis in Alleviating Symptoms
Food poisoning can put us in a very vulnerable place–especially when we are sitting on the toilet while gripping a trash can. Graphic, we know, but most of us have been there, and it’s certainly no fun for anyone. Luckily there is a remedy, and it’s not something you’ll find at your local CVS or Rite Aid!
THC is thought to have anti-nausea and pain-relieving properties, which may potentially do wonders for alleviating food poisoning symptoms. Other benefits of cannabis you might experience could include inflammation reduction, which can often occur as a result of vomiting and changes to your digestion patterns. Oh, and did we mention that activated cannabinoids can potentially strengthen intestinal motility, helping heal your digestive system? Cannabis really might be a miracle worker!
Wait, so does weed help with diarrhea? It’s possible! Diarrhea, stomach cramps and resulting pain, dehydration, vomiting–you name it! When activated, cannabinoids in cannabis, such as THC and CBD, are thought to do the hard work and relax your digestive muscles which might help reduce cramping and pain in the abdomen. In fact, cannabis is thought to alleviate diarrhea through slowing intestinal contractions and decreasing gastrointestinal fluid secretion, potentially making it a less painful experience to endure. For this reason, cannabis is thought to be a powerful treatment for many gastrointestinal disorders and bowel conditions.
Is Smoking the Only Way to Use Weed to Treat Food Poisoning?
Does smoking weed help with stomach pain? It certainly can! Smoking may provide immediate relief for stomach inflammation and related pain. That said, there are different forms of consuming marijuana for food poisoning relief, aside from smoking, including edibles, vape, oils, creams, and more.
If you are vomiting as a side effect of food poisoning, it is recommended to try alternatives to smoking, as it is extremely likely your throat is already irritated and inflamed due to bringing food back up. Add smoking into the mix and it will just aggravate it further. You could opt for sublingual drops, which can be fast acting, or edibles if you don’t mind waiting a bit longer for the effects to kick in.
Can CBD Help with Food Poisoning?
Now that we’ve answered your question, “does weed help with food poisoning,” let’s understand how a specific component of cannabis–CBD–works to eliminate symptoms related to food poisoning. Due to the way CBD interacts with the body’s serotonin receptors, CBD may provide relief for both nausea and vomiting, though research states THC is more likely to reduce nausea than CBD. If you want to opt for treatment that isn’t psychoactive, however, CBD could be the move.
Best Strains for Food Poisoning
So what are the best strains to treat food poisoning, you ask?
Certain terpenes contain gastroprotective and analgesic characteristics, which might help stomach issues and those in pain as a byproduct of food poisoning. Strains that contain the terpenes’ pinene, caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene are all thought to be spectacular for dealing with food poisoning.
The best strains for nausea which contain high amounts of the terpene pinene might include OG Kush, Sour Diesel, Blue Dream, and Harlequin. Most of these strains are also high in limonene and myrcene, which are believed to have anti-nausea characteristics.
Caryophyllene is a woody, spicy terpene found in Blueberry Diesel that is believed to help relieve pain and to be gastroprotective. It also might help relax the muscles and provide pain relief, offering a potential solution to heal from gastrointestinal issues.
The best strains for inflammation include Granddaddy Purp, Northern Lights, and Blue Dream. Each of these strains offers diverse characteristics that are thought to work together to fight against inflammation and reduce swelling in the body, all while giving you a nice high.
The best strains for abdominal pain and stomach cramping are thought to be ones with limonene–which has a citrusy aroma and may contain anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. Strawnana and Wedding Cake are two strains high in limonene that might help minimize pain caused by food poisoning and provide an uplifting high.
Is Sativa or Indica Better for Food Poisoning?
So we’ve covered the basics on terpenes and strains, now let’s find out if sativa or indica is better for food poisoning.
Truth be told, each strain is thought to offer relief for different food poisoning-related symptoms, so it depends on whether you’re looking for something more calming or if you’re looking for supplemental energy to combat feeling weak after releasing so many toxins. Many indica-dominant strains are believed to help with nausea and pain, but sativa-dominant strains may possess more anti-inflammatories. We encourage you to chat with a budtender as well as do your own research to determine whether sativa or indica is a better option for you.
How to Purchase Marijuana
Ready to stop food poisoning in its tracks and feel at ease? The Healing Center San Diego is cats meow when it comes to quality cannabis products–some that are fast acting and could potentially provide almost immediate relief. The best part is that you can order online and pick up curbside, so you never have to leave your car, which is a plus if you’re worried about getting the runs in public. You never know when you might get hit with an unexpected case of food poisoning, so why not stop by the Healing Center San Diego today to stock up on cannabis goodies to have on hand for any medical emergency!
Key Takeaways On Weed And Food Poisoning
Does weed help with food poisoning? Let’s run through all our learnings, shall we?
- Cannabinoids may help eradicate symptoms associated with food poisoning such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, digestion, and nausea
- Cannabis may send signals to your brain to improve functioning in your gastrointestinal system, all while potentially decreasing inflammation and improving intestinal movement
- When activated, cannabinoids are thought to help relax digestive muscles and decrease stomach cramping and abdominal pain
- Opt for strains high in terpenes pinene, caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene that are thought to be gastroprotective as well as anti-inflammatory
Please note that we are NOT saying that the next time you eat a one-too-many-days-old chicken sandwich or have a bad burrito from that one janky taco shop, you’ll have the remedy at your disposal! It’s important to consult with your doctor on situations such as these. As we said at the top, food poisoning can be life-threatening.
But it doesn’t hurt to have some edibles or sublingual drops in your medicine cabinet, just in case you are unpleasantly surprised with an upset stomach. Watch the magic of marijuana unfold as your symptoms *may* begin to diminish and you might just be able to stop GI discomfort in its tracks.
Media credits: Images of weed and food poisoning concepts in this article are copyright of LaJolla.com.
