Whether you’re a medical patient, cannasseur or simply an enthusiast, it is important to know the possible side effects of your Cannabis products. Many experts warn against the dangers of smoking cannabis, whereas cannabis edibles offer a great alternative with many benefits you may not know about.

Well, we’ve compiled a thoughtful and informed list of the lesser-known benefits of cannabis edibles for you to peruse while you consider what munchies you’re going to reach for later.

• Cannabis Edibles Are the Healthiest Option of Ingestion

Most people automatically think of smoking as the main way to imbibe cannabis, but it’s 2023—and if you didn’t get the memo, smoking is out. Combusting plant matter and inhaling hot, burning smoke and carcinogens is not great for you, especially if you’re a medical cannabis patient. Products like edible gummies, chocolates, cookies, tinctures, mints and gum offer smoke-free alternatives that taste delicious, give you all the feels, and none of the carcinogens.

• Cannabis Edibles Are Easier to Use

Edibles are cannabis food products – they look, smell, and taste just like other food products and that makes them much easier to consume than smoking or vaping. With edible there’s no skunky smell, no sticky icky, and no clinging cloud or vapor lingering. And eating edible cannabis gummies requires no tools, torches, or chargers—you just need your mouth.

• Discreet Consumption

The scent of cannabis is unmistakable, especially on a person who has just smoked, and that may or may not be acceptable to the people around you. Luckily, edibles don’t have a green scent. They often look and taste just like every other kind of edible food product, and they don’t cause a scene. Just be sure to keep them out of reach of children and pets. 

• Eating Cannabis Won’t Always Get You High

We think it’s important to be clear about this—if you eat the cannabis flower or leaves, you will not get high. You have to heat it up with decarboxylation in order to make THCA turn into psychoactive THC. However, if you eat, or better yet drink cannabis (juice it up!) you can get all the amazing health benefits from this fantastic plant without the psychoactive high feeling. Like hemp, cannabis is a great source of complete protein, has tons of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, is rich in fiber, and is a great source of magnesium. In addition to that, some of the cannabinoids present in cannabis don’t need to be heated up in order to provide some benefits. For example, THCA is antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic, and CBDA also is anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiemetic.

• Edibles Are Ideal for Pain Relief

Another distinct benefit of edibles over other types of cannabis consumption is that the body-potent effects last a very long time. For people who suffer from chronic pain or pain from nerve damage or inflammation, the longer the relief, the better. In addition, edibles are also far more effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier, which increases the feelings of full-body sedation. 

• Edibles Reduce Nausea

Eating cannabis edibles to treat nausea may not be the fastest way to get relief, but because it is metabolized in the liver and produces super 11-hydroxy-THC, the effects are more potent, more targeted at sedating the body, and last a lot longer than smoking or vaping.

• Edibles are High in Antioxidants

Cannabis is a whole health plant—arguably one of the most nutrient-dense plants on earth—so, it makes sense that when the plant’s integrity is kept intact and used in cooking, that food is going to be nutrient-dense as well. Yes, that’s right—your hybrid fruit punch gummies or sativa dark chocolate have antioxidants. According to a study in 2021, the antioxidants in cannabis, such as polyphenols, can help reduce anxiety, oxidative stress, and the risk of chronic illnesses, including cancer, neurological disorders, digestive problems, and skin diseases. 

• Edibles are More Potent, and the Effects Last Longer 

When you consume cannabis edibles like fruit punch gummies, the THC enters your system through the digestive tract and is metabolized in the liver before traveling to the rest of the body. Because it is processed in the liver, it gets turned into a more potent form of THC called 11-hydroxy-THC which is more effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier than the THC from smoking or vaping. This gives cannabis edibles a more potent and sedating experience than other methods of consumption. This version of THC can take anywhere from 30-90 minutes to kick-in, but its effects last for six to eight hours.

• Edibles Increase Appetite 

Many patients utilize cannabis edibles to help regain their appetite and encourage weight regulation. The THC in cannabis interacts with our CB1 receptors in an interesting way that tricks your brain into enjoying food more and tricks your stomach and small intestines into speeding up digestion and stimulating appetite. This effect can prove extremely beneficial to people suffering from certain medical conditions like cancer and HIV-associated wasting syndrome.

• Precise and Consistent Dosing

Okay, back in the day, the magic brownies may not have been well-measured and were definitely not consistent in dosing. But today legal markets here in the U.S. have mandated producers of cannabis edibles to sell precisely dosed products, so consumers know exactly what they can expect. They even have cannabis oils and butters so you can be even more precise and have better control of your own experience.

• Health Benefits of Eating Cannabis Edibles

Cannabis edibles can provide consumers with a plethora of positive effects, including pain relief — both chronic pain and neurological pain. Edibles can also be used to reduce inflammation and inflammatory conditions like arthritis and fibromyalgia. Patients with diabetes use edibles to help manage their symptoms and help control their weight and digestion. Others have found relief in edibles for cancer-related symptoms and for its neuroprotective properties that help prevent epileptic seizures and spasms, and potentially protect against neurodegenerative diseases.

• How to Buy CBD Oil and Edibles Online

Lucky for us, it is fairly easy to buy legal CBD oil and edibles online. Of course, you can go to a medical or recreational dispensary (if your area has them) but now there are many companies that create delicious oil and edibles with hemp-derived CBD, Delta-8 and Delta-9. However, the best quality edibles and CBD oil will be found through a legal dispensary’s website. You can order your fave Zen Cannabis gummies from your local dispensary’s website and pick them up later or have them delivered.

The post Eat Your Cannabis: Lesser-Known Benefits of Cannabis Edibles appeared first on Zen Cannabis.