Different Ways to Take Cannabis, What’s Best?
Cannabis can be very complicated since its details and therapeutic properties have been hidden from the public eye. Rather than trying to understand the plant itself, and how it affects our bodies, we are going to be talking about the different ways and forms you can take cannabis, and which could be most beneficial for you. To begin, we must talk about the most basic form of cannabis that contains a high concentration of cannabinoids for us to consume, the flower or bud. This is what will be used to make each variation of consumption including orals (tinctures and edibles), topicals, and the most popular one, smoking or vaping.
Smoking/Vaping Cannabis
This method of cannabis consumption will be the quickest way to feel the effects from your doses, although smoking buds can irritate the lungs or throat and cause coughing, there are lower temperature, more concentrated alternatives like vaping that can be much more effective for some users. Your lungs are lined with millions of tiny air sacs made to exchange gas from the lungs to the bloodstream called alveoli, once you inhale cannabis, the effects should be prominent almost immediately. All that’s needed for this method is bud, a flame, and something to smoke it out of, such as a pipe or rolling papers. If you're using bud or flower, you’ll need a cartridge and cartridge battery, or disposable vape, to access those lower temperature, higher concentrated hits.
Cannabis Tinctures (Oral)
If looking for a delivery method to feel the effects of cannabis quickly without having to smoke, a tincture is your best option. Tinctures, or sublinguals, are made using a simple carrier oil and the bud itself. Normally, these products come in bottles with a dropper that reads dosing measurements on the side. Our mouths have lingual arteries that fill our tongue and mouth tissue with blood, this connects to our carotid artery which supplies the brain with blood, ultimately causing the effects of a tincture or sublingual to happen within 10-20 minutes.
Cannabis Edibles (Digestive)
Edibles on the other hand, take anywhere from 2-4 hours to affect the consumer. This is because the edible has to be broken down by the stomach and then into the liver to be metabolized to another chemical where it’s capable of reaching the bloodstream into the brain.
Cannabis Topicals (Skin application)
This delivery method will differ from the others due to its capabilities of treating symptoms spot on. Topicals are a great recommendation for any skin rashes or diseases. When applying cannabis topically you are targeting a specific area on the skin where you need relief rather than letting your body's endocannabinoid system (ECS) use the cannabinoids for what it seems fit through an edible, tincture, or smoking. After applying a cannabis topical, the cannabinoids penetrate the skin into the epidermis where consumers can experience symptomatic relief through cannabis anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.