Should you use cannabis when you have a cold or the flu?
With the cold season approaching, colds and flu are soon to be commonplace and many cannabis consumers could be wondering if they’re okay to continue their marijuana use to relieve their symptoms or if it will cause the opposite effect only prolonging their sickness.
Cannabis is a proven pain reliever and has been praised for effectively remedying serious ailments like aids and cancer among many others.
The good news is that you could still use cannabis to relieve your cold and flu symptoms.
However, it’s important to note that there are risks and concerns associated with smoking cannabis when you’re sick. These include irritation to your throat which could, in turn, exacerbate your symptoms, prolonging your recovery.
Despite the downside of smoking cannabis when you have the flu, recent findings strongly show that the cannabis plant has essential elements that could remedy your cold or flu, or any other common ailment.
Here’s how you can use marijuana in the cold & flu season.
The THC compound in cannabis has the pain nullifying properties for those who experience any aches associated with the common cold or flu. This can aid in sleep and relaxation during the sick period.
CBD components of cannabis can actually fight off common cold and flu symptoms because they have serious anti-viral applications.
Your ‘endocannabinoid’ system becomes depleted every time you get sick as your body consistently tries to defend itself from a virus.
Consuming cannabis can help replenish the endogenous cannabinoids that have been depleted. With this replenishment, you tend to heal faster.
Cannabis has long been accredited with anti-inflammatory properties which could help clear air passages in the human body.
Given these potential benefits of cannabis to people with a common cold or flu, it’s important to look at other risks that you could be exposing yourself to when you choose to consume cannabis with a common cold.
Let’s look at the physiology of cannabis in your body to better understand the risks or concerns.
Physiology of cannabis
While there’s almost no research that specifically looks at cannabis and the common cold or flu, scientists have proven that cannabis does have an effect on your body temperature.
Essentially, the plant affects you in a similar way as hot peppers, by working on your TRPV-1 receptors to regulate your body temperature. This can make you feel cold, an unpleasant effect if you’re already battling a fever.
Cannabis is also known to cause tachycardia, or simply put, increased heart rate.
Since tachycardia usually accompanies the flu, cannabis consumption may only worsen the situation.
Away from the few side effects, there seems to be no huge concerns for a healthy person with a common cold who chooses to consume cannabis, according to Dr. Jordan Tishler, a cannabis therapeutic expert.
Methods of comsumption when you’re sick
It’s clear that smoking cannabis when you have a common cold isn’t a great idea, but there are many other alternative delivery methods that come handy when you have a cold.
Vaping is one of these. It offers the same quick results of smoking but without the irritants associated with smoking.
Vaping can still irritate your already irritated air passage when you’re sick but will not be as irritating as smoking.
Other delivery methods for people with a common cold include cannabis-infused oils or tinctures, available
The edibles market has grown massively with many variants of edibles available to give the common weed enthusiast a wide selection of options when they are feeling sick.
Before then, you can get a batch of cannabutter in readiness for the cold and flu season, or even enjoy a nice cup of cannabis-infused hot chocolate to soothe your sickness blues.
These THC or CBD-infused options can give you the medicinal benefits of cannabis while increasing your fluid intake.
You can also use high potency topicals for relieving aching joints or muscles.
According to medicinal cannabis advocate Eileen Konieczny, “ingesting cannabinoids in a cookie allows for a longer relief period helpful when you’re trying to get some good sleep ”
While it seems that you could actually add cannabis to your health regimen during this cold or flu season, it’s recommended that you do it in moderation as over-consumption could possibly worsen your symptoms.
You may want to avoid new cannabis products or delivery methods that you aren’t familiar with if you’re not familiar with the proper dosage that you’d be comfortable with.
In case you do this, always start with a lower dosage to be on the safe side.
With the continued growth of the Canadian cannabis market following its upcoming legalization, new products like transdermal patches, transmucosal sprays, quick dissolve tablets, and other delivery methods hitting the market could help cannabis be a bigger part of relieving our cold and flu symptoms in the near future ahead.
Share your experiences with cannabis while battling a sickness below!