Among the overwhelming variety of cannabis products available on the market today, the most effective for pain relief appears to be whole dried marijuana flower and products high in THC, a new study finds.
Studies on pain relieving abilities of Cannabis
Whole cannabis flower was associated with greater pain relief than were other types of products, and higher tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels were the strongest predictors of analgesia and side effects prevalence across the five pain categories,” researchers from the University of New Mexico (UNM) wrote. “In contrast, cannabidiol (CBD) levels generally were not associated with pain relief except for a negative association between CBD and relief from gastrointestinal and non-specified pain.”
On average, users reported their starting pain to be 5.87 on a scale of 1 to 10. After consuming marijuana, that number fell to 2.77 — a decrease of 3.1 points.
“Among the limited number of product characteristics that are typically made available to consumers, we found that consumption of whole, natural cannabis flower was associated with greater anesthetic potential than were most other types of products,” the authors wrote.
Other findings:
- Patients whose cannabis sessions involved flower reported similar pain relief as those using concentrates and topicals. Edibles, pills, and tinctures, however, offered less relief than flower.
- Concentrates were found to be associated with more negative side effects, which the researchers reasoned could be because of solvents and other additives, as well as the removal of most terpenoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.
- Products labeled as hybrid strains were more effective at relieving pain than those labeled indica or sativa.
- Combustion method didn’t affect pain.
- Higher THC levels offered more pain relief, while higher CBD levels did not.
- Patients with back, joint, or muscle pain; headache or migraine; and non-specified pain saw more relief with high-THC products.
- Patients with gastrointestinal or abdominal-related pain found more relief with lower levels of THC.
You can read the full article here: https://news.weedmaps.com/2019/08/flower-power-study-finds-smoking-marijuana-best-for-relieving-pain/
Be sure to also check does medical marijuana help with back pain.
