I am not a doctor and this answer is based more on recent research and an article on Chrohn’s and colitis – otherwise known as IBD. THC and CBD have both been show to be effective for some people in relieveing gastrointestinal distress. We have an endocannibinoid system throughout our body and the CB1 and CB2 receptors which connect with the plant’s cannabinoids are throughout the instestinal area as well.
In this article, they point out "Although the anti-inflammatory properties of medical cannabis hold true for all people, IBD patients have been shown to have more cannabinoid receptors in the tissue of the colon than people without IBD, which means that people affected by Crohn’s Disease and Colitis are likely to respond to the anti-inflammatory properties of medical marijuana."
I hope this helps. As always, medical marjuana is not a ‘silver bullet’ and having a healthy diet and lifestyle are important too.
pamelahadfield
If you are speaking about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s and Ulcerative Coltis, cannabis has been shown in some observational studies to be helpful. Patients have been using it for pain, nausea, to increase their appetite and for mood elevation. Studies that have been done seem to show a decrease in inflammation of the gastrointestinal track when using cannabis. Unfortunately, a speciic type or concentration of cannabis has generally not been listed in most of these studies. Since there has been shown a association of an increase of IBD with people who smoke cigaretts, I would stay aaway from smoking with cannabis as well and use tinctures or edibles instead. Here is a terrific review article on the subject : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5193087/
Perry Solomon, MD
Gastrointestinal issues run in my family. Nothing officially diagnosed but our cabinets are always filled with chinese herbs, ginger and imodium! I’ve since added cannabis to my own arsenal and I can say that I’ve seen a huge improvement in symptoms. I don’t have a go to ratio or brand. I literally just use what I have on hand and it always helps.
This is what I reccommend based on my experiences–I am not a doctor! I suggest going for something with a body high, so perhaps an indica if you’re at home and can unwind (I’d reccommend Granddaddy Purple). If you need something during the day and you have some experience with THC, I’d go for a tincture with a 1:1 CBD:THC ratio. The only way to know what works for you is to try something out. Start low and go slow, as they say.
Danielle Lim
