It is the time of year from vacations, boating, garden and all sorts of fun – but some will have summer tummy and suffer from nausea and more. Nothing is worse being sick in during the warm “outdoor” months and missing out from all the excitement.
Summer triggers of nausea include dehydration, fatty and spicy foods, eating late in the evening, consuming fast food or street food, leading to food poisoning, and exposure to sun rays.
As scientific evidence around the therapeutic benefits of cannabis continue, nausea is one of the areas marijuana is known to be effective. Research has shown that an active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), effectively reduces nausea and vomiting including people undergoing chemotherapy.
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Understanding Nausea
Nausea is a relatively common ailment. Nonetheless, it is often difficult to treat using conventional methods like herbal remedies and prescription pharmaceuticals.
Most conventional antiemetic products have fairly mild side effects, but also tend to offer limited relief for treating nausea and are not effective for all patients. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and acupressure show little evidence of dangerous side effects, but offer limited effectiveness.
A study conducted by team of researchers at the University of New Mexico found that cannabis flower and concentrates are effective in providing relief for the symptoms of nausea. The study reviewed data collected via the Releaf App and found that more than 96% of individuals in the study reported symptom relief. In fact, subjects disclosed a decrease in nausea severity by almost 4 points on visual analogue scale from 0-10 within an hour of consumption.Interestingly enough, symptom relief became statistically significant after only 5 minutes, and continued to increased over time.
“Our results show that cannabis is used to treat nausea with a high rate of effectiveness,” said Sarah See Stith, an economics assistant professor at UNM who co-led the study alongisde Jacob Vigil, psychology associate professor at UNM.
However, she warned, “concerns exist that its effectiveness relative to conventional options may induce high-risk populations, such as pregnant women and children, to consume cannabis.”
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Prior to this study, the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) had already included cannabinoids in its list of the strongest available agents for chemotherapy-induced nausea. The UNM study confirmed that cannabis is an effective and fast-acting treatment for feelings of nausea.
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Findings suggest that the vast majority of patients using cannabis as a treatment for nausea likely experience relief within a relatively short time span.
It should be noted, however, that the level of effectiveness varies according to the characteristics of the products consumed. The most effective products for immediate relief appear to be cannabis flower and concentrates, labeled as C. sativa or a hybrid. Smoking is associated with greater symptom relief compared to pipes or vaporizers, although the gap narrowed over time. You can also do an oil/sublingual. High THC / low CBD ratios were generally associated with greater symptom relief in a short period of time, such as 5 minutes.
The FDA see the scientific connection between cannabis and nausea relief enough to have approved two medications based on synthetic cannabinoids for managing chemotherapy-induced nausea. Natural cannabis, with its full complement of compounds, may be more effective, with fewer side effects and complications.
