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Dear Stoner: Would cannabis help with pain from menstrual cramps? I smoke weed sometimes, but wondered if CBD or edibles might help.
Tisha
Dear Tisha: Using cannabis extractions for menstrual cramp relief dates back to Queen Victoria, but the supporting science is still hazy. Menstrual cramps are triggered by prostaglandins, which are inflammatory compounds that affect pain receptors in the brain and body tissue. Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen can bind to those pain receptors to block the inflammatory compounds, but THC and CBD are believed to target neuropathic and joint pain, and don’t have any direct effect on cramping pain. Tinctures, bath soaks and suppositories intended for cramping are all out there, however, and women have been learning through experience.
Typically, it’s ingredients like lactose or chocolate that upset stomachs.
Cannabis stimulates dopamine in the brain, providing euphoria and an easing of pain perception, while anecdotal evidence and surveys have shown a link between medical marijuana and menstrual pain relief. In a university survey of 192 Canadian women, 85 percent said they used cannabis products to treat menstrual pain, and 90 percent of those women said it was effective. Whether cannabis works on your cramps or not, be prepared to feel some effects from the THC, because it will be absorbed.
Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.
