Why is Cannabis So Effective at Treating Nausea?

While experts thought that cannabis merely had a soothing effect on the gut, new research is starting to show that there may be a different mechanism of action that makes cannabis such an effective nausea treatment - and the results are promising for future use of the drug.

Read on to learn more about why cannabis is so good at treating nausea, including what the latest research shows about how it works as well as how to use cannabis for nausea.

What Causes Nausea?

Although it can be unpleasant, nausea is an important and necessary body function. It’s primarily needed to alert the body that something is wrong, such as when you eat something rotten or poisonous that needs to be avoided in the future and may need to be purged from the system.

Nausea could also mean that the body is going through an imbalance or illness that requires medical attention. Dehydration is a common cause of nausea that may be a sign that your body is trying to tell you something is wrong or unbalanced and needs action - in this case, more water intake.

Other things can cause nausea, too - such as certain motions or medications. You might feel nauseous when you drive in a car due to motion sickness. Some medications may also make you feel nauseous or cause an upset stomach.

Nausea occurs when the body sends messages to the brain telling it that something is wrong. The brain then interprets these messages as nausea. Severe nausea may also be accompanied by vomiting, which occurs when there is increased thoracic and abdominal pressure.

How Does Cannabis Relieve Nausea?

Nausea is hard to study in a lab. It’s even more difficult to determine how cannabis affects signals to the brain that we interpret as nausea.

However, as researchers are starting to get a more in-depth understanding of how the cannabinoid system works, we are learning the mechanisms of action that might be responsible for cannabis’ powerful anti-nausea actions.

Cannabis has a soothing and anti-inflammatory effect that may provide digestive support in general. But when used to treat nausea, researchers believe that it helps control and reduce the signals that certain receptors in the body located within the endocannabinoid system send to the brain, essentially changing the way our body reacts to nausea.

The endocannabinoid system is the part of your body that responds to cannabis. It controls various aspects of your health, such as memory, appetite, and nausea. It works when cannabis cannabinoids - such as THC and CBD - bind to receptors in the endocannabinoid system and provoke certain actions.

For example, chemotherapy can trigger certain receptors in the body to send a signal to the brain telling it that the body is nauseous. Cannabis can help intercept these signals by reacting with the CB1 receptor within the endocannabinoid system, reducing some of the signals sent by your digestive tract. Reducing these signals means that your brain receives fewer messages indicating that the body is nauseous or wants to vomit.

In fact, several synthetic forms of Cannabis have been approved by the FDA to treat nausea for over 20 years now. But you don’t need a prescription for cannabis to treat nausea anymore. In the next section, we’ll discuss how to use cannabis to treat nausea.

How To Use Cannabis to Treat Nausea

Cannabis targets nausea from multiple angles. As mentioned above, it has been shown to intercept or reduce signals sent to the brain that indicate the body is nauseous.

But it’s also true that cannabis - especially CBD - is very soothing on an upset stomach due to its anti-inflammatory actions.

In fact, one study found that cannabis provides immediate relief from nausea - within five minutes of use and progresses to full relief within one hour. With that in mind, here are some tips for using cannabis to treat nausea:

- Smoke a joint

In the study mentioned above, smoking a joint was the fastest and most effective way to reduce nausea.

Among the most effective strains were Cannabis Sativa and Hybrid joints, with Cannabis Indica being the least effective at reducing nausea.

Additionally, the study found that strains with higher tetrahydrocannabinol and lower cannabidiol were associated with the most relief.

- Smoke a pipe or vape

Using a pipe or vape was secondary in terms of effectiveness when compared to smoking a joint in the study above. However, it was still effective. Try vaping a Sativa or Hybrid strain for the best results.

- Use CBD oil or tinctures

If smoking, vaping, and pipes are out of the question for you, then consider a high-quality THC oil or tincture.

You can apply some right under the tongue when you start to feel nausea, and it should start working quickly because they are absorbed quickly.

- Try capsules or a spray

If you don’t like the taste of oils or can’t keep them down when you are nauseous, then try taking a THC capsule or even a cannabis spray.

Sprays are extremely easy to use and very non-irritating if you cannot tolerate any other method of administration.

Be sure to follow the directions on your supplement’s label. Sometimes all it takes is a few squirts into the back of your throat, and your nausea will disappear quickly.

- Enjoy your favorite edible

No one can resist their favourite cannabis edible, even if they are nauseous! Gummies are a great way to get cannabis into your body without further upsetting your stomach

The next time nausea strikes, try popping in a few of your favourite sweet or sour gummies to reduce the feeling and help soothe your stomach again.

Final Thoughts

Cannabis has been used to treat nausea for years, and it’s very effective. But the mechanisms of action weren’t always well understood until now.

By reducing signals sent to the brain from endocannabinoid receptors in the body, cannabis works to reduce nausea. Additionally, cannabis also has anti-inflammatory actions that soothe an upset stomach.

You can use cannabis to reduce nausea immediately by smoking a joint made with Cannabis Sativa, Indica or Hybrid strains.