Cure your Cold with Cannabis-Infused Soups

Nothing makes you feel better when you’re feeling under the weather more than a hot cup of soup. Add our favourite medicinal superfood, cannabis, which may be the exact thing you need to help you feel better faster.

Why do we get sicker in the winter?

It may seem like you breeze through the summer without even one hint of a sneeze, and then the second the cold starts to set in so does the endless stream of sicknesses and cases of flu, and you wouldn’t be wrong. There are a few factors that are responsible for this, and part of it may be the fact that you want to hide from the chilly weather with a cup of hot tea and a movie. Being indoors raises infection rates and is the number one reason why different illnesses and viral infections are given free rein to thrive and spread. If you decide to risk leaving the house to battle the cold, you may not be much better off. With temperatures dropping, so do the humidity levels in the air, which can lead to cracked tissue in the respiratory tract and mucus membranes. This makes you much more susceptible to different bacteria and viruses trying to invade your body and take away your health. As if all of this wasn’t enough, you’re probably not drinking as much water as in the hot summer months. Be honest… are you maybe a little bit dehydrated? This negatively impacts your already overworked immune system and can give those pesky viruses an extra seat on your hibernation couch.

Adding The Secret Ingredient: Cannabis

There are so many ways to add this secret little ingredient, and deciding what kind of effects you would like to see is the first step. Since you’re on the couch or in bed taking a sick day anyways, then maybe getting that buzzy high from THC is what you need, but if you’re not a fan of the feeling, then CBD or raw leaves can do the job as well. There are benefits to each method, so keep reading to see what will work best for you.

1. The Whole Package: Infusing your soup with a combination of different cannabinoids can not only help you relax and breathe more easily but sets off an entourage effect that can be more effective than any single part of the plant alone. The easy way to achieve this is to buy an oil to add to your dish as very little work is needed. My favourite option for this is boost balanced 1:1 tincture. It has an equal amount of THC to CBD and no taste so you don’t have to worry about pairing the earthy flavour of marijuana. You can find it here. Otherwise, you can use full flower. Just make sure to decarboxylate it first so that you can enjoy the effects. I’ll go into more in detail on how to do this in the next article with recipes.
2. CBD: This is the best option if you want to harness all of the benefits of this miracle plant without the mind altering-feelings that come along with it. For this one, there are several oils and tinctures that you can choose from. I prefer one with no flavour so that you don’t have to work it into the recipe. I buy Boost brand for this one as well, as they have a pure CBD option that is flavourless and comes in an easy-to-use dropper bottle for easy dosing. You can find that one here.
3. Full Fresh Flower: If you haven’t read my article on eating raw cannabis, you can read it here! It’s a nutritional powerhouse and one of the world's most nutrient-dense foods. In the In the western world, it is so easy to get caught up eating fast food or whatever you can have delivered to your door. In the winter, people naturally crave more fatty foods, and according to research, 90% of people don’t eat nearly enough fruits or vegetables. This is where adding some nice, fresh leaves into the mix can help. It won’t get you high, but it will feed your body.

Cannabis Will Help You Feel Better, Faster

No one wants to be sick, but it’s an inevitable part of life, so the best we can ask for is to make the time when you aren’t feeling your best as short and painless as possible. While there is no cure for the common cold, there are ways to make the time a little bit less terrible.

• Boosts Your Immune System: Cannabis is an amazing source of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation throughout the body. This may not be a cure, but it will definitely help soothe the symptoms and strengthen your immune system to help protect you from picking up another virus. Added to something healing like a soothing soup full of nutrients, it can have you feeling up and ready in no time.
• Helps Fight Pain: One awful side effect of being sick is discomfort and all-over body aches. Cannabis is a well-known, effective treatment for pain. This can really improve your overall well-being and make the difference between being stuck writhing in bed and getting up for some healing movement.
• Helps You Sleep: With the discomfort that comes along with being sick, it may be hard to fall asleep and stay in a deep slumber. The only thing that can really help you get over your sickness is plenty of sleep, so try a strong Indica strain and get to bed.

If you’re feeling the effects of a cold-weather cold, then stay tuned for the soup recipes I know you are all waiting for. Do you use cannabis to help you beat those winter illnesses? Let us know in the comments!