People have consumed cannabis for a long time and have associated it with many health-related benefits. Even today, cannabis is associated with both therapeutic and recreational abilities. Some properties of cannabis are stress-relieving, anti-inflammation, pain-relieving, anxiety, stress, etc. Georgia Pie Feminized Seeds of cannabis are primarily known for relieving depression. In addition to these benefits, research continues to see if cannabis can provide any other benefits. Recently, seeing that millions of people are suffering from some or the other issues concerning abdominal health, scientists have started exploring the application of cannabis in helping with gut health. Although much research is needed to yield confirmed results, some studies have shown positive results. This blog tries to understand the role of cannabis in helping with the gut health of an individual.

How Does Cannabis Improve Your Gut Health?

Gut health means the function and balance maintained by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Many organs help maintain good gut health; the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. They all work in harmony to help a person eat food and digest it without causing discomfort. It is thus essential to keep the gut’s health up to date. Poor gut health could lead to various issues like an upset stomach, high-sugar diet, sudden weight changes, sleep disturbances, skin irritation, autoimmune conditions, and food intolerance. Recent findings have suggested that cannabis can be an excellent way to maintain good gut health.

Consumption of cannabis has been hinted at to help alleviate symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is a disease that includes a few other conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Under these conditions, the body’s immune system unknowingly attacks the intestine’s lining and damages it. Many people suffering from these diseases have started consuming marijuana, which has anti-inflammatory properties.

A lack of endocannabinoids shuts the inflammatory response of the immune system. A lack of cannabinoids in the body could trigger the body’s immune cells to attack the intestine lining. Endocannabinoids are thus essential to the body to help with the anti-inflammatory bodies. Consumption of cannabis thus helps increase the count of endocannabinoids in the body. The cannabinoids released from cannabis directly attach to the appropriate receptors in the gut to help with the inflammation.

A recent study showed that when teens suffering from IBD took marijuana courses, most of them endorsed it for one reason in particular; pain relief. Another study showed that about 51% of people suffering from IBD at a medical center were using or had once used marijuana as a treatment, and all of them endorsed it for its help in relieving their abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

Other research conducted on people with Crohn’s disease showed that after the patients smoked 50g of cannabis over three months, they saw improvements in their health conditions. They experienced pain relief, a positive outlook, helped with depression, and improvement in work. They also experienced an overall weight gain that indicated improvement in their health situation. These studies show that cannabis has “anti-inflammatory, anti-motility, and analgesic effects.”

In addition to this, cannabis also helps reduce abdominal pain. Patients taking recourse to pharmaceutical drugs like opioid medications have seen that cannabis helps with the issue of abdominal pain and is better than pharmaceutical drugs since it does not carry as many side effects. Cannabis also helps improve appetite and reduce diarrhea and nausea. These show that cannabis has many unknown benefits for your gut health.

Cannabis, Endocannabinoid System, And Other Health Benefits

Cannabis is a plant that has recreational and therapeutic properties. There are three groups in which the cannabis plants are studied; the cannabis Sativa, cannabis Indica, and cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis Sativa is a flowering plant indigenous to Eastern Asia but has now spread worldwide because of its cultivation. It is considered a source of food, recreation, religious and spiritual moods, and medicine. Cannabis Indica has usually termed marijuana with many recreational and therapeutic purposes. It is also used as fiber for cloth. Cannabis Ruderalis is a low-THC variety plant of the cannabis family native to Central and Eastern Europe and Russia.

‘Cannabis’ generally refers to the cannabis Sativa species of the cannabis plants. It usually contains chemicals such as cannabinoids, THC, and CBD. The cannabinoids bind with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) of the body and react with the cannabinoid receptors of the body. This reaction triggers some chemical processes that allow the cannabinoid receptors of the ECS to produce the effects of the consumption of cannabis.

There are many benefits associated with the use of cannabis. Popularly, people consume cannabis for its benefits of treating nerve pain, inflammation, and mental health disorders. Some other commonly known benefits are helping with chronic pain, nausea, vomiting, multiple sclerosis, low appetite, Tourette’s syndrome, anxiety, stress, depression, improving heart health, etc. It promotes relaxation and helps in recovery. CBD and minute portions of THC help treat epilepsy.

The Endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the body comprises various cannabinoid receptors that are endogenous cannabinoids. These CB1 and CB2 receptors help synthesize and degrade endocannabinoids and are present in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The abundance of these receptors helps smooth the functioning of the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract system. A low count of these could lead to health issues in these systems. Cannabis is thus necessary for increasing the count of these receptors since it releases cannabinoids in the body.

Takeaway

Cannabis is considered a magical plant as it has many benefits. From helping with physical health issues like inflammation, pain, MS, etc., to help with mental health-related issues like stress, anxiety, depression, etc., the cannabis plants have provided us with many therapeutic and recreational uses. Recently, studies have shown that cannabis could have promising results in helping with gut health-related issues. It can help increase the count of endocannabinoids in the body that can help keep the functioning of the intestine smooth. It can also help with pain-related issues for people suffering from IBD. Cannabis is thus helpful in improving gut health and helping relieve pain related to gastrointestinal problems.