These days cannabis consumption is getting more and more popular. Some people use it in order to treat illnesses, another – just for entertainment to get high. People usually understand the state of “high” as a feeling of relaxation and euphoria, but let’s discover how it affects the body and if there is any difference in marijuana usage depending on the sex.
Cannabis effects on the human body
The most common physical effects of cannabis are:
- pain relief
- reduce inflammation
- decrease stress
- fight fatigue
- help with glaucoma
- reduce nausea
- increase appetite and thirst
- strengthen senses
You can learn more about marijuana health influence on AskGrowers.
The difference between men and women in weed consumption
In fact, there are a lot of studies about general marijuana impact, but, unfortunately, scientists haven’t paid a lot of attention to the sex differences in their surveys.
Luckily, researchers from Washington State University became interested in this topic and found out that females are more sensitive to cannabis, and here is the reason why. According to the Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, the reproductive system in a female body contains the highest amount of endocannabinoid receptors in the human body. Therefore cannabinoids’ effects females stronger than men.
There is also a straight connection between sex hormones and the endocannabinoid system. Estrogen increases the number of receptors that work with cannabinoids. It’s a well-known fact that women have higher estrogen levels than men, so it’s easy to make the conclusion that marijuana has a stronger impact on women. We need to mention that these stronger effects work both in good and in a bad way, it’s easier for women to get high, to relieve pain, and to reduce stress, but it’s also quicker for them to progress from the first hit to getting a cannabis disorder.
In order to consume more safely, you need to be sure about the quality of weed and to choose seeds that feet your experience level.
Specialities of using cannabis for ladies
We can notice girl and weed together not as usual as man with weed, but there are some benefits that female users can get from consuming marijuana apart from the usual ones, explained in the first part of the article. Here is the list of cannabis advantages for women:
- Cannabis treats the symptoms of PMS
The menstrual cycle is a part of being a woman, but sometimes it gets painful and brings a lot of unpleasant feelings like nausea, headaches, and of course, cramps. Tetrahydrocannibol (THC), the main component in marijuana, is proven to be very helpful against all symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. The Director of Research and Development of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) Ethan Russo claims that cannabis was widely used in China back in the 16th century to cure menstrual pain and cramps. Hundreds years of usage THC for women’s medicine purposes prove its effectiveness. A famous American comedian Woopie Goldberg supports cannabis-infused products. She made a new brand of such products, including bath soak, a topical balm, and edible tinctures. - It reduces anxiety
Women in nowadays’ world tend to experience anxiety and stress. Anxiety and Depression Association of America claims that women suffer from generalized anxiety disorder twice more often than men. Usually, female users start smoking later than males, and as the main reason for consuming, they mention decreasing stress and tension. Scientists from Vanderbilt University discovered that in amygdala, the part of the brain which is responsible for anxiety, there are cannabinoid receptors that help to reduce the impact of anxiety symptoms. - Makes sexual experience brighter
We already know that consuming cannabis strengthen senses; on this basis, it’s easy to assume, that feelings during sexual act are getting stronger under weed impact. Indeed a lot of women notice increased sensitivity, greater physical pleasure, stronger orgasms, and even better mental connection with a partner after using marijuana. The thing is, one of the main canna compounds, THC, increases blood supply to the vagina, which makes feelings in there much stronger. The director of the Center for Sexual Health at Saint Louis University Becky Lynn in her study inspected 300 women on the point of marijuana influence on sexual experience. She says that they found out that most patients felt risen libido, less pain and improved orgasms.
Cannabis doesn’t only work as an aphrodisiac by inhaling, and it also helps to make sexual life brighter in the form of lube. Currently, there are cannabis lubricants of two types: CBD-infused lubes, and THC-infused lubes. THC products will make you high, and CBD are more like medicinal products. They don’t have to give you the feeling of high, but even CBD lubes users mention a difference in sexual experiences. A recent study by Remedy Review showed that 66% of respondents felt less anxiety, and 72% of men and 76% of women had greater orgasms. - Medicinal marijuana as a breast cancer treatment
Breast cancer touched lives of lots of women all over the world and scientists keep searching for a cure that will help to overcome this disease.
A 2007 study made by Molecular Oncology has shown, that cannabinoids can slow the growth and reduce breast cancer cells. Moreover, using medicinal cannabis-infused drugs relieve the cancer symptoms, and it is proved that it also prevents the spread of cancer cells throughout the body. You can learn more marijuana effects on the disease of cancer in the article on AskGrowers. - Cannabis skin care
Answering the question “is CBD good for your skin?” we can surely claim it is. You don’t need to worry about psychoactive effects, CBD doesn’t work this way. Nevertheless, it alleviates insomnia, anxiety, pain, and inflammation, it has powerful antioxidants and it can treat lots of skin problems like dryness and free radical damage, eczema and psoriasis, as well as reduce acne.
Cannabis oil for skin is usually used topically. You can add it to your moisturizers or intensive repair creams, make a sope including canna-oil or dried plants, take a bath with the oil or just buy a lotion or balm which has got CBD in it. Dermatologists assure, that cosmetics with CBD components are totally safe, and if you happen to get a reaction from such kind of a product, it is rather a reaction on its other components than on CBD itself. - Smoking weed while pregnant A lot of women suffer from nausea, morning sickness and general anxiety while being pregnant. There is no doubt that marijuana helps to overcome these symptoms, but the question is whether it is dangerous for a pregnant woman and for her baby or not. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration about 1 in 20 mom-to-be in the US consume cannabis during pregnancy. It’s a well-known fact that everything woman eats, drinks, puts on her skin or smokes has an impact on the fetus. Even though more research on this topic is need, but there are studies that prove that there are potential risks for babies whose mothers tend to smoking weed while pregnant. Actually, there is no difference if you are smoking, vaping or eating edibles; you are still consuming THC, the active cannabis component, which has an impact on babies developing health. This can lead to such problems as low birth weight, premature birth, small head circumference, small length. It also increases the risk of changes in a child’s brain, that can cause problems with memory, attention, controlling impulses, and school performance. Back in the late 1980’s, doctors found out that THC can travel across the placenta and get to the fetus. Later, researchers were making studies on marijuana and breastfeeding; they discovered that THC is stored in the breast milk for about six days after the last use. It means that smoking weed while breastfeeding certainly affects the baby and it can still be exposed to THC even after mother stopped consuming. Also it’s important to mention that smoking of any kind of substance decreases oxygen in one’s blood. When it comes to smoking pregnant woman, that means that her baby won’t get much oxygen, which is certainly bad for the fetus. However, all the mentioned above potential risks are just possible. Doctors say that it is hard to prove the direct effect of marijuana on pregnancy. The studies have been made so far don’t have enough statistical power and are not very reliable. But anyways, doctors are sure, that cbd oil and pregnancy is not the best combination, so they strongly advise future mothers not to consume cannabis during pregnancy. It’s always better safe than sorry.
Conclusive word on marijuana usage for women
To sum up, we must admit that nowadays ladies tend to smoke marijuana more than 10 years ago and it is not surprising because they experience a lot of advantages of its consumption. It relieves menstrual pain and all the PMS symptoms, reduces anxiety and stress, brings new colours to sexual life and even helps in treating breast cancer. One more interesting fact that cannabis differently affects men and women; female consumers have more cannabinoid receptors that leads to bigger canna intake. But you always should use cannabis thoughtfully and carefully to avoid problems and to get only positive effects of consuming.
