Once upon a time, cannabis lovers had to choose between bowl or brownie – but those days are no more. In this modern world of legal cannabis, there are all kinds of ways to make use of this powerful herb. Topicals are one such method.
A cannabis topical is a cannabis extract that’s been infused into a product that you can apply to your skin. These can be cannabis-infused salves, oils, lotions, sprays, and other transdermal methods. There are even transdermal patches! These cannabis topicals are used for a variety of things, like easing localized pain, soothing skin irritation, or reducing inflammation. And they won’t get you high (read on to learn why!).
How Topicals Work Their Magic
Like other forms of cannabis delivery, topicals work with the receptors in your body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system is concentrated in the spine and brain but is actually located throughout the human body — which is what allows cannabis to help treat all kinds of medical conditions and symptoms.
Cannabinoids like THC and CBD connect with the ECS, much like the endocannabinoids that your body makes, working like a lock and key to open your ECS to better function. When you’re working with a topical, it’s going to stay near the surface of your skin; which means that it won’t reach your bloodstream, resulting in no psychoactive effects (again, no high). (The exception to this rule are transdermal patches, which are created with the intention of breaching the bloodstream.)
So Many Ways of Aiding Wellness
Now that you know how cannabis topicals work, we’ll dive into what they can do. Their biggest advantage lies in treating localized pain (vs. generalized), as they can be applied to specific areas; as well as being non-psychoactive, allowing for medication when life demands the medicator to be intoxication-free. But they can do all kinds of things…
1. Localized Pain: Topicals can help alleviate headaches, menstrual cramps, bruises, sore muscles, painful joints, arthritis symptoms, and many other types of pain and discomfort.
2. Reduce Inflammation: When the body is damaged in some way, it produces inflammation to signal to the immune system that there’s repairs needed. However, when this becomes chronic it can lead to significant health problems.
3. Skin Issues: The body’s biggest organ can get into trouble in all kinds of ways. Cannabis topicals are likely to help infection, rashes, bug bites, scratches, and even more significant issues, like psoriasis.
4. Burn Treatment: Cannabis has anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and analgesic effects on burns – offering a triple-punch in healing them.
5. Antioxidant: Cannabis has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant, helping protect you from free radicals, which can damage and age your skin.
6. Massage Oil: Using its powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effects, a cannabis topical can help a massage therapist (or novice!) take massage therapy to a whole new level.
7. Sex Aid: It seems that using cannabis-infused lube, or other pleasure enhancer, would be a modern revelation; but it’s actually been at it for millenia, and remains just as helpful today.
8. Sleep Aid: There aren’t many topicals designed for sleep on the market, but Kush Queen’s Sleep bath bomb is widely reported to deliver an epic night of z’s.
Convenient, Effective, and All-Around Delightful
Cannabis topicals are a convenient and effective way to treat all kinds of issues, usually doing so with a great smell and without a lot of additives. (Though be sure to check for additives before applying, especially to broken skin.) And cannabis topicals are a heck of a lot more enjoyable to use than outdated products like Icy/Hot! Stop by The Higher Path to talk to one of our knowledgeable and friendly budtenders about what cannabis topical product might be right for you.
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