In this post, I’ll discuss selecting and using medical marijuana edibles for ulcerative colitis. Marijuana medicated edibles including gummy candies, coconut butter, tinctures and capsules for ulcerative colitis are discussed in detail.
Medical marijuana is continuing to grow in availability and popularity. In every state with a medical marijuana program, the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) – ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease – are qualifying conditions for a medical marijuana card.
THC and THC and CBD marijuana edibles are discussed.
Edible Medical Marijuana Products and Ulcerative Colitis
Marijuana is exceptional medicine for ulcerative colitis.
Edible marijuana products offer several advantages for UC. The most important advantage being the direct delivery of the medicine to the digestive tract.
The human cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2 are prevalent in the stomach and digestive tract.
Oral delivery of cannabis is an efficient way to get medicine straight to the place it’s needed for UC.
The full scholarly article that the above image comes from is here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35003109/
You can take a deep dive on the chemistry and science of THC, CBD and the human endocannabinoid system in my post CBD and High-CBD Medical Marijuana – The Principal Guide [LINK].
Food Quality, Medical Marijuana Edibles and Ulcerative Colitis
Marijuana is exceptional medicine for UC.
But food always comes first.
The food used to make medical marijuana edibles is vitally important to evaluate when using marijuana for UC.
There aren’t a lot of products in this post. Just a handful.
Some tinctures, coconut oil, capsules. There are the gummy candies which are generally going to be OK for UC because you’ll only eat a few in a day.
While marijuana is exceptional medicine for UC, a strict Paleo-AIP diet [LINK] needs to be in place if full healing and full effectiveness of the marijuana as an anti-inflammatory is to be taken advantage of.
So here are my two caveats for using medical marijuana edibles for ulcerative colitis:
- Eat a strict Paleo-AIP diet with 100% consistency
- Use only edibles that are made with foods that don’t trigger an autoimmune response – that is, compliant with Paleo-AIP
If you want to learn more about Paleo-AIP and healing UC with diet, you can read my epic post Healing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet – The Principal Guide [LINK].
I always find it disappointing when a UC patient has gone through all the effort to get a medical marijuana card and get started at a dispensary and then is using edible products like marijuana medicated cookies, brownies or the myriad other junk foods that are medicated with THC and/or CBD today.
Junk food is junk food regardless of whether or not it has THC or CBD in it.
These foods can have some medical application for those who just need to eat and food quality isn’t of immediate importance.
With UC, however, the autoimmune-stimulating nature of food is always of paramount importance.
At best, edible marijuana products like cookies, candy bars, brownies and the like don’t help because the food is about as inflammatory as the cannabis is anti-inflammatory. It ends up being a wash.
Hopefully.
At worst, the food causes more ulcerative colitis inflammation than the medical marijuana heals.
An ulcerative colitis patient using a lot of medical marijuana edibles made with gluten-containing grains, any grains at all, nuts, seeds, high-omega-6 oils like peanut, corn, sunflower and safflower, eggs or dairy will not heal well and very likely will see a flare-up sooner or later.
(In a flare-up right now? Get some relief fast by reading my post Healing Ulcerative Colitis Flare-Ups.)
Commonly Available Marijuana Edibles to Consider for Ulcerative Colitis
These are the medical marijuana edibles I’ve used and liked.
I’m in Connecticut and subject to the state medical laws and product availability. Everything I show in this post is a Connecticut medical product from The Botanist in Uncasville, CT.
Marijuana-Infused Gummy Candies
In February of 2023, my home state of Connecticut went fully legal for adult cannabis use over 21 years of age.
While this can only be good for us medical people in the long run with more dispensaries, more growers, more product selection and more competition, in the short term it resulted in some pretty significant product shortages, higher prices and longer wait times at the dispensary.
Early on with Connecticut’s adult use roll-out, there were no tinctures, coconut oil or capsules.
All that was available were a few flavors of THC and THC and CBD gummy candies.
What about the candy and sugar?
Eating two or three of these gummy candies isn’t going to be a big deal for most with ulcerative colitis.
As long as you’re not in an active UC flare-up currently.
I ate a few of these in the morning and a few around bed time and was just fine. It was worth testing since gummies were all that were available.
Both of the gummy products in this post were fine for me.
Marijuana Medicated Coconut Butter
Marijuana medicated coconut oil and butter edibles are a great option for UC.
I’ve used marijuana medicated coconut oil as a good Paleo-AIP option for medicating ulcerative colitis over the years.
Medical Marijuana Capsules
These are a great portable option that are easy and fast to take. They’re a good value for the money too.
Note that the capsules above and the tincture pictured below are the same medical marijuana strain. It’s just the administration form that’s different.
Medical Marijuana Tinctures are Superior Medicine for Ulcerative Colitis
This post includes discussion of medical marijuana oil tinctures. They’re included and important for two reasons:
- Marijuana oil tinctures are taken orally
- Marijuana oil tinctures are generally made with food-grade MCT oil
There is a definite difference in healing effect with tinctures. The oral delivery route seems to get the medicine right to the digestive tract.
I consider THC and THC and CBD oil tinctures to be exceptional and highly effective medicine for UC.
These are my strong preference for UC and the absolute best form of administration for UC and UC flare-ups in particular.
I used a number of oil tinctures over the years and continually find them to be the most fast-acting and powerful delivery mode for UC.
(If you want to do a deep dive on medical marijuana oil tinctures for ulcerative colitis you can read my post Medical Marijuana Oil Tinctures for Ulcerative Colitis.)
Medical Marijuana Tinctures as Direct Medicine for the Ulcerated Digestive Tract
A conversation a few years ago with my medical marijuana doctor led me to try marijuana oil tinctures for the first time.
His assertion was putting some oil under the tongue or lower lip sent the medicine right to the digestive tract. He’d been recommending it to his UC patients and had good feedback on it.
I’ve tried it too and definitely find that it’s a very effective way to use THC or THC and CBD for ulcerative colitis.
Marijuana Edibles and Tinctures for Better Sleep with Ulcerative Colitis
Insomnia and PTSD symptoms are common issues in people with UC. Sleep and, ideally, restful sleep is key to healing the digestive tract and calming the overactive immune system.
Because medicated marijuana edibles take several hours to reach full effect and the effects tend to last longer than smoked or vaped marijuana, Taking an edible marijuana product an hour or so before bed can make a major difference in falling asleep and staying asleep at night.
A dosage of 5-10mg of THC or a combination of THC and CBD has worked for me in the past.
If you want to learn more about the emotional and spiritual aspects of ulcerative colitis and how they interrelate with things like PTSD, insomnia, anxiety and depression, read my popular post Exploring the Spiritual Meanings of Ulcerative Colitis.
The Role of Edibles in a Long-Term Medical Marijuana Practice for Ulcerative Colitis
There are multiple advantages to using marijuana edibles as medication for UC.
- Marijuana edibles don’t require smoking to medicate
- Edibles are portable and discrete
- The right edibles or marijuana tincture can reach the digestive tract fast
- Marijuana edibles act slower and over a longer time period
- Edible medical marijuana products are easy on the lungs over the long term
- The slower-acting nature of edibles makes them great for sleep
Dosage and Timing of Medical Marijuana Edibles
Dosing edibles is relatively easy, depending on the product. Most of the stuff that works well for UC is easy to portion out and calculate dosage.
Start very low, like 5mg or even less if you’re a novice user and/or low in bodyweight. Give it 2-4 hours to take full effect before you decide how it did or didn’t affect you. And, definitely don’t drive or do anything with machinery or tools after taking an edible or within a few hours of it.
Marijuana Edibles vs. Smoking or Vaping for Medicating Ulcerative Colitis
Different marijuana products have different applications and effects. Edibles take a while to metabolize and are a great option for sleep as well as keeping THC in the bloodstream while on the go or unable to smoke or vape.
Smoking and vaping take effect fast. These are great options for quick relief of stomach pain and discomfort as well as anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms.
(Want to know how mental and emotional health as well as past trauma interrelate with UC? Read my very popular post Exploring the Spiritual Meaning of Ulcerative Colitis and find out!)
Conclusion
If the right medicated foods are used for medical marijuana edibles, these products can be a useful administration option with specific benefits for medicating ulcerative colitis.
Medical marijuana edibles offer benefits for ulcerative colitis including longer action time and direct delivery to the digestive tract.
As long as sensible and intelligent selection of marijuana edible foods based on Paleo-AIP dietary principles is adhered to, edibles are a great option for UC.
Have you used medical marijuana edibles for ulcerative colitis? Are you considering it now? Leave a comment and let us know!
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