Foods That Can Enhance Your High

It’s no secret that certain strains of cannabis can boost your appetite and give you the munchies. But did you know that what you eat before you partake can impact the effects of your weed?

If you came here to find out if there are any foods that can boost your high, or to find out how to make your high last longer, then you’ve come to the right place.

– photo credit: Giphy

How to Boost Your High

Let’s start by talking about mangos. Yes, mangos can be a tasty treat during the summer months but few realize they can enhance the effects of your cannabis. Not only can mangos help to boost your high – but they can also help you feel the effects of your cannabis sooner.

The trick is to enjoy your mango about an hour before your session. By doing so, it can help the cannabinoids pass through the brain-blood barrier more efficiently.

So, what is it about mangos that allows them to do this?

It comes down to terpenes. Specifically, the terpene known as myrcene. Myrcene is the terpene that is most commonly found in cannabis. Besides being found in mangos, it is also found in lemongrass and hundreds of other plants.

What Are Terpenes?

Terpenes are aromatic compounds naturally produced in plants like jasmine, lemongrass, rosemary, lavender, and cannabis. In nature, terpenes help to protect plants from animal grazing and infectious germs. They also help to attract pollinators.

Terpenes are bioactive and depending on their concentration and how a person uses them, can offer potential health benefits.

For example, the myrcene in mangos binds to cannabinoid receptors in our bodies that are part of our endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a communications system that helps to regulate important functions like sleep, mood, appetite, memory, reproduction, and fertility.

Click here to learn about how your endocannabinoid system could be the secret to unlocking your body’s natural healing power.

Is Myrcene a THC Enhancer?

By consuming mango rich in myrcene before you enjoy your cannabis, the myrcene binds with the cannabinoid receptors in our ECS. This can help our bodies receive cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, quicker and easier.

The reason for this is that myrcene enhances the ability of the cell membranes in our bodies to absorb THC. Because of this, consuming foods that are rich in myrcene ahead of time, can result in quicker, stronger, and longer lasting effects from your weed.

So, yes… enjoying foods that are rich in myrcene before you enjoy your cannabis can enhance the effects of your weed. But this is certainly not the only potential health benefit attributed to myrcene.

Myrcene’s Potential Health Benefits

Some of the potential benefits that have been attributed to myrcene include being: analgesic, sedative, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer.¹

Something to keep in mind is that myrcene is not exclusive to mangos. It can also be found in many herbs including lemongrass, thyme, sweet basil, parsley, and hops.

So, if mangos are out of season, you could enjoy food with some of these herbs before enjoying your cannabis to help boost the effects of your THC.

Now that we understand how consuming foods with myrcene can boost the effects of your cannabis, let’s take a look at some foods that could help your edibles hit faster and last longer.

How to Make Your Edibles Hit Faster and Last Longer

Have you ever wondered why some people will consume a cannabis edible and won’t feel anything, while others might enjoy an edible and have the opposite experience?

Surprisingly, it could have something to do with the fat in their diet.

Fatty Foods to Eat with Edibles

Cannabinoids are lipophilic, meaning they dissolve in fats, oils, or lipids. Without fats, they won’t fully dissolve and will likely just pass through your body without you fully enjoying the benefits of your THC.

So, one way to maximize the effects of your THC edibles, is to enjoy edibles that include fats, like nuts or chocolate.

What Types of Fats Are Best?

The omega-3 fatty acids found in things like nuts and eggs can enhance the high of THC edibles. These healthy fats bind to the cannabinoid receptors in our brains and help THC pass through the blood-brain barrier quicker.

This can help your edibles hit faster and last longer.

When it comes to which types of fats you should consume to enhance your edibles, it’s believed long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) work best. LCFAs are defined as saturated or unsaturated fatty acids containing 13-21 carbons.

LCFAs can be found in high concentrations in fatty fish like mackerel, herring, salmon, and sardines. They can also be found in lower concentrations in avocados, red meat, shellfish, eggs, dairy fat, nuts, seeds, and certain vegetable oils.²

Chocolate

As we mentioned, cannabinoids like THC dissolve in fats, oils, or lipids. Without fats, they won’t fully dissolve, and you won’t be able to fully enjoy the benefits of the cannabinoids in your weed.

That is one reason why chocolate – which sometimes contains dairy fats – can help you make the most of your edibles. Another reason it can enhance your experience is that chocolate contains anandamide.

Anandamide – The “Bliss Molecule”

Anandamide is an endocannabinoid that is naturally produced within our bodies. It was first isolated in 1992 and was named after the Sanskrit word, ananda, which means bliss or joy. Anandamide has been referred to as the Bliss Molecule due to its calming and mood enhancing effects.

It was recently discovered that anandamide is responsible for the euphoric feeling, known as “runners high,” that people can experience during, or immediately after, their runs or workouts.³

It had previously been thought that runner’s high was caused by an increased production of endorphins.

Double the Pleasure

The anandamide that occurs naturally in chocolate binds to the same cannabinoid receptors in our bodies that THC binds to. So, when you consume chocolate and cannabis together, that extra boost of anandamide can enhance your high as well as the pain-relieving effects of your weed.⁴

Click here to learn about how CBD Oil with THC can help you maximize the therapeutic potential of anandamide and other endocannabinoids in your system.

Broccoli

If you’re a fan of cannabis but not broccoli, you may want to reconsider. It turns out broccoli can also help to increase your high. And, once again, it comes down to terpenes.

This time, it’s a terpene known as beta caryophyllene, which interacts with cannabinoid receptors in our brains to promote a sense of calm. It has also been shown to reduce pain and inflammation.⁵

In addition to being found in broccoli, beta caryophyllene can also be found in the essential oils of many spices and plants, including oregano, cinnamon, clove, rosemary, thyme, and black pepper.

Beta Caryophyllene’s Role in Reducing Pain & Inflammation

Enjoying foods that are rich in beta caryophyllene before you medicate with cannabis can enhance THC’s anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

One of the reasons for this is that caryophyllene is a rare terpene that can also serve as a cannabinoid. It is believed caryophyllene is the only terpene to interact with our endocannabinoid system through CB₂receptors found in our immune system.

Because of this, it can help to reduce pain and inflammation – without promoting a high sensation.⁵

Possible Benefits of Mixing THC and Caffeine

Although it may not be right for all, it is believed that mixing THC and caffeine could result in an enhanced cannabis experience – with potential benefits that include:

Mental alertness
Improved energy
Feelings of relaxation, happiness, and euphoria

In addition to providing a relaxing effect to go along with that caffeine buzz, pairing cannabis with coffee is also believed to help people reach a flow state.

Click here to learn more about the potential benefits of mixing caffeine and cannabis, and if it might be right for you.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a healthy treat filled with complex carbs and vitamin B6 which is known to help regulate mood and emotion. They are also known to increase the production of serotonin.

Serotonin plays an important role in our bodies and can influence memory, learning, happiness, hunger, and sexual behavior. Being deficient in serotonin could lead to a range of health problems including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and digestive problems.

It is believed that when enjoyed in low doses cannabis can lead to increased levels of serotonin production.

So, by eating sweet potatoes ahead of your session, the extra dose of serotonin could enhance your mood and allow you to better enjoy the uplifting effects of your weed. Just be careful with the dosage, because too much THC combined with serotonin could result in negative effects that include restlessness and agitation.

It’s All About the Terpenes and Cannabinoids

You may have noticed that many of the foods we’ve mentioned include terpenes that could help to enhance your high. Each of these terpenes provide their own potential health benefits and can enhance your cannabis experience in different ways.

Foods That Could Help If You Feel Too High

So, what happens if you consume some of the foods that can enhance your cannabis experience and then you feel like you’ve become too high?

Believe it or not, munching on a couple of black pepper balls could help. The terpenes found in black pepper (pinene, myrcene, and beta-caryophyllene) can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and help calm you down.

Since pine nuts also contain pinene, they can also have a similar effect. The terpenes found in lemons are also believed to help smooth out any potential unpleasant effects.⁶

Click here to learn more about the different types of terpenes and their potential health benefits.

Bloom Medicinals Wants to Help You Find the Mix That’s Best for You

Everyone’s experience with medicinal cannabis will vary. Instead of focusing exclusively on which strain to medicate with, it’s just as important to find the balance of cannabinoids and terpenes that work best with your endocannabinoid system.

Doing so could help to unlock your body’s natural healing power. And that is why Bloom Medicinals would like to offer you the chance to schedule a free, one-on-one consultation.

During this consultation, our patient care specialists will get to know you, your qualifying conditions, medications, dietary restrictions, activity level, and any specific effects you’re seeking – or looking to avoid.

By doing so, we can help you identify the consumption methods and forms of cannabis that are best for you!

Take the first step toward an improved quality of life by calling to schedule your free consultation at a Bloom Medicinals dispensary near you!