How can cannabis actually be a part of a healthy lifestyle and diet? What are the health benefits of medical cannabis? What recipes can you add it to when cooking?
Before marijuana dispensaries existed as source for different healthy cannabis products, people used raw cannabis for medical and health benefits. And for at least 3,000 years, people have been using cannabis or marijuana in treating illnesses, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Regarding how long cannabis has been used for medical purposes, another source revealed that its first reference in writings was that from China in 2737 BC by the name of Emperor Shen Nung. The focus on most writings was the herb’s use for medication for illnesses, including absent-mindedness, malaria, gout and rheumatism.
Later, it spread across shores and reached other parts of the world, including India, North Africa, Europe and the United States. Through the years, cannabis has gone a long, long way because of its health effects and different available ways of preparing cannabis, including edibles. So can you use marijuana as an ingredient in a healthy diet?
The Health Effects Of Medical Marijuana
Over the past years, medical marijuana research and studies have yielded findings suggesting that cannabis may aid in treating several conditions and providing health benefits, including the following.
Chronic pain
According to a review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, cannabinoids, the active compounds in cannabis, along with other compounds acting on the same brain receptors, can benefit those suffering from chronic pain.
Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Clinical Psychology Review published a review revealing how marijuana could help treating mental illness symptoms. According to the authors, medical cannabis can help in relieving the symptoms of PTSD and depression.
Stop cancer cells from spreading throughout the body
A gene called Id-1 can be turned off by CBD to stop cancer, according to a study to find in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal.
The 2007 study of the scientists at the California Pacific Medical Center discovered that CBD might stop cancer cells from spreading. They used breast cancer cells having high Id-1 levels and then treated these cells with CBD. The results yielded that these cells had decreased their Id-1 expression and became less aggressive.
Epilepsy
Recently, the FDA approved using cannabidiol containing medication to treat Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, types of epilepsy that are hard to control with other medication types.
A study in 2017 revealed that using CBD resulted to fewer seizure episodes among Dravet syndrome patients versus those with a placebo did.
Soothes tremors of Parkinson’s disease patients
Studies had it, including one from Israel, showed that smoking marijuana could reduce tremors for these patients. It can also help them sleep better and improve their fine motor skills.
Healthy Diet with Marijuana Cuisine
Cooking with cannabis, you don’t have to worry about getting stoned especially you’re using un-aged and raw leaves, which contain Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), not THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). THCA isn’t psychoactive.
Many people include raw and un-aged cannabis and hemp into cooking because they simply want to be healthy but not getting high. Just a small portion of cannabis, brought from a Colorado or a Las Vegas dispensary can become the best choice for many people.
Why is cooking with marijuana healthy?
They have antioxidants that protect the body from free radical damage and stress. In addition, whether cooked or raw, cannabis contains plenty of antioxidants. The leaves also contain fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Iron
- Calcium
- Vitamin K
- Folate
- Vitamin C
- Fiber
Adding cannabis into a healthy diet, you can have a healthier and better alternative to smoking weed. Smoking cannabis creates and leaves tar and other substances in your lungs, just as smoking anything does. Oppositely, cannabis in cooking offers zero harmful carcinogens for your lungs.
Edibles Essential for Dinner
Now that you know the health benefits of cooking with cannabis, you probably want to learn about some recipe ideas to add marijuana into your cuisine. Check out the following for suggestions.
- Pot potatoes
- Weed pesto pasta
- Marijuana hot wings
- Weed pizza
- Salad with weed salad dressing
- Weed soup
- Crack pot cannabutter
Definitely, marijuana is a new ingredient of a healthy diet that you might want to consider for yourself. With the marijuana and dispensary marketing taking over the world, everyone can now learn more about cannabis and take advantage of chronic pain relief, alleviation of depression symptoms and antioxidant benefits, to name some. If you’re ready to try cannabis in cooking, diet and lifestyle, check out your nearby pot dispensaries for product options.
