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Using CBD flower for pain relief
I’ve been dealing with muscle and joint pain for as long as I can remember. Weather it’s from excessive exercise, poor posture while working or due to inflammation, I find that CBD in general and smokable CBD in particular has been very helpful in reducing pain and improving my mobility.
Learning how to use CBD flower and which strains to pick has been very easy though. It’s been more art than science trying to figure out why some strains made me feel better while others seemingly had no effect at all.
In this article I’ll share what has worked for me in hopes that it will guide you to a more pain free life.
Consistency is key
Put it this way… If you are suffering from iron deficiency, you wouldn’t take a random iron pill at random times and expect the problem to go away.
No, you’d follow a routine given to you by a medical doctor that would gradually treat the issue.
This is true for CBD products as well.
Unfortunately most doctors don’t know enough about CBD and tend not to recommend it to people who struggle with pain. Instead, we’re left to find information ourselves in a world of Google searches and untrustworthy sources.
I find that consuming CBD in different forms effects my pain in different ways. Creams and balms for example, are quite effective after long days in front of the computer but not very effective after workouts or for migraines.
Tinctures (oils) are great for headaches but not for stomach pain.
It was not until I started smoking CBD on a daily basis that I started to feel a lasting difference in my body. My muscles got much looser and my joints feel less stressed.
Time your consumption accordingly
There are definitely times when I smoked the wrong strain at the wrong time causing unwanted effects. Some CBD strains will make you feel very sleepy and other strains will boost your mood and wake you up.
Picking the right one will depend on the time of day you are smoking and what you have planned after smoking.
I may smoke everyday but I certainly can’t smoke all the time and at times I’ve felt like falling asleep at a social gathering because of smoking the wrong strain.
View the top CBD strains of 2022
Understanding terpenes
To pick the correct CBD strain for pain you’ll need to “geek out” a little bit on the main terpenes found in hemp flower.
The terpenes are what gives the plant it’s flavor and aroma as well as playing an important role in the entourage effect (the accumulative effect of cannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenes). Some of the terpenes are known to produce a sedative and relaxing effect that is effective for insomnia. Other terpenes give you increased alertness and focus and can even make you hyperactive and talkative.
Below are the main terpenes that are tested in CBD flower.
- Bisabolol Balanced
- Borneol Nighttime
- Beta-caryophyllene Nighttime
- Farnesene Nighttime
- Geraniol Daytime
- Humulene Balanced
- Limonene Daytime
- Linalool Nighttime
- Myrcene Nighttime
- Ocimene Daytime
- Pinene Daytime
- Terpineol Nighttime
- Valencene Daytime
Picking the right CBD flower strain for pain
So in all honesty, almost all well cultivated CBD flower will have a soothing effect on pain. Generally speaking, you’ll want to look for strains that are fairly high in “Total Cannabinoids”.
Total cannabinoids differs from CBD percentage because it includes all the cannabinoids found in the bud. That means, the CBD, CBN, CBG, THC (booth Delta-9 and Delta-8) are all counted into the total cannabinoid percentage.
You’ll also want to look for the terpenes linalool, borneol, myrcene, caryophyllene and geraniol.