Best CBD Flower for Pain
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Author: Joy Hughes
Living with pain is never easy. Unfortunately, as we get older, the occurrence of pain will only likely continue to rise.
According to research, there are two types of pain:
- Acute pain — A normal result of injury. Comes on suddenly but will eventually fade.
- Chronic pain — Continues beyond the typical time it takes to heal. Will last for more than 3 months.
Nearly 50 million American adults suffer from chronic pain every day. And many of them will agree that chronic pain is a debilitating condition that no one can see. In other words, it’s an invisible sickness.
It often leaves people feeling hopeless, embarrassed, and guilty. In some cases, it can cause strained relationships, leaving its sufferers feeling completely alone and depressed.
So it’s no surprise that chronic pain is the single most common reason adults seek out medical care. Not to mention, most people don’t receive the proper treatment needed for addressing their persistent pain.
While there are some non-drug treatment options such as physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and cognitive behavior therapy, the most popular treatment options typically include the following:
- Prescription pain medications
- Antidepressants
- Medical injections
- Surgery
- Over the counter pain relievers
- And more
What's the problem with the way pain is treated?
But here’s the issue…
While some of these treatment options help manage pain, none of them successfully relieve chronic pain completely.
In fact, it’s just the opposite. Those who suffer from chronic pain are more likely to develop a dependence on opioids. Not to mention, prescription drugs, antidepressants, and over the counter pain relievers often cause harmful and unwanted side effects like:
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Sedation or drowsiness
- Blurred vision
- Weight gain
- Difficulty urinating
- Heart issues
- And much more
Before you know it, you’re on multiple medications to not only treat your chronic pain, but also to treat the other side effects you’ve developed from your pain medications and other drug treatments.
Thankfully, however, many pain sufferers have found relief from Cannabidiol (CBD).
But before we explore how incredibly therapeutic CBD flower can be for pain sufferers, we want to take a look at some of the most common symptoms of pain.
What are the symptoms of pain?
It’s safe to say that we’ll all endure physical pain at some point in our lives. But pain is generally described as an uncomfortable sensation in the body.
You might feel an unpleasant sting, burn, tingle, or prick. It can be sharp or dull, persistent or sporadic. Some may feel pain all throughout their body, while others only feel pain in certain areas of their body.
Other symptoms may include:
- Numbness
- Throbbing
- Soreness
- Pinching
- Fatigue
- Stiffness
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- And much more
But believe it or not, pain is our body’s way of alarming us that something isn’t right. And the more we ignore our body’s alarm system, the more damage it can cause throughout our body.
What’s more, pain is often the result of inflammation. And if there’s one thing you should know about inflammation, it’s that scientists have found it to be a root contributor to most diseases.
However, according to studies, CBD has been shown time and again to help reduce inflammation, which ultimately helps relieve pain.
And here’s how…
How can CBD flower help pain?
Deep within the human body, there is an amazing signaling system known as the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of this biological system in school, it’s because scientists only recently discovered it a few decades ago, and they too are still trying to understand it.
In a nutshell, this amazing biological system is responsible for regulating our appetite, mood, sleep, memory, reproduction, cognitive function, motor skills, digestion, perception of pain, and more. In other words, our ECS is responsible for maintaining homeostatic balance throughout the human body.
But scientists theorize that pain and other major health conditions and symptoms are often correlated with an endocannabinoid deficiency (which means the ECS isn’t working properly).
However, according to research, CBD has been found to help restore balance to the ECS by naturally regulating our own endogenous cannabinoids and reducing chronic inflammation.
This doesn’t mean that CBD flower is in any way a “cure-all”. But according to multiple studies, CBD hemp flower has been shown to have health benefits such as reduced pain, inflammation, and stress.
CBD for pain and stress
Believe it or not, stress and inflammation go hand and hand. And when the two occur together, they can cause major damage in the body. While we know that pain is often the result of inflammation, it’s also important to know that the more we reduce stress and inflammation, the less pain we will inevitably feel.
Now, we already know that our ECS is responsible for maintaining homeostasis throughout the body. But when our ECS is out of whack, we need to help re-establish balance to it. The way we do this is by supplementing with phytocannabinoids like CBD.
According to scientists, CBD can help relieve pain by stimulating our own endorphins and preserving our endogenous cannabinoids (which make up our ECS) like anandamide –– which is known as the “bliss molecule”.
Sadly, anandamide is a short-lived molecule. It dies quickly after the body produces it. Thankfully, in a normal functioning body, anandamide is constantly being produced.
But experts believe that chronic pain sufferers don’t actually produce enough anandamide. So the minute their body creates it, it completely dies off.
However, CBD not only stimulates the production of our endocannabinoids, but it actually prevents how quickly anandamide is broken down. This means the more anandamide we have, the happier we feel.
And as if that wasn’t enough, CBD also helps stimulate our endorphins, which are tiny little chemicals in our body that help relieve stress and reduce pain.
But that’s not all…
CBD for pain and inflammation
According to The Arthritis Society study, CBD reduces and blocks acute inflammation in pain models with Osteoarthritis. It was also found that applying topical CBD helps reduce arthritic pain when applied to the troublesome areas.
And speaking of inflammation, most Ulcerative Colitis sufferers would agree that their condition is excruciating and at times demoralizing. But studies involving Ulcerative Colitis sufferers show that CBD helps reduce intestinal damage, pain, and inflammation.
How do I start using CBD flower to treat my pain?
Here’s what’s amazing about CBD flower… It’s the most natural, unprocessed source of CBD. It contains all the terpenes, flavonoids, cannabinoids, and other therapeutic nutrients responsible for reducing pain and its other contributors like inflammation and stress.
But if you’re new to smoking CBD flower, you should know that everyone responds differently to CBD. What works for one may not work for the other. This is why it’s imperative that you do your research, be patient, and experiment with different strains of high-quality CBD flowers.
First and foremost, you should only purchase CBD flower from reputable companies. Look for companies that focus on transparency, consistency, and safety.
They will often mention the following:
- American and organically grown hemp
- Third party testing
- Certificate of Analysis (COA) for each flower product
Once you determine which reputable company you want to purchase your CBD flower from, you can then decide which CBD flower strain is best for addressing your pain.
As luck would have it, we’ve constructed a thorough list of the best CBD flower strains for pain below.
What are the best CBD flower strains for pain?
When searching for the best CBD flower for pain, it’s best to look at the terpene profile and the levels of CBD and THC. This is because terpenes and cannabinoids contain the therapeutic properties that help alleviate pain.
Below, we’ve outlined each CBD flower strain’s cannabinoid profile along with common effects.
- Avg. CBD percent: 13%
- Sativa, Indica or Hybrid: Indica
- Grown Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor
- Best Used For: Nighttime
- Effects: Cherry Wine is known for its calming and therapeutic effects. Cherry Wine is an excellent choice for people suffering from chronic pain, arthritis and muscle spasms. I suffer from chronic back pain and Cherry Wine is my go-to strain when I'm in pain.
- Avg. CBD percent: 14%
- Sativa, Indica or Hybrid: Hybrid
- Grown Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor
- Best Used For: Anytime
- Effects: Hawaiian Haze is a well-rounded strain which makes it great for any situation. We consider Hawaiian Haze to be a multipurpose strain because of its vast array of effects. These effects include: anxiety reduction, pain relief, relaxation and productivity. I like this strain because I can use it for my pain relief but it doesn't make me sleepy or drowsy like Cherry Wine.
- Avg. CBD percent: 15%
- Sativa, Indica or Hybrid: Hybrid
- Grown Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor
- Best Used For: Mostly Daytime
- Effects: Sour Space Candy is one of the most popular CBD strains because of its unique effects. Sour Space Candy has been known to provide euphoria, stimulate the mind and loosen up muscles. I like to use Sour Space Candy before activities that I know will cause pain. For example, working out will cause me pain so I'll use it before my workout and it seems to help with my endurance.
- Avg. CBD percent: 12%
- Sativa, Indica or Hybrid: Hybrid
- Grown Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor
- Best Used For: Day or Night
- Effects: The Sour Tsunami is a great anytime strain that's grown indoors. The indoor growth is highlighted in the taste and flavor of this strain. I like this strain because it calms my nerves has also offers some pain relief. Since this strain is grown indoors, it's more of a premium strain and therefore, it's more pricey than the others. I like to use this on special occasions to treat myself.
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