With how marijuana has grown in terms of acceptance all around the world in this modern era, it is now high time for people to enjoy cannabis to its fullest. Though most people around the world could only use cannabis for medicinal purposes about a decade ago, we have now come to an age where even recreational use of marijuana is now accepted and legalized.
As such, there are now more cannabis users today than there has ever been. That is why cannabis is a rapidly growing industry.
Since recreational use of marijuana is still on a rapid rise, high-THC cannabis strains are among some of the most sought after types of buds in the market today. That is because you can only truly experience the great recreational and psychedelic buzz of marijuana if you use a high-THC strain. And given that there are a lot of experienced users who can only truly enjoy cannabis in high THC contents, it is not a surprise that breeders are only growing potent marijuana plants.
But, even with the rise of cannabis, not a lot of users still know what they can get from a strain with a high THC concentration. There are also those that do not know how to make the most out of their high-THC strains. What is worst is that there are even people who do not know what THC is. That is where we start things off.
What is THC?
If you are a cannabis enthusiast or someone who has casually tried marijuana a few times in the past, there is a good chance that you might have heard about THC already. However, do you really know what THC is?
For starters, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC for short) is one of the main chemical compounds found in cannabis plants. While you can find it in most parts of the plant, it is most abundant in the reproductive organ or the buds of the female cannabis plant. It is also only one of the many chemical compounds naturally secreted and produced by cannabis.
Though THC is merely one of many (about a hundred) similar compounds that can be found in a marijuana plant, it stands out in the bunch precisely because of its effects. THC is largely responsible for that psychoactive and mental type of high that cannabis is known for.
Originally, THC was not meant to be enjoyed as a psychoactive organic substance found in marijuana. Cannabis plants were able to naturally produce THC through years of adaption to ward off potential predators . As soon as some herbivores or pests experience the trippy psychoactive high induced by THC, they would begin to instinctively stay away from the cannabis plant.
Other than that, THC is also one of the two most dominant compounds found in most cannabis strains. That is why most research and studies involving cannabis focus on how THC’s properties can affect the human body.
What are the benefits of THC?
Though THC is known more for its psychoactive effects on the human body, it actually has quite a lot of health benefits. Here are some of them:
- THC can relieve pain
One of the better-known effects of THC is that it helps relieve pain. That is why marijuana itself is a popular medicinal treatment for pain relief in a lot of medical facilities around the world. THC works to relieve pain by activating certain pathways that are responsible for blocking or slowing down signals that tell the brain that it is in pain. In short, your body might be in pain but THC helps in telling your brain that it isn’t.
- Effective against cardiovascular diseases
There have been studies that suggest how effective marijuana is against cardiovascular diseases. This is because the THC in cannabis can help stop the progression of atherosclerosis plague or the hardening of arteries that can cause major negative impacts to your cardiovascular health.
- Aids against nausea
There is actually a nausea pill that was made from THC. It was made specifically to help cancer patients cope up with all the vomiting and nausea induced by treatments. However, what is surprising is that natural cannabis has more THC than that pill. That means that marijuana does indeed have the potential to help against nausea.
- THC Improves sleep
A lot of people actually use marijuana recreationally to help them sleep better. In bigger cases, cannabis is used as a treatment for insomnia. Research suggests that this is so primarily because of the high concentrations of THC found in marijuana.
- THC Treats PTSD
There are not a lot of treatments of PTSD but even psychiatrists believe that THC-rich cannabis can actually become the best way of treating it. Studies even show that PTSD symptoms drastically decrease after THC treatments were used on patients. Aside from that, people suffering from PTSD have shown a lot of improvement in the quality of their sleep and in the way they approach their daily lives.
- THC Induces appetite
You may have heard of people getting the “munchies” after a cannabis smoking session. In that sense, they have an insatiable appetite that can only be quelled by a large meal. The reason for this is that the THC found in marijuana actually increases appetite as it releases hormones that stimulate hunger and makes food taste a lot better than usual. This is why marijuana has found its way to medical facilities treating patients suffering from eating disorders, HIV, and hepatitis.
- THC has antibacterial properties
By now, you probably already know that the cannabis plant produces THC as a means to fend off potential predators. However, there are more reasons why they secrete THC. One of them is to protect themselves from harmful pathogens. In that sense, THC actually has antibacterial properties that can help kill bacteria. The most glaring part is that it can actually help fend off harmful bacteria that some antibiotics cannot even treat.
- Acts an effective antioxidant
Ever wondered why there are a lot of cannabis users that look young and fresh? It is because the THC found in marijuana is an effective and potent antioxidant. The type of antioxidants found in THC are the ones that help fend off aging and other skin diseases. In some cases, THC can even help protect your skin from the damages that stress can potentially cause.
- THC as the potential to fight cancer
One of the reasons why cannabis is now a widely accepted treatment in the medical community is that it has shown a lot of potential in the fight against cancer. This is because of how THC can specifically aid in inhibiting the growth of tumors.
How potent is a high-THC strain?
THC has uniform effects no matter where you get it. However, the truth is that different cannabis strains are never the same in the sense that they have varying levels of THC. Though THC does indeed carry the same benefits, the effect may vary depending on certain factors such as its concentration and the levels of other chemical compounds found in a certain strain. As such, no two strains are ever the same.
That said, how can we really know if a strain has THC levels? Potency can really depend on a lot of factors. One such factor is an individual person’s response to THC and how tolerant he/she is to it. After all, what seems to be potent to a beginner is only a casual toke for an experienced user.
However, the one factor that really determines the potency of a strain is the level of THC found in it. In general, when a strain has more than 20% levels of THC, that is when you know that is a potent high-THC strain. These are the types of strains that will almost always affect the user no matter his/her experience and tolerance levels are.
What are the best ways of taking your high-THC strains?
Similar to how the THC levels of a certain strain can dictate how potent it is, there are also other factors that come into play. For example, a certain strain from one breeder will not necessarily be as potent as the same kind of strain from another grower because of how certain breeding techniques and factors can affect their THC levels and overall potency.
Likewise, how your high-THC cannabis strain will affect you can also depend on how you consume it. In that sense, there are ways on how to make the most out of the THC in your cannabis strains if you want to get a high unlike any other. Here are some ways you may want to consider:
Inhaling
When we talk about inhaling marijuana, it is only a better term for smoking it. This method is actually the most popular way of getting the most out of your high-THC strain not only because of how easy it is to do but also because the THC gets into your system faster than any other means. The chemical compound quickly gets into your bloodstream as the smoke enters your lungs. In that sense, it will only take a few seconds for your system to signal your brain that you are already high.
If you prefer a quick-delivering type of high, then smoking your marijuana is the best way of doing so. It gets the job done efficiently and quickly. In this regard, there are plenty of ways of inhaling your marijuana.
Arguably the most popular way of smoking weed through the form of joints or blunts. You simply roll your weed in a cigar or cigarette paper, light one end up, and smoke it like you would a usual cigar or cigarette.
Another popular way of doing so is by means of pipes or bongs. If you find that rolling a join or a blunt is too tedious, you might want to invest on pipes or bongs since using this paraphernalia is less of a hassle.
Ingesting
Ingesting your high-THC cannabis strains through edibles is another popular way of making the most out of your weed’s THC. Edibles take many forms but the one thing that is common is that they are all safe for consumption and they all make your strains much more potent.
The reason why ingesting cannabis increases their potency is that the digestion process allows them to undergo a process that changes their chemistry to make them stronger and more potent. However, the downside is that it will take a while for the effects to kick in because you have to wait for your digestive system to do its thing first.
Some of the more popular edibles are snacks such as brownies, cake, and cookies. Some prefer brewing their cannabis into tea. You can also take in your THC by means of concentrated and highly potent pills. There are even dissoluble strips that you can place in your mouth the same way you would with a breath strip.
Tips on making the most out of your high THC strains
- Make sure you choose reputable breeders
As mentioned, not all strains are the same. Even the same strains are not of equal quality because of how different breeding methods and techniques can change their potency. In that sense, make sure you get your high THC strains from reputable breeders and growers that only use the best methods of growing them.
- Store them well
The way you store your cannabis buds can also affect their potency. Plastic bags can cause slight electric charges that will burn up the trichomes in your buds. Meanwhile, too much humidity can also cause them to spoil. Instead, try to store them in a cool place with as little access to light as possible.
- Consider your nutrition
The contents of your stomach can also change the type of high you get from the THC in your cannabis. For example, the antioxidants in your dark chocolate, coffee, or tea can make you high much more soothing. Also, foods naturally rich with terpenes can improve the high you get from your strains as these terpenes can interact well with the THC to promote their effects.
- Try changing things a bit
Consider changing your habits and the way you take in your high THC strains especially if you have reached a point where the type of your high has reached its peak. For example, try to abstain a bit and only smoke during the evenings or at a certain time of the day. You may also want to try edibles if you are so used to smoking. Or maybe try smoking if you only ingested your cannabis.
- Take a break
Yes, the truth hurts. You might want to take a short break from cannabis especially if you feel like you have grown too tolerant to it even after using high THC strains. Take a few weeks off and see if things change a bit.
- Exercise
Proper diet and exercise can change the way your body absorbs the THC found in your cannabis strains. The reason for this is that fat tends to absorb THC more. That means that your bloodstream won’t be able to take in as much THC because of how fat tends to store it. In that case, you might want to switch up your diet and burn a few calories to decrease the fat in your body.
