On the Cannabis Side of Wellness When you’re taking a trip On the Cannabis Side, we want you to know that wellness is a huge part of our core beliefs as a cannabis retailer. Cannabis provides a lot more than just euphoric, psychoactive effects. It has a whole slew of medicinal benefits that it can offer; depending on what you need from cannabis. Most often, you’ll find CBD products offered as CBD oils, edibles, cannabis topicals, and even some CBD cannabis flower strains. But before we start talking about how you can benefit from CBD cannabis products, you need to know a bit more about the nature of CBD. What is CBD? Cannabidiol (CBD) is actually the most common cannabinoid found in cannabis flower. It’s known to be the active ingredient that has effects on both your mood and your body. However, CBD products that contain virtually no THC have no psychoactive effects on the user, meaning it doesn’t impair your ability to think or function. Some recent studies have shown that CBD may alter the effects of some chemicals in our bodies, such as serotonin, which helps control our mood and stress levels. It also affects adenosine and vanilloid levels, which impacts our sleep cycles and helps to reduce pain respectively. Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t bind to our CB1 receptors within our endocannabinoid system, and instead works to improve the products of our own endocannabinoids. This also inhibits the production of an enzyme in our bodies that regulates and destroys excess endocannabinoids. In turn, this affects our physical state.
Take Your Experiences to the Next Level On the Cannabis Side Veteran cannabis users may be looking to branch out into new areas of the cannabis market and shake up their old routine with some weed extracts that are more potent than the cannabis flower they’re used to using. But what’s the right choice for you? How do you use different cannabis concentrates? Which are the most potent? These are all important questions that need to be answered before you dive into trying these powerful products. We want you to know that safety and education are paramount On the Cannabis Side, so we’ve put together some information to help you make educated purchasing decisions, if you’re interested in trying some cannabis concentrates. Understanding the Different Types of Cannabis Concentrates There are a number of different types of cannabis concentrates out there, but it can be extremely confusing knowing where to start, or how to best utilize different forms of weed extracts. This page will help you learn some basics about the most common forms of cannabis concentrates, their strengths, and some information about how they’re consumed. Kief ‘Kief’ is the popular name for accumulated clusters of resin glands (trichomes) that are separated from ground cannabis plant matter, using either a sieve or a mesh screen. Many weed grinders now use a removable third layer beneath the collection chamber of the grinder, which allows you to collect your own ‘sift’. These collected trichomes can be used in many different ways, though often cannabis users will add a pinch to the top of a bowl or bong. This is called ‘crowning’ a bowl. Kief is often rolled into joints to improve their potency, or the joints are smeared with cannabis oils and then rolled in kief, also called a ‘tarantula leg’.
Cannabis Oils, Edibles, & Beverages There’s a lot more to using cannabis than just smoking or vaping dried cannabis flower. In fact, we understand that a growing number of cannabis users prefer cannabis products that they can consume, rather than having to use weed vaporizers, rolling joints, or smoking bowls. On the Cannabis Side believes that cannabis should be for everyone, which is why we’ve made it a priority to ensure that we offer cannabis wellness products for users that are just dipping their toes into the cannabis market. Types of Consumable Cannabis There are many different forms of cannabis you can enjoy, but if you’re looking to consume cannabis rather than inhale it, you can choose from cannabis oils, edibles and beverages to enjoy. Let’s discuss a bit about each of these types of cannabis products, so that you can start to decide which form might be the best fit for your preferences. Just remember: anytime you’re consuming cannabis products, always read the label on the package before you begin. Taking the right dosage has a huge impact on how much you’ll enjoy your experience. A good rule to follow is to always start with low dosages and give each dose time to take effect before taking more. You can always take more later. There’s no need to rush. Cannabis Oils Possibly the most approachable way to try cannabis’ euphoric effects (without really feeling like you’re eating or drinking anything), cannabis oils offer a portable, often flavorless way to enjoy cannabis. If you’re only looking to benefit from cannabis’ medicinal qualities, you should consider trying some CBD oils [link out to the CBD main page of the online store]. CBD products contain virtually no THC (only enough to help activate CBD’s helpful properties), so you won’t experience any of the psychoactive effects that are typically associated with cannabis use. CBD products offer tons of wonderful medicinal benefits [link out to the CBD blog through ‘medicinal benefits’], which you can take advantage of without affecting your cognitive state.
A common misconception that many people make about cannabis is that the type of strain (indica vs sativa) entirely determines the effect of the cannabis they’re taking. In reality, even the best sativa and indica strains can cause effects that don’t fall in line with what you’d typically expect from them. When most people consider the types of strains they buy, there are some basics that they tend to assume; such as sativa = energizing, indica = relaxing. It might surprise you to know then that you can find indica strains that are inspiring and energy boosting, and sativa strains that might be able to help you sleep. That’s because some of these factors are determined not only by the type of cannabis, but also by their terpenes. What are Terpenes? Before you can understand how they work, it’s important to understand what terpenes actually are. Terpenes are aromatic oils that can be found in cannabis flowers. There are over 100 terpenes that have been identified thus far from a wide array of weed strains. Many of these are unique to cannabis, but some can be found in other flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. While most people associate a musty, skunky scent with cannabis flower, there are an incredible variety of aromas and flavours that can be found in cannabis plants. These are determined by the collection of terpenes that make up each strain. Studies are still being done to fully understand the impacts of individual terpenes, as well as how they function when combined into unique groups. More research is definitely needed, and it may be years before we fully understand the intricacies of terpenes. However, many people now believe that terpenes may be the component of cannabis flower that determines certain specific physical and psychological effects. Once we better understand terpenes, and how to utilize them to create craft cannabis strains designed to offer very controlled experiences, it will give cannabis retailers the opportunity to provide consumers with clearer, more accurate information about each strain’s effects. Some Common Terpenes The 5 most frequently occurring terpenes in cannabis are: Pinene: Also called alpha-pinene, this is the most common terpene found in nature. As you would expect by its name, pinene terpenes give off a powerful pine aroma. Pinene works as an insect repellent in nature, which is why it’s added to products like bug sprays. However, you can actually find pinene in many different types of drinks and confections. You can also find pinene terpenes in: Coniferous trees (i.e., pine, etc.) Rosemary Sage How Does it Feel? In cannabis, some people report feelings of creative inspiration after consuming pinene, as well as relaxation across their entire bodies.
