So, you hopped on board the latest and greatest trend in weed and purchased your very own cannabinoid oils. You are the proud owner of THC oil and/or CBD oil — but now what? Fortunately, weed oil is incredibly versatile, giving you unprecedented control over how you partake in your favorite psychotropic drug. Here are just a few ways you can make good use of your recent purchase.
Sublingual
“Sublingual” means below the tongue; it is a method of administering a number of different drugs, especially those that need to enter the bloodstream quickly. Related to sublingual administration is buccal administration, which requires you to place the drug between your gums and cheek.
Experts across industries agree that dosing with CBD or THC oil sublingually is the fastest and most effective way of benefiting from cannabinoids. This is because just beneath your tongue is an extremely thin mucous membrane, underneath which is a bundle of capillaries that connect to the rest of your bloodstream. By taking cannabinoids sublingually, you can give yourself near-immediate, more potent effects.
Capsules
Because you can purchase empty gel capsules online or at any drugstore, you can create your own pills from nearly anything — including cannabinoids. While capsules do require ingestion, which is a much slower and less potent method, they can be beneficial for those who don’t require such instantaneous or intense effects but who do require regular doses of the drug.
There are a few different recipes for cannabinoid capsules, but they all follow a common pattern: mixing some kind of edible oil (like canola oil, olive oil, coconut oil and the like) with your THC or CBD oil and using no-needle syringes to fill the empty capsules. You might consider adding other good-for-you ingredients, like turmeric or ginger, if you can also benefit from these.
Salves and Lotions
Cannabinoids don’t have to be inside the body to provide relief. If you suffer from any kind of skin, muscle or connective tissue issues, you might benefit greatly from a cannabinoid-infused salve or lotion. Salves are incredibly easy to make at home; all you do is mix your THC or CBD oil into coconut oil and/or shea butter, perhaps adding some essential oils like juniper or laurel leaf for additional pain-easing effects. Lotion takes a bit more work because it needs to be a bit more spreadable, but you can certainly DIY cannabinoid lotion, too.
If you want that head and body high, you shouldn’t go this route, but the earthy aroma and pain-fighting effects of cannabinoids can provide non-psychotropic benefits when applied topically.
Tea and Coffee
It isn’t uncommon to feel a bit jittery or uncomfortable after taking in caffeine from tea or coffee. Even if you need the pick-me-up, you might want something a bit more mellow to prevent you from becoming fidgety or on-edge. The calming effects of certain cannabinoids could improve your caffeine experience, so you might try dripping a few THC or CBD oil drops into your morning brew. Then again, some caffeine drinkers prefer to first infuse their cannabinoids with butter or coconut oil and then produce a bulletproof coffee or tea, which can sit better in the stomach.
Smoothies
Few foods are better than a good smoothie, but few cannabis lovers think to add cannabinoids to their smoothies. The truth is the earthy flavors of CBD and THC add more body to sweet fruit smoothies, creating a delectably well-rounded, nutritious and fun snack or meal. You can also mix your cannabinoid oils into chocolate smoothies or shakes if you aren’t partial to marijuana’s iconic taste and want to mask it almost entirely.
Cooked Meals
By infusing cannabinoid oils in traditional cooking oils, like olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil, you can easily and effortlessly make any meal a bit more exciting. You can use these infused oils to sauté, roast and/or marinate all manner of vegetables and meats. You can even use the oil to create a vinaigrette for your salad course. In these forms, CBD and THC oils will barely add any taste or scent to your meal, so you don’t need to worry overmuch about ruining your meal’s flavors or aromas.
Baked Goods
It should go without saying, but you can always use your CBD and THC oils in the prototypical weed-lover’s goodies: baked goods. As mentioned above, sugar and chocolate are good at masking the funkiness of cannabis, and it is easy to find all sorts of tried-and-tested recipes that serve your sweet tooth what it wants.
However, it is important to note that with any edible, including smoothies, cooked meals and baked goods, it is much more difficult to monitor the dose of cannabinoid entering your system. Often, you won’t start to feel the CBD or THC for a few hours, and even then, the experience might be weak. There is no shame in wanting this kind of cannabinoid experience, but you should know what you will be getting before you get into it.
CBD and THC oils are some of the best cannabinoid products on the market right now, primarily because of their versatility. You can use them nearly any which way, which makes them attractive to all manner of cannabis user — from the beginner interested in medicinal applications to the decades-devoted stoner looking for new experiences. It’s not a bad idea to get a bottle or two of cannabinoid oil and experiment to find what works for you.
