Choosing the Right Cannabis Product
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to picking the best cannabis product fit for your needs you’re not alone. It’s normal to be overwhelmed by all the different kinds of cannabis forms and the terms that go with them.
The best place to start is by asking yourself what it is you want to get from enjoying cannabinoids. You know it’s not all about getting high these days!
Cannabis can help provide relaxation, relief, enhance experiences, and improve your quality of life, and that doesn’t mean turning into a lazy couch potato just to feel good.
All kinds of people leading healthy, active lifestyles are using cannabinoids to enhance, optimize, and infuse their world! They are also using cannabis-based products as healthy wellness alternatives.
Read on to discover more about choosing the best kind of cannabis product.
NATIVE ROOTS CANNABIS FLOWER
First up is the traditional form of cannabis flower. Flower is the raw, cured cannabis as it grows on the plant. It’s the most traditional form of cannabis. Cannabis flower is smoked or vaped, and is used to make different types of extracts or concentrates. The primary active compounds in cannabis flower, such as THC and CBD, are called cannabinoids.
There are dozens of different cannabinoid compounds like CBN, CBG, CBC, Delta-8 THC, as well as many different aromatic compounds, called terpenes, found naturally in cannabis flower. Cannabis flower comes in a seemingly endless amount of varieties called strains, and each cannabis strain has a unique profile of cannabinoids and terpenes.
Together, the cannabinoids and terpenes combine to create the overall effect, character, and profile of each strain. An entire book could be written about terpene profiles and choosing a strain for your needs, but for the sake of brevity, there are essentially three kinds of cannabis strains.
Some strains have more stimulating and uplifting effects (Energetic or Uplifted ), strains that have more sedating and relaxing effects (Relaxing or Sleepy), and strains that carry genetic properties of both such as Focus strains. All strains are a hybrid, read more about Native Roots Mood State Matrix to learn more.
Flower is for fun, but it’s also for fast-acting relief. Inhalation is one of the fastest-acting methods of taking cannabis.
That said, if you prefer not to smoke, then keep reading to check out the other cannabis forms available at your local dispensary.
NATIVE ROOTS CANNABIS CONCENTRATES
Concentrates or extracts are high potency forms of cannabis that are primarily vaped. They are made of an almost pure cannabis extract, sometimes called cannabis oil.
Cannabis concentrates come in many forms including -
Vape cartridges
Wax
Shatter
Hash
Hash oil
Live rosin
Crumble
Budder -Cheese and more…
Most of these forms are vaped using a dab rig, dab pen, or vaporizer, which you’ll likely be able to purchase at your dispensary along with your cannabis concentrates.
Cannabis concentrates are typically reserved for those with high tolerances to cannabinoids or those that require high doses to achieve adequate effect and relief.
Concentrates are available in a range of profiles with CBD and other cannabinoids, so you don’t always have to suffer getting stoned out of your mind to get a high dose of beneficial cannabinoids - unless that’s what you’re going for.
This form of consuming cannabis requires a little bit more setup overall, but it is second to none in terms of flavor and effect. Curious to learn more about concentrates for beginners? We've got the blog post just for you.
NATIVE ROOTS EDIBLES AND BEVERAGES
Edibles are infused snacks or beverages that contain cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and others. They come in a range of potencies and profiles, so there’s something for everyone here, such as -
Gummies
Baked Goods
Chocolates
Drinks
Chewing Gum
Hard Candies
The effects of consuming cannabis edibles may take up to an hour to onset, so it’s always best to consume only a small dose and wait and see how it will affect you before consuming more. Although today there are more and more fast-acting edibles with a 15 minute on-set.
The effects of edibles take longer to begin working, but they last longer compared to smoking cannabis and they are felt more deeply throughout the entire body.
Cannabis edibles are a great choice for anyone that likes the more psychedelic side of taking THC, or for those that need deep symptom relief.
Edibles are also a great alternative to smoking flower or vaping concentrates because it allows you to get a high dosage in a small portion size such as a cookie or a few gummies. What’s The Best THC Edible Available?
With many different types of edibles to choose from, it can be easy to get overwhelmed, especially if you’re new to cannabis. Finding the best edible fit for your needs and lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with what you want to get out of an edible.
Are you looking to party and have fun, or are you trying to relax and feel better? Answering this question will help you figure out if you should go for a THC edible or CBD edible, or perhaps something with more of a balanced profile such as a hybrid. Which cannabis edible form is best? The best cannabis edible depends on what you like to experience in an edible.
Some people prefer infused drinks because they hit quicker, and they make a great adult beverage choice in social settings. While others enjoy more potent effects of edibles like baked goods or chewy gummies.
NATIVE ROOTS TOPICALS
Topicals are cannabis-based skin care products designed for a variety of purposes and come in different forms such as -
Moisturizers
Sunscreens
Healing balms
Itch relief
muscle and pain rubs
Bath bombs
Soothing balms
Roll-ons
Cooling gel and more.
Cannabis-based topicals don’t get you high because the cannabinoids aren’t able to enter fully into the bloodstream through the skin to cause a psychoactive response.
Cannabinoids in topicals do penetrate adequately to activate endocannabinoid receptors within the skin that help with aspects of wellness including cell genesis, inflammation, and pain.
Pick a topical that’s designed to meet your needs. For sensitive skin, go for something soothing. Or for deep muscle and joint pain, try something with more of a kick formulated to reduce painful inflammation.
NATIVE ROOTS TINCTURES
Tinctures are a very popular form of enjoying cannabis and cannabinoids such as CBD. Tinctures are made with pure cannabis extract diluted with carrier oil formulated to particular potencies.
Cannabis tinctures are typically taken sublingually under the tongue, but they can also be ingested similarly to edibles. They take anywhere from 10 - 30 minutes to begin taking effect, and are a great alternative to smoking flower or eating cannabis snacks.
Using tinctures means measuring drops and dosages, and keeping up with bottles that can spill. However, tinctures allow you to titrate your custom potency for each experience, or to formulate your homemade cannabis edibles without having to go through the extra step of making edibles with cannabis flower from scratch.
Choose cannabis tinctures if you like the simplicity and convenience of taking a few drops of oil on the tongue.
You can check out all of the Native Roots Cannabis dispensary locations to find the closest cannabis dispensary to you by clicking here.
Resources:
Hill KP, Palastro MD, Johnson B, Ditre JW. Cannabis and Pain: A Clinical Review. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2017;2(1):96-104. Published 2017 May 1. doi:10.1089/can.2017.0017
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5549367/
2. Alger BE. Getting high on the endocannabinoid system. Cerebrum. 2013;2013:14. Published 2013 Nov 1.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3997295/
