The post Can You Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Cannabis? appeared first on High Times.
Laws against weed have made it difficult for researchers to fully study the medicinal properties of cannabis. Despite this, there is a large—and rapidly growing—body of data pointing to weed’s many health benefits. So far, this includes things like epilepsy, certain kinds of cancer, chronic pain, and a number of other conditions. But what about digestive disorders? More specifically, can you treat irritable bowel syndrome with cannabis? Here’s what the research shows.
What Is IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a fairly common disorder. It affects primarily your large intestine. As a result, it leads to a wide range of symptoms, most of which are related to your digestive system.
In particular, some of the most common symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Stomach or abdominal cramping
- Bloating
- Excess gas that can cause pain or discomfort
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Mucus in the stool
- Sudden and intense need to have a bowel movement
- Weight loss
- Rectal bleeding
- Vomiting
According to The Mayo Clinic, “the precise cause of IBS isn’t known.” So far, researchers have identified a number of possible causes for the disorder. Fortunately, many of them may be positively influenced by medical cannabis.
Can You Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Cannabis?
As far as researchers can tell, cannabis does not flat-out cure IBS. Rather, it can help alleviate some of the most common causes of IBS. Additionally, medical cannabis may help improve people’s overall sense of well-being, which can help improve the mental health of people suffering from severe IBS.
Researchers have pinpointed the following as some of the most