With the prevalence of high blood pressure cases increasing and the development and implementation of marijuana laws, people are starting to wonder if the herb can help with their high blood pressure. Many are asking whether cannabis for high blood pressure is effective — and a handful of studies and research says yes. If you’d like to buy the best weed strains for high blood pressure use cannabis delivery to your home.
How Marijuana Can Be an Effective Treatment for High Blood Pressure
First, know that a recent study claims cannabis users, versus nonusers, may be facing a threefold risk of dying from high blood pressure. There are limitations to the study, however. For example, it suggests regular users are anyone who has ever tried marijuana.
But, other research conveys this is a weak assumption. According to a survey, around 52 percent of Americans have tried weed at some point, but only 14 percent admitted to being regular users, meaning they used it at least once a month.
Additionally, the study was observational. What this means is it followed a group of people over an extended period, and then reported their experiences. Therefore, researchers can’t establish a “cause and effect” and say that smoking cannabis causes hypertension. They can only claim that there appears to be a link between the two. The Mayo Clinic, however, says using marijuana can decrease your blood pressure, not increase it.
- Time and time again, medical marijuana has been clinically shown to lower blood pressure effectively. Cannabis has two primary types of anti-inflammatory components:THC – psychoactive
- CBD – non-psychoactive
Medical weed has new strains that offer different portions of CBD and THC, so those who can’t handle THC or would rather not get the “high” feeling from it, have an alternative treatment. Your body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS), and the ECS has neurotransmitters equipped with biochemicals to control emotional and immune functions.
These relate directly to hypertension. Cannabis cannabinoids mimic your body’s endocannabinoids, reducing feelings of stress and lowering inflammation-causing high blood pressure.
In one study, researchers injected hypertensive rats with THC and took a record of how it affected their blood pressure. Immediately after the rats received the injection, their blood pressure significantly dropped. The rats continued to have lower blood pressure even days after they received the injection when compared with rats that did not get a dose.
Another study where cats were injected with THC had similar findings — their blood pressure decreased. And, since the cats didn’t have hypertension as the rats did, it seems THC lowers blood pressure even when a pre-existing condition isn’t present.
What Symptoms of High Blood Pressure Can Medical Marijuana Treat?
When you have elevated blood pressure, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Shortness of breath and chest pain
Hypertension can also lead to anxiety, stress and depression. Certain high blood pressure medications can have side effects marijuana can help with as well, such as muscle cramps, sleep disturbances and tremors. Cannabis can also help to reduce nausea.
Best Strains of Marijuana to Use for High Blood Pressure
Remember, it’s always a good idea to consult with a doctor who has cannabis experience before trying medical marijuana for hypertension. You should also monitor your blood pressure and attend regular doctor visits if you have any serious medical conditions.
Some of the best strains for helping with high blood pressure include the following:
- Blue Dream (Hybrid): Helps you relax and wind down — just what your blood vessels need with hypertension
- Purple Kush (Indica): Helps with stress and promotes relaxation
- Northern Lights (Indica): Removes muscle tension and bodily pain by helping blood flow throughout your body
- Sour Diesel (Sativa): Reduces anxiety and stress often related to hypertension
- Mango Kush (Indica) and Jillybean (Hybrid): Hybrid strains to fight nausea
- Harlequin (Sativa) and Pennywise (Indica): Helps to tackle depression
Best Methods of Marijuana Treatment for High Blood Pressure
After you choose your strain, the next thing to consider is your method of use. How you consume marijuana can determine the physical and mental benefits you’ll experience, since each method provides a host of unique effects.
There are three basic methods of delivery: inhalation, oral and topical.
Inhalation
- Smoking
- Vaporization
Oral
- Tinctures
- Ingestible Oils
- Edibles
Topical
With topical, you get the full cannabis extract. Once activated, the cannabinoids are absorbed directly into your skin.
How cannabis affects blood pressure?
Smoked cannabis may raise the risk of cardiovascular failure by 4.8 times for the first hour after smoking. In some cases, cannabis has been embroiled in an uncommon condition called cannabis arteritis, although there have just been many cases. Arteritis is irritation and sores in the arteries leading to Necrosis.
There have just been less than 100 cases archived, so the connection to cannabis is not clear. However, any individual with arthritis or Buerger’s disease, which relates to cigarette smoking, should carefully observe blood pressure when utilizing medicinal marijuana.
Heavy exercise could cause serious problems like high blood pressure and pulse. After that, there’s a risk of cardiac issues. That’s why someone who might be in excellent well-being will occasionally go into a cardiac arrest after running a long-distance race. Besides, that’s why those vulnerable to heart attack have to take care of their physical activities as the condition is a silent killer.
Pulse will return to typical in the minutes after the stimulus; however, this happens much slower in those with known or obscure cardiovascular conditions. Pulse and blood pressure may stay raised for a more extended timeframe in these persons, leading to cardiac issues and heart attack from smoking weed. Several studies hint that the danger of heart attack is many times higher in the hour after smoking cannabis.
Furthermore, researchers at Harvard Medical School show that the risk of cardiac events increases five times after smoking marijuana and returns to normal within 5 hours. The risk could stay raised if use continues, or conversely, resilience may instead set in.
The increased risk of cardiac events is mostly theoretical. There have been a couple of researches that explore the effect of marijuana usage. A study from the University of California CARDIA observed no long-term connection between cannabis usage and cardiovascular issues. Therefore, users anxious about unfavorable outcomes on high blood pressure and heart disease should monitor and consult their doctors about medicinal marijuana usage.
Does Smoking Weed Lower Blood Pressure?
After getting temporary blood pressure, it may consequently decrease when you smoke cannabis. There might be a net decrease in blood pressure after some time when resistance to the drug’s effects set in with repeated use. The initial hypotensive effect may even be after smoking marijuana.
Some studies even demonstrate if you ingest marijuana in a standing position, the initial high blood pressure might drop, and one experiences just a drop in blood pressure. Anandamide, the body’s fatty acid neurotransmitter, causes the blood vessels to unwind, reducing blood vessel pressure. However, when we look at whether cannabis alters blood pressure, the image is more chaotic.
Although some elements like CBD and Anandamide may bring down blood pressure, vaporizing and smoking might have different effects. Therefore, various strains may dramatically alter blood pressure. Sativa strains are more energetic and may indicate an initial acceleration for high blood pressure.
Indica strains are more relaxing and may prevent high blood pressure. If one has concerns regarding blood pressure, they should closely monitor their blood pressure when using marijuana to make sure it doesn’t rise. The effect is varied for different individuals.
What’s Best – THC or CBD?
With all this at the top of the priority list, you’ll currently need to realize whether to utilize Sativa or Indica for high blood pressure. As with numerous elements of medical cannabis, this is a zone that is mostly under-studied.
Research on THC-dominant strains
This study focused on high THC marijuana in patients with glaucoma who were at risk of losing their eyesight because of rising intra-visual pressure. Initially, the study participants saw a stamped improvement in their blood pressure. After a little while, their systolic and diastolic pressure fell, implying that the THC in cannabis may bring down blood pressure. As Sativa has a higher THC content than Indica, it means it could bring down blood pressure within minutes of utilizing it.
Another research that exerts a different way looks at the increase in blood pressure among those who suddenly stop using cannabis. Those who wished to suspend their regular cannabis usage discovered that their blood pressure increased by more than 20mmHg, which is the condition that carries the most considerable risk. The research presumed that those who need to quit using cannabis should ensure there’s no severe rise in blood pressure.
Research on CBD-dominant strains
Not-so-surprisingly, there’s more extensive research exploring the influences of CBD on blood pressure. It recognized how CBD-predominant weed strains often involve Indica-dominant strains and make a vital contribution to hypertension. If CBD provides a vasodilating effect, it signifies your heart isn’t having to siphon as hard against the vessels’ walls to carry blood around your body. As a consequence, blood pressure lowers.
Further research has distinguished how CBD can produce bradycardia in animals. Bradycardia is a situation wherein your pulse decreases below the average range for a grown-up. Unless you’re in a hypotensive mood, your blood pressure lowers typically as well. Nevertheless, it’s essential that while this can expect low blood pressure, utilizing CBD until you become too bradycardic may also help your body try to neutralize by increasing your blood pressure again.
More studies establish the advantages of Indica as compared to Sativa for high blood pressure. It appears that Indica is the better choice in this case. Indica usually has a higher CBD value than Sativa strains, and it has the most significant therapeutic advantage in treating health problems such as high blood pressure.
Find a Marijuana Doctor or a Medical Cannabis Dispensary
There’s only one way you can legally obtain your cannabis for high blood pressure treatment, no matter where you live — through a qualified medical pot doctor. After consulting with you, the doctor will give you a recommendation for medical cannabis. To begin the process, you have to search for a marijuana doctor and then locate a medical cannabis dispensary.
What Is High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure is also called hypertension. It’s a common ailment where the blood pressure in your arteries persistently gets too high. The pressure depends upon how much blood your heart pumps and its resistance in your arteries. The narrower your arteries and the more blood pumped by your heart, the higher your blood pressure gets. Hypertension can lead to serious health issues, such as heart disease.
You may have hypertension for years without showing any outward signs, but it still causes damage to your heart and blood vessels. When you don’t control your high blood pressure, it increases your chances of a stroke, heart attack or other dangerous health problems.
Hypertension typically develops over the course of many years, and it affects almost everyone eventually. The good news is that hypertension is easily detected. Once you realize you have it, your doctor can get you started on a treatment plan.
Types of High Blood Pressure
There are two main types of hypertension. Ninety-five percent of individuals who have hypertension have primary or essential hypertension, where there’s no known cause of their high blood pressure. Others who know the cause have secondary hypertension.
