Did You Know About These Benefits Of Cannabis?

If you know anything about Cannabis, then you are certainly aware that it has medicinal value. Everyone knows that this plant can be helpful to a lot of people, but many people have only a vague knowledge of how it can be helpful. Apart from the medical benefits, there are certain personal benefits that can also come from this wonderful little plant. To help you understand things with greater clarity, let’s talk about some of the lesser-known benefits of Cannabis. 

1. Increases Lung Capacity

This one is really going to surprise some people. According to some research published in the journal of the American Medical Association, the lung capacity and overall lung health of Cannabis smokers does not seem to be compromised by their use of the drug. This study was conducted over the course of 20 years, so it does a good job of gauging the long-term effects. 

The researchers found that tobacco smokers experienced steadily declining lung function over the course of the study, while the Cannabis smokers actually saw a slight increase. This is likely the case because Cannabis smokers don’t smoke nearly as often as tobacco smokers. Where a Cannabis smoker might indulge in 3-5 cigarettes per day (at maximum), tobacco smokers will commonly smoke 10-20 cigarettes per day. 

2. May Aid Weight Loss

There is actually some evidence to suggest that Cannabis can help people lose weight. This might seem crazy, considering that Marijuana is famous for giving people “the munchies.” Indeed, it is often used medically for the stimulation of appetites, so we know it makes people hungry. That being said, this study found that regular Cannabis smokers were significantly less obese than the general population. 

It is unclear why this correlation exists. It might be the fact that obese people tend to eat as a comfort mechanism, which is why obesity is tied with depression. If a Cannabis smoker engages in comfort-seeking behavior, they are more likely to roll a joint and smoke it, which does not involve the consumption of any calories. it might also be that Cannabis stimulates appetite in the short term while reducing it in the long term. 

3. Positive Neurological Effects

the stereotypical “pothead” is often portrayed as being very dumb. Such characters have been the focus of many jokes in the popular media (like the Jay and Silent Bob movies, for instance). However, it seems that Cannabis can actually be good for the brain, at least to a certain extent. Cannabis has proven to be helpful for the treatment of numerous brain-related disorders, including: 

  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Huntington’s Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

That being said, the regular inhalation of smoke has been shown to have some effects on the brain, and not all of them are good. Thus, we see another case in which the only possible danger comes from the smoke itself and not the plant. To eliminate that risk, one could simply use edibles instead. Still, occasional Cannabis smoking is not going to damage your brain.

4. Aids In The Treatment Of Hepatitis

Hopefully, none of you will ever have to deal with this sort of problem. However, those who do suffer from Hepatitis will be glad to know that Cannabis can help here as well. To be fair, Cannabis does not cure Hepatitis, so don’t get the wrong idea. Rather, it helps people to alleviate the side effects of that condition. Side effects of Hepatitis will often include depression, nausea, loss of appetite, and muscle aches…all of which can be treated with Cannabis.

It seems that patients originally started using Cannabis on their own, simply because it is effective. Seeing this, medical professionals conducted this study to investigate the potential of such. they found that Cannabis helped many of the symptoms of Hepatitis, and even undermined the strength of the virus itself. 

5. Dealing With Nightmares

Nightmares aren’t exactly life-threatening (no, you won’t die in real life if you die in a dream!), but they can be very unpleasant. In the case of recurring nightmares, they can be a lot more problematic, preventing people from getting the restful sleep that they need. As you might expect, Cannabis has been shown to help with frequent nightmares. 

Whether good or bad, dreams do not begin until the brain reaches a state called REM sleep. REM stands for “Rapid Eye Movement,” and there is a good reason for that name. When a person reaches the deepest level of sleep, their eyes will dart around rapidly. This can be seen if you open the eye of a sleeping person (although they might wake up and become angry, of course). Cannabis affects the REM cycle in such a way that you are less likely to dream at all. 

Conclusion

In this article, we chose to avoid discussing the more commonly-known benefits of Cannabis (such as pain relief, treatment of inflammation, alleviation of anxiety, etc.). These benefits are already well-known and we wanted to offer something a little different. As you can see, all of this stuff is backed by solid science that is easily found and corroborated. You can buy some of the best cannabis products from companies like https://mrhempflower.com/suver-haze-review/ but you have to make sure that you are doing your homework before you do that. The CBD industry is still pretty new and there are companies that promise the moon but all they deliver is a handful of low quality products that will pull you away from trying CBD again.

We thank you for reading our work, and we hope that you have found it both educational and entertaining. 

Written by Rob Nelson

Rob is an ecologist from the University of Hawaii. He is the co-creator and director of Untamed Science. His goal is to create videos and content that are entertaining, accurate, and educational. When he's not making science content, he races whitewater kayaks and works on Stone Age Man.

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