Despite the confusion of our nation confusing slow hug of legal cannabis, recreational cannabis use has been a thing for millennia. While it grew once wild in parking lots in New York City, it costs a pretty penny now – especially when it’s related to all of the taxes that legal sales add – so looking for ways to improve the effects provided by each bud is a valid strategy.
Some of us have evaded the weed smoking law for years; others are accessing legal, personalized experiences for the first time – and such an experience becomes absolutely zonked, a time-honored tradition that for one type of person means a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine marathon and a pack of Dark Russet from Trader Joe’s chips, while for others it means social, active or outdoor fun. All of these are valid ways to enjoy the effects of cannabis use. But some of you may need a little help feeling completely floating, and we are here to share some tips and tricks to get you there.
Why mango and grass are a potent mix
While this is not a recipe or a food guide, it can be helpful to find your way around certain foods if you want to get the most out of a high – thanks to phytochemicals. Cannabis itself is made from hundreds of these guysall of which activate the entourage effect; The combined effects of these chemicals and cannabinoids like THC trigger the high we know as “high”. Much of these chemicals are also found in tons of foods, plants, and products.
Aromatic compounds, like terpenes, give ouid its luxurious and varied fragrance. Myrcene, found in mango fruits, is just one of these substances and has been studied for its anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) properties. You can access these beneficial effects with the right variety of mango and cannabis, but it’s important to note that effects vary widely from strain to strain. It’s not just stoner talk either – the theory behind it it is scientifically based– but the resulting experience is not easily predictable unless you have a laboratory on hand to run tests on your fruits and fruity weed.
Myrcene is found not only in mango, but also in bay leaves, lemongrass, and cardamom. This funky, pungent phytochemical isn’t the only psychoactive terpene in the arsenal either –Lemon lime is often seen as energizing, and is readily available in citrus, while linalool is the floral backbone of soothing lavender. All of these terpenes are featured in a wave of “experience-based” products in the cannabis market that purport to drive your experience from metering pens to Kin slips.
And then there are the less scientifically based but often repeated anecdotal tricks that banana bread means to me. While there isn’t much data (yet) to back this up, anyone who has eaten my infused banana bread is inexplicably more stoned than intended, and that’s not because I packed it with high levels of THC. Sometimes I think it’s the spices – I use the cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom to flavor the delicious loaf – but similarly flavored foods have never worked like the banana version. At the moment, I suspect that the effects could be linked to the phytochemicals in the extremely overripe bananas I use to make them.
Fuel your high with aromatherapy
While getting super stoned can be great, let’s face it – getting your high up can also mean taking it down a bit. There is no proven way to recover from a cannabis drunkenness, and while it isn’t life threatening, it is quite uncomfortable for people who haven’t signed up for the trip. Anecdotally, sniffing peppercorns and drinking lemonade work, but I prefer simple aromatherapy to relax a chill sesh. Using scents to relax your body and brain will help you focus on the experience, which will naturally enhance it. Take a touch of linalool-rich lavender to keep things centered or dab on some thinned mint to relieve pain. These methods work both before and after consumption.
Take a tolerance break
One important way to feel more stoned is to get stoned less often. If you are a strict recreational user and moderate cannabis user, you can probably attest that resuming will make you feel a little on your head, while a daily or medicinal user may need a stronger punch to feel the mood. Taking a so-called “T-break” (short for tolerance) for a period of time that reflects your consumption habits gives your body’s CB receptors a chance to reset.
Mix’n’Match
I find it hard to classify this as a method, but a fairly common way to calm yourself down is to combine cannabis with other intoxicating and / or psychoactive substances. Caffeine and weed are the easiest to pull off – many regular users consume cannabis and coffee (or tea or lemonade or Red Bull) at the same time for calm concentration. Some find it too scary, but this mix is pretty safe, so if you’re already using either of the two reliably and successfully, don’t be afraid to experiment.
Other combinations are more complicated. Alcohol and cannabis are another place to go for many, but there are risks that are not widely discussed. THC can increase the unsafe effects of alcohol – and if you already drink a lot, that’s a bad idea – and The combination of the two leads to an excess of THC in the bloodstreamwhich means extra high. While you can enjoy the high of this intoxicating pairing, don’t overdo it.
Another mixture remains pretty off-limits, but since it’s decriminalized in my area, I can tell you that it’s consumed regularly – often at the same time as weed. Psychedelics like psilocybin, DMT, and others are used in self-therapeutic situations as well as in recreational scenarios. This is another research area that has not yet been explored, but some report that cannabis can offset and mitigate some of the unpleasant side effects of psychedelic substances. One word of caution: I would strongly recommend keeping them separate until you have experience as many find them too intense taken together.
Even if you’ve been a boss since the ’70s, try one of these heady hacks – it could change everything. After all, it’s the best way to mix cannabis into the flow of your daily life – with all of its food, drink, and activities.
