Women who get menstrual cramps have been taking over-the-counter drugs for decades but these painkillers that they take are by no means natural. However, there is a growing movement to shift away from chemical products to natural ingredients that have fewer adverse side effects while meeting our daily therapeutic and wellness needs. I’ve had so much inquiry about how weed can help menstrual cramps so here it is! The answer is, CBD.
What is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is found in the marijuana and hemp plant. Unlike THC, CBD does not get you high. CBD is the main medical component of the plant. Once extracted, it comes in multiple forms ranging from powder to oil form.
You may also want to know whether it may be better for you to use CBD that is extracted from hemp or CBD taken from marijuana. the answer is, it depends on where you live.
If you live in a state where marijuana is legal, the CBD extracted from weed may offer better outcomes because it most likely contains more terpenes and other compounds that work together to give better outcomes.
However, if marijuana is illegal where you live, then hemp-derived CBD will suffice since on its own, CBD packs a therapeutic punch that you can benefit from even without the other cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds in marijuana.
How do you pick which CBD product is best for menstrual cramps?
The market offers so many ways to consume CBD, it is overwhelming for the average person to pick which product to purchase that best suits their needs. CBD products come in the form of tinctures, edibles, topicals, vapes, patches and so much more. Each of the methods will affect your body differently and everyone’s bodies are different, so how do we choose?
First you need to narrow down what you are using CBD for. For example, if you’re having back pains, you might want to look for a topical cream as it can target exactly where you’re feeling discomfort.
With regard to targeting menstrual pains, you need to determine the type of pain or discomfort you are experiencing. If you get sharp pains in your lower abdomen, you might want to consider patches as you can place these on specific parts of your body to target the localized pain. There is also another product on the market called “Foria suppositories”, it resembles a tampon as it is inserted, but does not act as one because it does not absorb any menstrual fluid.
You can also take tinctures throughout the day which is dropped under the tongue or eat edibles every couple of hours. You should feel much more relieved in general if you get on and off cramps and you would just like to make daily life easier for the duration of your period.
Now, I’ve had women ask me if they can purchase tinctures and put droplets of CBD oil on their tampons prior to use and the answer is, please DO NOT DIY products at home prior to consulting your family physician in case of irritation or infection.
Lastly, I would like to mention that sometimes taking CBD-infused bath salts or bath bombs helps to relax the muscles and reduce cramps. Alternatively, you may want to try combining tinctures and patches if your menstrual cramps are very severe. Personally I find that taking tinctures (full spectrum CBD) and edibles (twisted extract CBD gummies are my all time favourite) throughout the day works best to reduce cramps overall and it helps to uplift my mood as I am no longer angry that I’m in discomfort.