Can CBD Oil Give Me The Munchies?
We recently got a great question from a reader of our blog. This reader sent us an email and asked if CBD would give them the Munchies like Marijuana does.
It’s a great question because of how strongly certain aspects of cannabis (more specifically in this case: marijuana) have been portrayed in the media.
“The munchies” refers to a condition of extreme hunger one experiences after smoking marijuana. While it may be overplayed in mainstream media, it’s true that smoking or using marijuana products cause a strong increase in appetite for many people.
CBD dominant products (products which contain mostly CBD as the main cannabinoid) on the other hand rarely have this same effect on appetite increase. So it’s unlikely that using a CBD oil product will result in making you really hungry.
Marijuana causes an increase in appetite because of its high concentration of THC. THC binds directly to the CB1 endocannabinoid receptor we all have as part of our endocannabinoid system. This activity at the CB1 receptor has the effect of increasing appetite.
CBD does not cause the same increase in appetite as THC because it does not bind directly at the CB1 receptor. While CBD isn’t likely to make you feel as hungry as you would from THC, there are some cases where CBD products could have an effect on your hunger.
Many CBD hemp oil products, especially those that are a full plant extract, will contain some amount of THC. While this amount of THC is small, if you use a large dose, you may intake enough THC to have an effect on your hunger. With typical doses of CBD oil however, this effect is not likely.
Of course there are cannabis products that are neither “CBD dominant” or “THC dominant” and rather have a balanced or significant amount of both cannabinoids. With those products, you may get the munchies effect as well.
Basically: if there is THC in the product, and you take high enough dose of that product, you may experience the effect of increased appetite from the THC content.
Also keep in mind that while CBD does not directly influence the endocannabinoid system to stimulate hunger, a healthy appetite might occur anyway from using CBD.
This is because CBD helps many people with anxiety. And less anxious people tend to be more relaxed and open to eating more. CBD can improve a person’s mood to such a degree that they feel better about eating more food.
And this effect on appetite from cannabis can be a game changer for many people dealing with a health problem.
As the appetite is the first thing to go in times of poor health, I’ve always been a huge fan of this effect of cannabis. I support the medicinal use of marijuana and cannabis products for people with a debilitating lack of appetite from cancer and other diseases. Again, I think it’s one of the greatest qualities of cannabis.
You can’t get healthy if you are not taking in nutritious food. And cannabis can help many people overcome their nausea and increase their appetite so they can get a healthy meal in.
Here’s the take away: THC is the cannabinoid in cannabis which is responsible not only for the psychoactive high, but also for the increase in appetite known as the munchies. CBD isn’t likely to make you as hungry as a predominantly THC containing product.
CBD does not work directly on the CB1 receptor like THC and does not have the same strong effect on appetite. CBD is used by many for decreasing anxiety and improving mood. This may result in an indirect effect on appetite whereby a person eats more because they are in a better state of mind.
Source: NCBI