Weed might as well have been put on Earth for the sole purpose of curing hangovers. Got an upset stomach? Studies show that the compounds in cannabis effectively treat both nausea and vomiting. Can’t stand that throbbing headache? According to a study published last year, “before cannabis was made illegal, many prominent physicians praised its use in the treatment of headache disorders.” Just feeling downright depressed? You guessed it: Studies have found that smoking a bowl can reduce anxiety and increase overall feelings of well-being.
That said, some forms of cannabis are better at soothing hangover symptoms than others. For a little advice, I reached out to Sunny, a budtender in L.A. (who prefers to remain otherwise anonymous). Here’s what she had to say about which cannabis strains are best for curing the aftereffects of a night out:
“It depends on whether you’re planning on being productive that day. For a hangover that you can’t get out of bed from, I recommend a CBD-heavy strain [Harlequin]. CBD has anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea properties that will help you feel slightly human again. For a less intense hangover, I’d go for an indica-dominant hybrid [Strawberry Banana], which will help with relaxing your body and working up an appetite. If you’re hungover and need to get up and go somewhere, I suggest a sativa [Green Crack] because it helps get you up and moving.”
If you’re still not totally sure which type of weed is right for your specific hangover, Sunny says that you can never go wrong with a hybrid: “It will just help you feel nice and mellow.”
Now, if you’re the kind of person who becomes anxious after smoking — which might only add to the general paranoia you already feel during a hangover — fear not: You too can benefit from cannabis! Brittany Confer, PR director for the Emerald Exchange — an event that showcases small-batch cannabis cultivators — enthusiastically pointed me toward CBD-infused coconut water when I enquired about curing hangovers with weed.
In addition to the benefits of CBD that have already been mentioned, this recently-popularized cannabinoid also quells anxiety and doesn’t actually get you high, which is perfect for reducing hangover symptoms without dosing yourself into a panic attack. Better yet, coconut water is loaded with electrolytes, vitamins and minerals that can help replace all of those that you pissed down the drain during last night’s bender (returning your potassium levels to normal, for example, can help your body burn off that excess alcohol and get rid of headaches and fuzzy thinking).
Hot tip: Confer recommends mixing your cocktails with CBD-infused coconut water to “proactively nip hangovers in the butt [sic] so that you never have to feel pain in the first place.”
Alternatively, you could save yourself a whole lot of trouble (and a whole bunch of hangovers) by just replacing booze with weed in the first place.
Ian Lecklitner
Ian Lecklitner is a staff writer at MEL Magazine. He mostly writes about everyone's favorite things: Sex, drugs and food.
