What are cannabis topicals and how do they work?

Do you recall the days when marijuana was limited to just a bong or joint? There are lots of new methods of cannabis consumption, and it’s most prevalent today with the legalization of Canadian LP’s and their spin-off brands of product offerings. For example, cannabis-infused topicals are revolutionizing what people think about marijuana as well as its accessibility, safety, and effectiveness.

What are topicals?

Think of your shaving moisturizer or your aloe vera cream. Topicals are lotions, balms, and oils infused with cannabis. When applied to the body, they’re absorbed through the skin for relief of pain and inflammation. Check out the cannabis strains that can help with inflammation.

Topicals are getting more mainstream attention these days from high profile sports athletes using topicals to treat their injuries. They are non-intoxicating, so they’re often chosen by people who want the benefits of marijuana without the cerebral euphoria (aka THC effect) that comes with other delivery methods.

Strain-specific topicals try to use certain terpenes and cannabinoids in a profile similar to whatever strain the processor wants to imitate. Topicals may also include other ingredients, such as essential oils, to add to the desired effects.

How do marijuana-infused topicals work?

Topicals work by binding to CB2 receptors. They’re found throughout the body and are activated by the body’s natural endocannabinoids or by cannabis compounds (THC and CBD). To give you an idea what this means….

Even topicals that include THC don’t give the intense “high” that comes from smoking weed or consuming edibles. Most topicals can’t breach the bloodstream, so they only penetrate the CB2 receptors. Transdermal patches, though, do deliver cannabinoids to the bloodstream, giving psychoactive effects when there’s enough THC content.

What symptoms do topicals treat?

Topicals are usually chosen for localized pain relief, tension, and inflammation, but anecdotal evidence shows benefits for other conditions like psoriasis, cramping, and headaches, among others.

Most topicals focus on pain relief, but inflammation symptoms may require a different chemical profile. Just look at your local Shoppers Drug Mart or pharmacy for pain relief medications that are anti-inflammatory, such as treatments for arthritic pain caused by inflammation. When THC is left in its acid form and combined with CBD, the two work as partners to attack the inflammation and the soreness or pain that results from it.

Like most medical products over the counter, there are different topicals that deliver different benefits depending on how they’re processed and the ingredients. Sometimes experimenting with different products to see what works for you will help, or defer to cannabis product review sites as POW to get the public opinion on how effective certain topical products are rated.

In Canada where medical marijuana is now federally legal, (and US at the state-level) more and more alternatives are becoming available, and they’re worth exploring for those who experience pain and inflammation. Just like your Friday night cocktails, it’s amazing the difference that one ingredient can make!