Quite a few studies have explored the effects of cannabis on headaches. The herb has been used as an aid for relief from headaches for decades. Researchers say that while cannabis can help reduce some kinds of headaches, such as tension headaches and migraines, it doesn’t help other types. For instance, marijuana may not help you with cluster headaches.
This brings us to a new study that has found that inhaling cannabis can reduce the severity of headaches. This research work also shows that the plant is effective against migraines. Previously as well, scientists have noted that the herb can reduce the severity and frequency of certain headache types. Let’s dive into this latest study below.
What Did The Study Find?
Researchers from the Washington State University have conducted this study. The Journal of Pain published the findings of this research online. Basically, researchers analyzed the data of 1,300 patients who used the Strainprint app about 12,200 times for tracking their headache before and after use of cannabis.
This app enables people to track the effects of cannabis by means of tracking symptoms before using the substance and then after using it. The app supports checking the efficacy of medical cannabis, bought from producers and distributors in Canada. The team also looked at the information of 653 patients who used the app over 7,400 times for tracking the effect of cannabis on their migraine.
The real time answers provided showed that inhaled cannabis reduced the severity of headache among patients by 47.3%. Researchers also found that cannabis decreased migraine severity by 49.6%. Furthermore, they didn’t note any indication that overuse of cannabis led to headaches, as is the case with certain other treatment options.
They did notice, however, that people used higher doses of cannabis overtime which showed that they developed a tolerance to it. Interestingly, researchers also noted that there was minor difference in the experience of both the genders. Men reported headache reduction owing to cannabis use 90.0% of the time.
In comparison, women experienced a decrease in headaches 89.1% of the time. Scientists also found cannabis concentrates reduced the severity of headaches more so than cannabis flower. Surprisingly, there was no difference in results produced by cannabis strains with higher CBD and lower THC or vice versa. This hints that terpenes may also be significantly responsible when it comes to providing relief from headaches and migraine.
What Did The Researchers Say?
This was a large-scale study involving several patients. They consumed CBD in real time whilst being in the comfort of their homes. For this reason, the results can be applied to the general population. However, the study did have the limitation that it didn’t have a placebo control group. As more researchers dive into this area, we can get more solid conclusions with regards to how cannabis can help with migraines.
