Posted by Lori Ann Reese on 01/20/2022 in Cannabis Recipes
It is the season of cold infections and influenza. And not to mention coping with Covid-19 and the Delta and Omicron variants. Upper respiratory infection rates are always up this time of the year. It sounds like a job for cannabis soup!
The pandemic has definitely complicated health concerns. Depending on where you live, testing clinics may be booked solid for a week or longer. And home testing kits are just as hard to find as toilet paper when Covid-19 first arrived in the winter of 2020.
What are the rules for recovering from the sniffles? The tried and true remedies are rest and sleep. That’s hard to do, especially for people with families or busy schedules. But essential to recover and help your immune system beat whatever you are fighting off, whether it is a bacterial infection or a virus.
The other important step to getting back on your feet is nutrition (including hydration). There is a reason why your Mom made soup whenever you were sick. A really good soup recipe will help provide your body’s nutrition and electrolytes (salt) to help keep you hydrated. And the warm comfort of hot broth to help break up congestion.
But cannabis in your soup? There are potential benefits to making a different kind of edible. Cannabis can have medicinal effects that can make it easier to recover from your cold or virus. It can also help you get to sleep (and stay that way) when a stuffy nose or chest congestion has you tossing and turning.
Why Not Just Smoke Cannabis Instead of Eating It?
You may be thinking that you can get all the possible benefits of symptom relief simply by smoking your cannabis. While the effects of cannabis happen more quickly when inhaled, it can be hard on your respiratory tract. Inhaling smoke, vaping, or dab is likely to further irritate your airways and nasal passages when you are sick. When you consume cannabis edibles, it is a slightly different experience. First of all, the onset of the physical and psychoactive effects takes a little while. You may start to feel it within about thirty minutes after you have eaten your soup. And that is because it is more slowly absorbed through the digestive system.
But what is also great about making cannabis soup is that you can elongate the symptom relief. For example, smokable cannabis typically wears off after about three hours. Depending on the potency of cannabis you inhaled. But the edible cannabis is absorbed at a slower rate into the bloodstream. And you may feel some comfort for five or six hours.
If you are using cannabis for symptom relief before you go to bed, it can last longer. And that means more sleep and relaxation to help your body recharge. Compared to taking an over-the-counter (OTC) nighttime cold and flu medication, you probably won’t wake up with a hangover either.
The sedatives in OTC cold medications can leave you feeling worse the morning after. And that is a problem if you have to ‘rise and shine’ and get to work. Or, head to your desk in your jammies and log in.
How Could Cannabis Help Manage Symptoms of Cold or Viral Infections
Let’s dig a little deeper into the science of how cannabis can help make you feel better if you have a cold or viral infection. First, where possible, use a cannabis strain that has high cannabidiol (CBD) content. The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD can help ease some of the irritation in your respiratory tract.
Many times people who have a respiratory virus experience aches and pains. It is one of the symptoms of influenza. Many strains of cannabis may provide an analgesic effect. A mild to moderate “body high” that can help relieve sore muscles and aches.
There is no clinical evidence to suggest that cannabis offers any curative benefits when you have a cold or respiratory virus. But it has the potential to make you more comfortable. Help you relax and get better quality sleep—all essential steps to helping your body recover more quickly.
Bone Broth as a Secret Weapon Against Colds and Flu
Did you know that sipping bone broth is one of the best things you can do for a cold or virus? That is because bone broth has a number of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins your body needs to get well.
Depending on the type of bone broth you buy or make at home yourself, those nutrients can include:
If you are well enough to make your soup, homemade is always better not only in terms of flavor but from a nutritional standpoint. You can add powerful antioxidant herbs like parsley, rosemary, sage, and bay leaves. Always use fresh herbs because they have active terpenes that provide more wellness benefits compared to dry herbs.
How-To Make Cannabis Soup
Before you can make any cannabis edible, you have to go through the process of activating the marijuana. This is called decarboxylation. Gently toasting whole-flower or bud activates the THC within the cannabis. And that allows you to create cannabis-infused foods.
To learn more about your options for decarboxylating cannabis, visit our resource page.
Some people like to use cannabis-infused oil in their soup. You can also create cannabutter, and add it into the soup, and let it simmer. Another method to infuse your soup is to tie up the loose cannabis in a cheesecloth and submerge the cannabis in your soup while it is cooking. That way, the cannabinoids will be absorbed into the broth and vegetables.
Cannabis Soup Recipe Ideas
Any healthy recipe will do when you want to eat a cannabis-infused soup. But when you are trying to get over a cold or respiratory infection, you want to make sure it is packed with as much nutrition as possible.
Thankfully, great recipes are easy to research online. Packed with healthy proteins and vegetables, you can quickly make a healthy pot to nourish yourself. If you have a bacterial infection, you may want to choose a low-carbohydrate recipe and stay away from starches that help bacteria flourish. Or cream soups, which can contribute to more nasal or chest congestion.
Here are seven (7) recipe suggestions we picked that you may want to try:
Making your own homemade soup is easy. But you can also buy some bone broth from the grocery store if you want faster meal preparation time. Add your favorite vegetables and some fresh herbs to taste. Infuse your soup with cannabis, and enjoy some real comfort food.
When to Seek Medical Advice
Remember, if you have chest pain, a fever that won’t go away, or difficulty breathing, seek medical assistance as soon as possible. If you can’t leave the house because of the severity of your symptoms, you may be able to get a telemedicine appointment. Check-in with a physician to ensure your condition doesn’t warrant emergency care or treatment.
With different symptoms for Covid-19 variants like Delta and Omicron, it is difficult to know if you have a common cold or something more serious. If your condition is worsening, seek medical attention. Stay home, stay warm, and rest.
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