5 Reasons to Micro-Dose Cannabis

You've heard about all the helpful benefits of Cannabis and you're ready to try medical marijuana for yourself, but where do you start?  One doorway into experiencing the therapeutic benefits of marijuana is through micro-dosing. 

Small, low potency doses keep you from getting high while providing consistent benefits. This article will take you through the basics of what micro-dosing is and how to successfully use cannabis oil in low dosages. You will learn the top 5 benefits to micro-dosing cannabis and how it can keep you feeling young as you age. 

What is Micro-Dosing

The truth is that more is not always better.  Micro-dosing means taking a small dose, or a series of several small doses, throughout a day. It could be in the forms of tinctures, oils, and edibles.  Micro-dosing gives the full benefits of cannabis throughout the day, without feeling any highs. When you ingest a micro-dose, your body receives a full spectrum of cannabinoids from the dose, but the level of THC is low enough that no high is felt.  Each person has a unique threshold for THC effects. Experiment slowly with micro-dosing to find the appropriate ratio and dosage for you.

Recommendations for beginners are to start with 1mg of THC, and slowly work up to 5mg over the course of several days while monitoring the effects.  If you are micro-dosing with edibles, often called medibles or restibles, keep in mind that the THC content can vary dramatically. If you’re not sure of the potency of an edible, then make sure you start with a very small dosage to stay in the micro-dose range. 

Micro-dosing can be done in a variety of ways. As you’ll learn, one of the key components to successfully micro dosing cannabis oil is to keep low THC levels and maintain a regular dosage. 

5 Top Reasons to Micro-Dose Cannabis 

With consistent micro-dosing, the therapeutic compounds in cannabis oil begin to build up in the body, helping the body to balance itself by boosting the endocannabinoid system.

Let's look at some of the top benefits and reasons for micro-dosing and explore the ways it can improve your quality of life. 

1. Safer than Prescription Drugs

Many people who suffer from medical conditions are prescribed pharmaceutical drugs.  Yet, prescription drugs often come with an ugly list of side effects, including the risk of addiction or overdose. Cannabis, on the other hand, is a non-toxic substance with an extremely high safety profile.  Often, doctors need to prescribe additional medications just to address the side effects of the primary medication, which adds unnecessary costs and risks to an already comprising health situation.  The health benefits of cannabis could help to reduce the dependency on unnecessary medications that have harsh side effects. 

One study found that when leukemia treatments were paired with cannabis, dramatically less of the chemotherapy drugs were needed to have the same level of effectiveness.  Similarly, cannabis could potentially help reduce the need for many OTC and prescription medicines targeting a vast array of diverse health problems.

Cannabis has the potential to improve sleep, reduce pain and inflammation, increase or reduce appetite, improve mood, and is also considered as a neuroprotective antioxidant with therapeutic effects in many age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. However, more research is still needed for us to be able to create stable cannabis-based medicines with consistent effectiveness or specific health conditions. 

2. Save Money & Avoid Side Effects 

Micro-dosing involves taking very small amounts of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis oil.  Little to no side effects associated with the “high” from smoking marijuana are felt with proper micro dosages.  That means that you can enjoy the health benefits of cannabis without enduring the unwanted effects of feeling “stoned” or drugged. Micro-dosages also means there is little to no risk of experiencing symptoms of overconsumption such as feeling paranoid or anxious, or uncontrollable appetite and drowsiness.  This approach to taking cannabis oils will also help save money on medicine by using small amounts spread out over time, instead of using expensive and potent oils. 

3. Discover your Optimal Health Threshold

Everyone has a unique relationship to cannabis and responds differently to varying strains and dosages.  Micro-dosing can be helpful to you in finding your optimal threshold for the most health benefits available to you. According to research -

“Most people have a certain threshold dosage of cannabis, below which they’ll actually experience a gradual increase in health benefits over time, and above which they’ll start building tolerance, experiencing diminishing benefits.”

This means that there is a sweet spot, unique to each of us, where the optimum benefits you can receive from cannabis is at max. If you cross this spot, then the benefits begin to decline. 

For example, this study shows that lower, micro-doses of cannabis were more beneficial than large doses for healing neuropathic pain. 

As you micro-dose it is helpful to observe how dosages affect you, perhaps even keeping a journal, so that you may notice the pattern emerging.  By using the micro-dosing techniques you can slowly ease yourself into the effects of cannabis, and easily ease yourself out again, until you find your optimal health threshold.  

4. Improve Cognition & Mood

Creative types commonly use cannabis because it activates parts of our brain related to imagination and creativity. And in small dosages, cannabis may also provide significant relief from stress or depression. Experts attribute many of cannabis' effects on mood and emotions to its affinity for activating the "serotonin receptor", 5-HT1A. This receptor essentially acts as a signaling hub for emotions and behavior. CBD, or cannabidiol, is the specific cannabinoid compound in cannabis thought to trigger the receptor’s activity; however further studies should clarify how a full-spectrum of compounds influences mood and emotions. 

Micro-dosing cannabis oil could help in alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness, conditions that are increasingly afflicting the aging population. 

5. Improve Quality of Life and Youthfulness

Groundbreaking cannabis research has revealed that micro-dosing could have tremendous benefits for people as they begin to age.  The primary way cannabis interacts with your body is through the endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoids are able to bond with cell receptors that regulate important health functions including –

• Sleep regulation

• Digestion

• Stress response

• Cognition

• Memory

• And more. 

Research shows that as we age, endocannabinoid system activity decreases. The body produces less of its own endocannabinoid compounds, such as 2-AG and Anandamide, which can lead to a wide range of health imbalances and illnesses.  Early onset of endocannabinoid deficiencies can cause premature aging and has even been linked to the early onset of menopause in women. Endocannabinoids produced within the body influence homeostatic functions related to the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems.

The compounds in cannabis, such as THC and CBD, influence the activity of the endocannabinoid system by –

• Encouraging production of more endocannabinoids

• Improving endocannabinoid uptake and metabolism

• Acting as endocannabinoid analogs. 

Research also shows that compounds from cannabis have neuroprotective and antioxidant properties that could help prevent the onset of dementia or other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.  It does so by "clearing out" the build-up of particular oxidative proteins in certain molecular channels of the brain. Another study has shown that cannabis was helpful in reversing age-related memory loss. 

Scientists are hoping to develop new medicines using cannabinoids and other plant compounds that could significantly improve the quality of life of those at risk of age-related health conditions and neurodegenerative disease. 

Learn more about Micro-dosing Cannabis Oil

It is important to use good quality, digestible oils, tinctures or edibles. It is easiest to micro-dose precisely when products are labeled accurately with their potency and cannabinoid content. 

Cannabis oils, tinctures, and capsules, such as the ones available on Maine Cannabis Exchange, are an effective, safe, and simple way to start micro-dosing. 

Cannabis is a miraculous plant, with incredible healing potential and benefits. Thank you for reading our blog, and please stay connected with us through social media for more great content and deals on medical and adult use marijuana.