As you may know – or have personally experienced – it is possible to have or develop a cannabis allergy. One may be allergic to a certain strain, a certain ingestion method could bother them more than others, or they may be unable to grow the plants in their home. What you may not know, however, is that it’s also possible for cannabis to help allergies!
What Causes Seasonal Allergies?
Seasonal allergies can be caused by many different things, including cut grass, mold from excessive rainfall or melting snow, pollen, and specific plants like ragweed. Different climates bring up different allergens, and loads of people have to deal with symptoms like runny or stuffy nose, itching, sneezing, and watering eyes month in and month out. There’s nothing fun about it, and we often turn to OTC pharmaceuticals like cetirizine (found in drugs like Reactine) to relieve our irritating symptoms.
How Cannabis Can Help Allergies
Taking any drug for a long period of time – yes, even cannabis – isn’t ideal, and it’s always better to try to prevent symptoms (which is tricky to do when you are allergic to grass). But in the interim, you may as well try something more natural than cetirizine or your own chosen antihistamine.
Histamine Intolerances and Mast Cells
Both allergies and histamine intolerance involve the release of a naturally produced chemical called histamine, which is released in response to inflammation and allergens. If your body over-produces histamine unnecessarily or can’t properly breakdown the histamine found in certain foods (like yeasts and nightshade produce), you can end up with allergy-like symptoms.
Histamine is released by mast cells, and there is a growing body of research that suggests cannabidiol (CBD) could calm these cells down, lessening the release of histamine. Considering histamine is one of many anti-inflammatory agents and we already know cannabidiol is a very effective anti-inflammatory, this isn’t too surprising. (Animal studies suggest CBD might even be able to reduce swelling in the throat caused by eating foods to which one is allergic!)
Another example of cannabis’ effects on inflammatory/allergy issues: rashes and skin conditions. Topical THC and CBD applications have proven highly effective in addressing skin swelling caused by overeager immune reactions. Additionally, they work exceptionally well as antimicrobial remedies.. Cannabis is becoming very welTopical THC and CBD applications have proven highly effective in addressing skin swelling caused by overeager immune reactions. Additionally, they work exceptionally well as antimicrobial remedies.l known for its immune system regulating effects, thanks to its close relationship with the endocannabinoid system that maintains homeostasis (balance) in our bodies.
Best Cannabis Strains for Allergies
Because CBD seems to be the most useful cannabinoid for medication against histamine imbalances and allergies, our medical strains are undoubtedly the best choices if you want to grow your own allergy medicine at home! Check them out:
Pure CBD or high-CBD strains with a little bit of THC (like our high-CBD medical cannabis seeds) could make a big – natural – difference in your allergy or histamine suffering this Spring and Summer. Or maybe some of our other premium, lab-tested feminized cannabis seeds strike your fancy. Will you give it a try?
