Dosing and Ratio is the fifth element of cannabis that is important for various reasons, while also not something you should totally worry about.
I consider this a must-know for cannabis because depending on how you consume cannabis and what conditions you are using cannabis for dosing and ratios can completely change your experience along with everything else you have just learned.
The Importance of Knowing your Dose
Knowing your dose provides the most consistent benefits without the unwanted effects. Consistent dosing also maximizes the therapeutic effects of cannabis.
This weekend for the first time ever I will be baking and properly documenting dosing to try to find my sweet spot. It's really the first time I have ever tried to do this and I'm curious about the outcome.
My personal goal is to be able to dose through my drinks or food and only use smoking for purely recreational purposes or any attacks.
This brings me to the entourage effect, or as I mentioned earlier the sweet spot.
The Entourage Effect
The cannabis plant never ceases to amaze me. Cannabis plants are known to have over 100 different cannabinoids and various terpenes (much like what you find in essential oils).
The entourage effect is a limited-studied theory of how various parts of the plant work together to create unique benefits. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the cannabis plant has one primary reason - getting high.
As we learn more about cannabis, we are learning how cannabinoids and terpenes work together to create The Entourage Effect. (check out this article from Dr. Dustin Sulak, and the person behind Healer. Each strain of cannabis has cannabinoids and terpenes. What makes the strains different is the number of cannabinoids and terpenes in each strain.
Cannabinoids and Terpenes
When cannabis is grown to have different cannabinoids and terpenes, it can enhance its medicinal effectiveness. Getting a strain with THC and CBN, even 2% of CBN may feel more relaxing than THC alone.
CBD alone is known to be a pain reliever, but if you can find a strain with myrcene, the effects are more powerful.
A THC strain with a healthy amount of pinene and limonene may provide an uplifting and energetic high, but a THC strain with myrcene may put you right to sleep.
It’s common to see CBD isolate, but remember that an isolated form of one cannabinoid (regardless of the cannabinoid) is usually less effective because you don’t have the cannabinoids or terpenes to work together to enhance the medicinal effectiveness.
Finding the right combination in one strain can be difficult which is why I started mixing my flower to achieve what I'm looking for.
The next thing I started was micro-dosing, which I believe is a super important part of dosing. Unlike traditional medicines, cannabis allows you to take a little over shorter periods of time while still achieving the entourage effect and helping you find your sweet spot.
Micro dosing cannabis
Photo by CrystalWeed
I discovered micro-dosing without knowing that’s what I was doing. But I also learned I was doing it wrong! I thought the only way to get the benefits of cannabis was to be high, that was a few years ago, like many others thought being high was part of the therapeutic effects. Boy was I wrong!
Little did I know that you can use cannabis and not get high, and still, get the marvelous benefits - even using just THC in much smaller amounts.
Micro-dosing is a great way to use cannabis to ensure you get the benefits you need.
I thought micro-dosing was taking small hits until you achieve the high you want. Oops! You are taking smaller hits to avoid the high while getting the therapeutic effects of THC.
I mentioned mixing earlier, I mix cannabinoids and I'm really only just beginning to pay attention to the terpenes. Learning about cannabis and changing my ways has been and continues to be an evolving process. And honestly, I hope it always is!
Right now I use CBD and THC flower. I would like to find an edible dosage or alcohol tincture to replace smoking. My goal is for smoking to be purely recreational.
Using this mix and much smaller smoking doeses allows me to function, not be in pain, and still keep a clear head to write this article that I have been putting off for some time!
I love micro-dosing, even more now that I truly understand it! I can’t promote micro-dosing enough! Below are four tips for managing the high with only THC when you can’t create your mix.
Start low
The thing to remember about THC is it won’t get you high if you use a small amount. And when I say small amount - 1 to 2 milligrams. Yes, you can get medicinal benefits with amounts that low - if that works for you.
Example:
10mg THC per ml
Goal: 1 mg
Dose: 1/10 ml or 2 drops
This math can apply to tinctures or edibles when you know the amount of THC in the product.
What if you don’t know the amount?
That’s okay too. If it’s a tincture or an edible - take one drop or one small piece of the edible.
The waiting game
When using a tincture or edible, wait anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes before increasing your dose. You want to make sure you check in with yourself about how you are feeling.
If you feel nothing, you can safely add another drop or eat another piece. Repeat the process until you have reached your desired effect.
Do you prefer smoking?
The same logic applies when you choose to inhale cannabis.
Take one puff, wait 5 minutes. And then check in with how you’re feeling. Repeat the process until you have reached your desired effect.
Ratios
Ratios are telling you how much there is of one cannabinoid to another. The most common is THC to CBD. However, now you may see other cannabinoids. Ratios do not tell you the dose, or amount you are taking.
A very common ratio to see is 1:1 CBD to THC and usually, you see this on tinctures. Meaning there are equal amounts of both cannabinoids. But when you take one dropper amount from a 30ml bottle you are not getting 50mg of each per dropper full. You are getting around 2mg of each per dropper full.
Read the labels and if you are curious about the math (a part I still struggle with today) I recommend checking out Cannabis Cheri. She has great dosing calculators and it only costs 5 bucks. She does have a free version but it's worth it to spend the 5 bucks! She makes it easy to understand, way better than I ever could. I still go back and rewatch her videos.
Conclusion
The power of the cannabis plant lies in using the whole plant. To see real benefits knowing the 6 elements of cannabis empowers you to create experiences that you enjoy.
Do you have favorite cannabinoids, terpenes, or personal strain mixes you swear by? Let me know in the comments.
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