One of the most common applications for medical marijuana is pain, whether it’s inflammation, headaches, neuropathic pain, muscle soreness, spinal injury, fibromyalgia, or cramps.
Patients have seen varying degrees of success with cannabis in treating various pain-related ailments, depending on the type of pain, the intensity, and the individual’s own physiology.
This guide is informed both by user-submitted strain reviews and chemical profile data, ascertain
cannabinoids and
terpenes are known to have areas of specialization such as pain.
Because every person's experience is so nuanced, we recommend sampling several of these suggestions and maybe even experiment with them in different forms, like
topicals, oils, or even transdermal patches.
Smoking and vaporizing are great ways to get marijuana’s painkilling properties quickly, but read up on
non-smoking consumption methods and
cannabis concentrate alternatives to get an idea of the full spectrum of options available to you.
And remember -- there are many adept pain slayers out there in the cannabis world. Use our
Explorer's symptom and condition filters to find out what else has worked for other patients, and check the "Availability" tab on their strain pages to see if they're available at a shop near you!
Cannabis Strains That Help Treat:
1. Generalized Pain
All hail
ACDC, one of the most effective painkilling strains out there due to its one-two punch of cannabinoids
CBD and THC. As a general rule,
cannabis strains with high amounts of both THC and CBD tend to make the best pain medicines, and there are plenty of
high-CBD strains out there offering similar chemical profiles as ACDC.
Unfortunately, high-CBD strains are relatively new to the game and not all patients have access to them, especially those living in
states without medical marijuana laws. Luckily, high-THC strains also offer pain relieving benefits, and many people find that heavy
indicas such as
Blackberry Kush are particularly skilled in the art of killing pain.
2. Inflammation and Arthritis
Cerebrally-focused
sativa strains aren't typically a first choice for patients treating pain and
inflammation, but
Harlequin's high-CBD content makes it an exception. Its
uplifting and clear-headed effects set it apart from heavier, more intoxicating options and make it a perfect choice for daytime medicating.
Also known as
Blue Venom,
Berry White, and
White Berry,
Blue Widow is a prolific hybrid cross between parent strains
Blueberry and
White Widow. Leafly user reviews praise Blue Widow for its anti-inflammatory qualities, and perhaps the reason for this is Blue Widow's rich
terpene profile that typically boasts high levels of
caryophyllene, or it could be its heavy resin production which gives way to massive amounts of THC and other beneficial compounds.
Browse more strains suitable for
inflammation and
arthritis.
3. Headaches and Migraines
Purple Arrow hits the target somewhere between heavy pain relief and uplifting euphoria, making it a great choice for headache sufferers needing swift relief without the couchlock effects typical of indica varieties.
5. Manage Spinal Injury Pain
Cataract Kush is a heavy-hitting hybrid cross between powerhouse classics
LA Confidential and
OG Kush. This strain's potency may not be for the novice consumer, but it's perfect for patients needing a strain that can expertly annihilate pain associated with
spinal injury.
Descending from some of the earliest indicas of Afghanistan, Mazar I Sharif is a relentless painkiller with a potency you can see on her heavy blanket of crystal
trichomes. Afghani indicas have a reputation for their high cannabinoid contents, so it isn't hard to imagine that so many patients have found relief from stubborn pain in Mazar.
COMMENTS
Migraines cannot be treated the same as other headaches. If you use an indica with a true migraine, it makes your head pound more. Sativas for real migraines. Tension headaches, you can use all the indica you want.
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Thank you because I get true real migraines.
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Joy F Anna thank you bcuz everyone feels different effects. fucks sativas they spark anxiety. get couchlock indica for migraines or trigeminal neuralgia cluster headaches aka the suicide headaches !!!! - afghani or purple kush or girlscout cookie kush -_-
If you live in a legal state, try Mary's Medicinals CBD:THC patches. They've kept me from getting a mirgraine for almost 9 months when I used to get them 2-4 times a week, sometimes for days.
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There's a new strain coming out of Spokane called Primus - it has a higher cannabinoid profile than most 'medical' strains at 28%. Was down there on some business and ended up getting some. It was the best strain I have ever tried for pain and insomnia. Not one of the over 100 strains that I'd tried before it has ever had the effect of making me sleep past my severe insomnia, but this did. It didn't knock me out, but once I laid down, I was out within minutes, and slept deeply and for longer than I have since I was a child. And my pain levels dropped to nothing - it was such a shocking difference to my normal daily pain that I literally felt worse once the pain came back. I hadn't been that pain free in many, many years.
"Primus", I love it. Hopefully "Primus" decides to come south and tour through Boise...
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Yeah, I hope it spreads out as well, I can't just run to Spokane everytime I want some, lol. It's some really good stuffm though,,,
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Amber Valdez would be nice to get some that here in KY
We have actually now begun to do research with whole plant extracts of specific cultivars to see if we can scientifically quantify the efficacy of cannabis for pain. This will include precise dose detetermination and whether these effects are cultivar specific. Our aim is to provide proof of efficacy for further clinical trials and to establish therapeutic guidelines that can be employed by the Canadian College of Surgeons and Physicians.
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How can I remain up-to-date with this specific research?
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Time and again big pharma has created extracts and isolated compounds out of plants. With only a few exceptions like aspirin, they cause undesired side effects. Leave the plant in it's natural state, with what nature added to it to counteract the side effects.
Big pharma will add untold layers of laws and penalties once they bring their prescription extracts and compounds to market.
Lee Barber Big pharma definitely has a different perspective on drug design. Luckly we are not big pharma, but a humble academic lab interested in better understanding the actual potential medical uses of the whole plant. We want to put numbers to the doses and effects.
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it's amazing how differently people react to mj my best pain relief was from white widow and white rhino, I've been dealing w/constant pain since I was 5 years old and would like to get off of high grade pain pills and am tired of my doc treating me like a criminal when all I care about is taking care of those I love, god bless those that are willing to put their lives and reputations on the line for the cause
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Unfortunately, our elected leaders want to blame Drs. for over-prescribing pain meds, regardless of the fact that people like you & I have no choice but to utilize them. When cannabis is made available I always choose to smoke until I can no longer forgo having to use my narcotics. The key here is that I use less, much less than I would with cannabis.
My condition was directly caused by generic CRESTOR,(TM), a cholesterol medication. What's truly pathetic is that our government continues to regulate this plant as a drug when it has never killed anyone.
I'm hoping to change that; I am runn...See More
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