This is a quick guide on how to improve your experience of consuming your weed orally. This is based on our own experience, not scientific studies. We’re not scientists or doctors, we’re just sharing our knowledge based on what we find. This is not a recommendation nor is it medical advice. Results may differ for you depending on various factors. That said, we think you will find this useful and we hope this helps you get the most out of your weed if you plan to consume it by oral ingestion.
These tips are based on consuming decarboxylated dry herb. We do not have experience with processed products, oils or edibles. We either eat dry herb directly or make our own infused olive oil or canna butter. These tips would probably work for other kinds of edibles though, but you will need to test that yourself.
Eating weed means that the herb needs to be digested by your system before it can start working. So it essentially depends on your metabolic rate which differs for people, but there are some things you can do to speed up the process that should work for everyone to varying degrees depending on your weight, metabolism, mood, tolerance, fitness levels, etc.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
We find that skipping breakfast seems to keep metabolism slower for the day. If you come out of an intermittent fast or after skipping breakfast and then consume some decarbed weed, it can take up to 6 hours to kick in (yes, 6 hours!). So if you plan to hit some decarb around midday, get your metabolism working well from the morning with a good hearty breakfast to kick off your day on the right foot and kick start your metabolism. You’ll be grateful you did when you swallow your weed later that day. Regular healthy meals are good for your metabolism and good for ingesting weed and getting high. It can bring down the lead time of feeling the effects down to 30 min sometimes. Experiment with this and you’ll see very quickly what we mean.
Don’t eat on an empty stomach
This might sound counter-intuitive, but having weed on an empty stomach will not help you absorb it quicker. Eating weed with a big meal will bring on the effects much quicker, as your metabolism kicks in to breakdown all the food and will absorb the weed faster. Many people think the weed will get “diluted” with all that food and be less effective and so opt for eating it alone while hungry hoping to feel the effects quicker. Our experience shows otherwise. The body is incredible at extracting nutrients from the meal. Eat your weed with a proper meal for better, and more rapid effects.
Healthy Fats are Good
THC is fat soluble, so eating some fats like olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, a hamburger, etc. will significantly speed up the absorption process. This is why infusing the herb in olive oil or butter is a good option also.
Temperature matters
Heating up the cannabis in a cup of coffee or tea also seems to help the absorption and make the THC start kicking in quicker. Try mixing the decarbed herb in your coffee and add a bit of butter, mix well and enjoy. You will start to feel the effects in as little as 15 min.
Regular Exercise is Good For You
Doing some high intensity training will speed up your metabolism and help absorb the weed faster. Drink lots of water and be careful training while high, especially if it’s your first time. We enjoy a good training session after consuming some weed, read more about that here.
Keep Hydrated
It’s no secret that water helps you digest. Same applies for digesting your decarbed weed. Drink plenty of water to help your body process the goodness and get you where you want faster. It will also make the high more enjoyable. It’s generally good practice to keep well hydrated before and during (and after) consuming marijuana.