The Science of Cannabis to Help Uncomfortable Periods

Cannabis has a long history of medicinal use, grown by our nomadic ancestors as long as 12,000 years ago. Research has shown us that these traditional uses have a firm scientific basis. Today, we’ll talk about how you can harness the power of cannabis to make your periods a little bit more comfortable.

Common Period Symptoms Cannabis May Help Ease

If you’ve ever had a period, you know firsthand that it can be uncomfortable for many reasons. Most menstruating people experience some symptoms related to their period, ranging from mildly annoying to severe enough that they can interfere with daily life.

No two people are the same, but some of the most common symptoms associated with menstruation are cramps and general soreness, gastrointestinal (GI) issues, sleep disruptions, and moodiness.

Periods are a fact of life, but they don’t have to be uncomfortable; you can help yourself have a better period in several ways. Most of our favorite tips harness the connection between cannabis and menstruation. That being said, if your periods consistently interfere with your life, it’s best to consult a doctor.

Cannabis for Period Pain

Though periods are usually just associated with abdominal cramping, many people experience other types of pain during their time of the month, too. Headaches, back pain, joint discomfort, and breast tenderness are all common.

Though we need more studies to figure out potential links between pain relief and cannabis, countless women swear by cannabis to help ease some of the discomforts that come with their period. It’s unclear why cannabis seems to help so many people with the discomfort their periods cause. Cannabis’s euphoric effects could make discomfort easier to deal with, or cannabis could interact with the endocannabinoid system in ways we don’t yet totally understand.

If you want to try cannabis for period pain, rub a cannabis topical on your lower belly when feeling crampy or apply it anywhere else you’re experiencing menstrual discomfort.

Cannabis, Stress and Your Menstrual Cycle

Difficult periods can be stressful, and consistently elevated stress levels can make your period even more difficult. Stress is associated with more painful, heavier, and irregular periods, so it’s essential to proactively regulate your stress levels to ensure a more comfortable period.

When used mindfully, cannabis can be a great tool to help you de-stress. Try incorporating some cannabis-infused treats and some me-time into your routine to give yourself a chance to unwind at the end of the day.

Cannabis and Sleep During Your Period

Getting enough restful sleep is another thing many struggle with, especially during that “time of the month.” Changes in hormone levels can lead to trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, especially before and during menstruation. Other period symptoms can make it hard to sleep, too — aches, a higher body temperature, and worries about bleeding on your sheets don’t make for a restful night of sleep.

Practicing healthy sleep hygiene can help, but sometimes we need something more. Cannabis is purported to encourage restful sleep and help patients feel more well-rested. Getting a good night of sleep can help you decrease stress levels and make it easier to cope with any other period symptoms you’re experiencing.

If you have trouble sleeping while on your period, try incorporating cannabis into a relaxing bedtime routine. Turn off your phone and computer, soak in a cannabis-infused and lavender-scented bath, and keep your bedroom cool, comfortable, and free from distractions.

Cannabis for GI Upsets During Menstruation

Many people also experience upset stomachs at some point in their menstrual cycle. Fluctuating hormones can lead to bloating, irregularity, and nausea. These symptoms usually hit at the beginning of menstruation, but no two peoples’ cycles are the same.

Cannabis has shown promise in helping with gastrointestinal discomfort. Many people find that cannabis helps them find some relief from common GI symptoms, especially those associated with menstruation, but more research is needed on the topic.

If you want to see if cannabis can help occasional upset stomachs during your period, try a cannabis tincture. Mix it into peppermint or ginger tea for even more soothing plant power.

Cannabis for a More Comfortable Period

Periods can be incredibly uncomfortable, but they don’t have to be. You can help make your period more bearable in many ways, including incorporating cannabis into your routine.

Whoopi & Maya was specifically founded to help people have more comfortable periods with the power of cannabis. We offer a wide variety of different products so that you can find something that works for you and your body, and we’re honored to be a part of your menstrual wellness routine.

The statements made regarding these compounds and products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product.

How Can You Use Cannabis Set and Setting for Painful Periods?

“Set and setting” is a term usually used when talking about psychedelic experiences, but the idea can also apply to more general situations. Let’s discuss how mindset and surroundings can affect your experience consuming cannabis and how you can harness them to ease painful periods.

What Is Set and Setting in Cannabis?

The term “set and setting” was coined by scientist and psychedelics advocate Timothy Leary in the 1960s. He used it to describe how much one’s mindset and physical location can impact a psychedelic trip. This idea emphasizes the importance of a positive set and setting in preparing for a positive experience, whether it’s an experience with psychedelics, cannabis, or while generally navigating life.

Defining Set in Cannabis

“Set” is short for “mindset” and refers to your mood and frame of mind when consuming cannabis. Consuming cannabis to cope with stress at the end of a long day can feel very different than consuming cannabis to celebrate a special occasion, even if the product and your immediate surroundings are the same.

Ensuring you are in a positive headspace and have clear goals can go a long way toward ensuring a positive, beneficial cannabis experience.

Defining Setting in Cannabis

“Setting” refers to your physical location when consuming cannabis. For example, consuming cannabis with a small group of close friends in a familiar area will likely have a different effect than consuming cannabis in an unfamiliar public space.

Before you begin, you can take steps to ensure your surroundings are conducive to the type of cannabis experience you are seeking.

How Does Set and Setting Affect Period Pain?

Your mindset and physical surroundings can have a considerable impact on your menstrual experience as well.

Stress and Physical Surroundings Directly Impact Period and Mood

There is a significant link between menstruation and stress. Studies show that stressors can lead to painful periods and other menstrual side effects, especially if unaddressed. Higher stress levels correlate with more painful, heavy, and irregular periods. It’s important to help yourself relax and decompress to keep this stress from manifesting physically in your menstrual cycle.

Your physical setting can contribute to period pain as well. A chaotic, high-energy environment can feed into painful periods. Conversely, a calm environment, spending time outdoors, or even just relaxing on the couch with pillows and blankets can make a huge difference in easing difficult periods.

Create a Healing Set and Setting for Period Pain with Cannabis

Cannabis can help ease many symptoms of uncomfortable periods by alleviating pain, lifting your mood, and encouraging restful sleep. Many women swear by cannabis as part of their cycle management plan. You can amplify these effects by creating a positive set and setting when consuming cannabis to help with period pain or premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.

Weed for Period Pain

Here are some ideas to create a healing set and setting to help you cope with and begin to heal painful periods.

– Your period can be a great time to clarify your mindset. Take some time to look inward and set intentions for the month ahead by journaling, meditating or any type of intention-setting process you most enjoy. Adding cannabis can help you tap into your intuition and spirituality, deepening your intention-setting practice even more.

– When cramps and achy muscles hit at that time of the month, there’s nothing better than a hot bath. Create a relaxing, refreshing setting with soothing scents, calming lighting, and your favorite cannabis products. You can even try a cannabis-infused bath for even deeper relaxation.

– This time of the month can also be an excellent opportunity to connect your femininity. You can incorporate these ideas into your meditation or creative practice or invite your best girlfriends over for a relaxing night in. Create a healing set and setting with cannabis-infused snacks that will help you simultaneously embrace sisterhood and ease period discomfort.

Cannabis, Set and Setting for a Better Period

Whether you have painful periods or not, it’s essential to give your body what it needs during menstruation. Taking time to establish a healing set and setting with cannabis can go a long way towards easing discomfort associated with periods.

Many cannabis companies carry products created by women, for women, so you can enjoy the benefits of cannabis in whatever form you prefer. Whoopi & Maya was founded to help women have more comfortable, peaceful periods, and we’re honored to help you on your journey toward healing.

4 Cannabis Products to Help You Prioritize Health and Wellness in 2023

Many enter the new year with high hopes for forming reinvigorated habits and prioritizing the things necessary to live a better life, like improving physical and mental health. Whether better health means starting healthier habits around sleep, exercising, or expanding your mind with education, we’ve got everything you need to prioritize your health and wellness in 2023.

Green Road’s Sweet Sleep Capsules Will Help You Catch Some Z’s

Sweet Sleep CBD Capsules – (30ct) 750mg

Get a good night’s sleep with Green Road’s Sweet Sleep CBD and CBN capsules. Research has shown that a good night’s sleep is vital for maintaining a healthy body and mind. So don’t skimp on the good stuff. Suppose the melatonin isn’t cutting it anymore. In that case, you need to stock up on a cannabinoid product like this one that will help you on your way to sleeping through the night.

Grow Your Own Flower This Year With Seedsman’s Gelat.OG Feminized Seeds

Gelat.OG Feminized Seeds

Growing your own flower can be incredibly beneficial. If quality control is what you’re after in the new year, look no further than Seedsman for all your feminized seeds needs. Gelat.OG is the culmination of combining two much-in-demand West Coast strains — Gelato and OG Kush. The taste and perfume of Gelat.OG combines sweet citrus with earthy notes. The effect is one of extreme happiness, comfortable and profoundly relaxing. Pick up a growing guide as well to help you on your cultivation journey.

Crystal Creek Organic’s CBD Honey Sticks to Improve Your Cycle

CBD Honey Sticks 25 Pack (250mg CBD)

If you’re a menstruating human and you’d like to change your relationship to menstruation in 2023, you may want to explore cannabis products that are high in CBD. CBD has potent analgesic (pain-relieving) properties that can help you weather your period with less painful cramping. Cannabis products high in CBD also have anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties that may help combat PMS symptoms such as irritability. CBD honey sticks from Crystal Creek Organics will satisfy your sweet tooth and help soothe your cycle’s worst symptoms.

Continue Your Education in 2023 with an Oaksterdam Course

Featured courses from Oaksterdam University

Broadening your mind and continuing your education can be both fun and rewarding. If this is on your New Year’s resolutions list, consider a cannabis course or certification. Oaksterdam University is America’s first cannabis college and offers over 25 courses to students to help them achieve their goals. Whether you’re an activist, a patient, an industry professional, or a consumer who’d like to be more informed, there’s a course for you at Oaksterdam!

Want more cannabis products that you’ll love? Check out our 4/20 gift guide here.

The History of Cannabis for Menstruation and Period Cramping

That “time of the month,” “Aunt Flo,” “shark week” — no matter what you call it, periods can range from mildly annoying to severely painful. Over-the-counter medications and pharmaceutical painkillers can help, but more and more women are turning to natural remedies like herbal blends, superfoods, and cannabis. It might sound like a new development, but cannabis for period pain is not a recent phenomenon. Read on for stories of how cannabis has been used to support women’s health for generations.

Cannabis as Women’s Medicine

The earliest recorded mention of cannabis dates back to 2800 BCE. Emperor Shen Nung, known as the “father of traditional Chinese medicine,” recorded various uses for cannabis in his pharmacopeia.

Globally, cannabis was used as medicine through the early 20th century. Cannabis is in the traditional pharmacopeias of many civilizations and even appeared in The Pharmacopeia of the United States from 1850 through 1942. After decades of prohibition, medical cannabis use is resurging — especially among women.

Women and Weed in History

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that women are increasingly turning to cannabis to ease period pains since our ancestors have been using the plant in this way for centuries. Here’s a brief overview of cannabis for menstruation throughout history.

India, 3000 BCE: Ancient Ayurvedic traditions endorse the responsible use of cannabis to help with painful periods.

Egypt, 1500 BCE: Cannabis is recommended to aid painful childbirth in the Ebers Papyrus. In the modern world, cannabis is not recommended for pregnant women. However, as period cramps are also mild uterine contractions, it makes sense that cannabis could help with painful periods.

Persia, 800 BCE: Ancient Persian texts cite the use of cannabis to help “calm uterine pains.”

Siberia, 500 BCE: A mummified young woman, dubbed the Siberian “Ice Princess,” was found buried with cannabis. Recent scientific discoveries suggest that the woman had breast cancer, a bone infection, and injuries from a fall. With this posthumous diagnosis, she likely used cannabis to cope with severe pain.

China, 1596: A book detailing traditional remedies, titled “Pen Ts’ao,” recommends cannabis as a potential treatment for menstrual disorders and discomfort.

Great Britain, 1847: The Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal published a case study endorsing the use of cannabis for dysmenorrhœa or painful period cramps. The Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal later became the British Medical Journal, which is still in publication today.

The United Kingdom, Late 18th Century: Queen Victoria was reportedly prescribed cannabis. The monarch suffered from painful periods for much of her adult life, and her personal physician is said to have administered her monthly doses of cannabis to help her manage the pain.

Cannabis for Menstruation Today

As medical cannabis experiences a legal resurgence and natural remedies become more popular, more women gravitate towards cannabis, herbs, and plant medicines to help manage their painful periods. Many cannabis products are even made by and marketed toward women.

There is little research on the connection between cannabis and period pain, but that’s hardly a surprise; Both cannabis and menstruation are still often seen as taboo. Despite the lack of clinical trials, countless women report that cannabis has helped them to manage painful periods. According to a 2015 study, 90% of women who use cannabis to ease their periods say it is effective at reducing pain.

There is substantial research to suggest that cannabis can effectively help manage pain. There’s no reason this can’t apply to menstrual pain as well. Whether Mother Nature gifts you with cramps, headaches, or general aches and pains, cannabis could be a promising option to help you get through that time of the month a little bit easier.

5 Ways Women Can Include Cannabis at Their Next Big Event

According to recent polls, the future of cannabis is female. Weed is a woman’s best friend and can be a faithful companion to all the big events throughout life. From the girl’s trip to her wedding day — check out these five fantastic ways to incorporate cannabis into these pillar life events.

Women and Cannabis: The Girl’s Trip

Whether you and your besties head for a beach vacation or sightseeing in a new city, cannabis products are a must-have. Cannabis is best shared and enjoyed in a community, but it’s essential to tailor the products to the activity. Unless you’re planning a weed-centric vacation with the girlies, it could be risky to incorporate THC into the trip.

You may have to travel from different locations by plane or car through states where cannabis is not legal, meaning it may be best to stick to CBD or products that are legal in all 50 states. CBD gummies, tinctures, and/or flower could be a great addition to whatever is on the agenda for your trip. Plus, CBD will help you chill during traveling, which can often be stressful and hectic.
If you’re more of a topical gal, consider a spa day where you can get professional massages or facials that use CBD-infused oils or other products. Travel safely and have fun!

Blazing Up for The Bachelorette Party

If getting married is on your list, why not plan a bachelorette party with the magic ingredient? No, we’re not talking about penis-shaped paraphernalia or alcohol. Obviously, we mean the green!

Roll up some joints or pick up some pre-rolls for this occasion. A bachelorette party is a time for celebrating your single life with your friend group. Having something you can pass around with your friends easily and take on the go is a perfect way to incorporate weed into the event. Leave the glass and dabs at home for this one.

Weed for Women at the Wedding Reception

It’s your wedding, and you can do what you want to! However, it’s best to have your partner on board with any cannabis-related plans, especially when extended family is in attendance. Your wedding reception is where you can get creative and have fun. Set up a cannabis bar or a weed-tasting station for those guests that are interested in consuming.

Not everyone’s tolerance level is the same, so why not offer various strains? For example, provide a high CBD strain such as Harley Quinn for those with lower tolerances and a couple of your favorite THC-rich cultivars for regular consumers. Be mindful of everyone, so no one is left out; folks can enjoy themselves and participate if they choose.
Need more discretion? Consider a fashionable, low-key vape to keep the stigma away.

Women, Weed and the Birthday Bash

Birthdays are a time for celebration. Whether it’s your special day or planning a friend’s birthday, why not support women AND cannabis and buy from a women-owned cannabis brand?

If you’re a regular recreational cannabis consumer and want to incorporate cannabis into your birthday celebration, consider buying weed-themed gift bags stuffed with these goodies for your guests.

A Women’s Guide to Weed for College Graduation Celebrations

College graduation is a huge deal, whether for an undergraduate or graduate degree. Grads deserve to celebrate their hard work and success, and cannabis can be a part of this. Since graduation parties are often family-friendly, cannabis edibles may be the way to go. This consumption method is both discrete and easy to use.

The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product.

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