How CBD Could Help Painful Menstruation

If you’re someone who menstruates, you know you’ve been there: draped over the toilet for hours with violent nausea, curled up on the couch with a heating pad that just can’t seem to get hot enough, or knocking back 3 ibuprofen at work and trying to stay calm while there’s a war going on inside your uterus. If you’ve been in any of these painful situations, you have also probably tried countless methods to remedy them.

Whether you’ve had much luck or not, the universe has sent you to this page because you’re definitely missing the key solution to menstruation pain: CBD. Don’t worry, Poplar is here to give you all of the information you need to incorporate CBD into your cycle.

So WTF is CBD?

You’ve probably heard of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis — AKA the compound that gets you high when you smoke weed— well, CBD (cannabidiol), is also derived from the cannabis plant, but unlike THC it is not psychoactive and will not get you high. CBD is, however, used to treat pain because of its special interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system.

The endocannabinoid system is involved in a wide variety of bodily functions including memory, pain, mood, appetite and immune system response. Instead of binding to these receptors, like THC does, CBD’s effect on the body is more complicated— it binds to receptors, blocks receptors and also changes the shape of receptors— reducing inflammation, pain, and even blocking effects of THC.[1]

How will CBD help with menstruation pain?

Although there are no clinical studies published for using CBD as a remedy for menstrual pain specifically, there is an abundance of research that points to CBD relieving pain and inflammation: in people with chronic pain conditions[2], and even in rats with arthritis! [3]

So while most of the research shows that shows CBD helps with menstruation pain is anecdotal, the logic is that CBD reduces the inflammation and pain occurring when the uterus sheds its lining.

How do you go about choosing the right products for you?

There are many ways to decide what kind of CBD you want to use. The Poplar 10 promises that all of your products have been tested and vetted, so no need to worry there. You can decide if you want to take CBD transdermally, (placed on top of the skin), or sublingually, (dropped under the tongue).

Next, the dosage. Some womxn feel that higher doses of CBD are more effective in treating period pain, but as it goes with anything, start slow and work your way up to find what works best for you.