Elevated Experience: The Benefits of Sativa Edibles

The world of cannabis continues to grow its product offerings as the industry attempts to meet the wants and needs of every consumer. A large sector of the consumer base is seeking effects that will energize and uplift them for an extended period, often during busy morning and afternoon hours. A sativa-dominant cannabis edible might be the perfect option for anyone seeking this sort of result. 

Cannabis edibles have gained immense popularity among a large stretch of cannabis enthusiasts thanks to their increasingly consistently enjoyable results. For example, a 10mg gummy made by a licensed operator will deliver a precise and controlled dosage. This is a massive step from the uncertain dosages we’ve dealt with for decades. 

While consumption types of cannabis and their effects may all seem second nature to experienced consumers, that might not be the case for newcomers or anyone looking to get caught up on cannabis. And even if you think you know the ins and outs of indica and sativa, you might be surprised to find out what we often associate with the terms aren't all that correct. 

Read on to learn more about sativa gummy effects and how they stack up to other plant types and popular consumption methods.

What is Sativa?

Sativa is one of three common categories many dispensaries and consumers use to describe a cannabis strain's effect. This term joins indica and hybrid to create the three categories a cannabis plant can fall into. However, this isn't as accurate as one may think.

Today, much of the public associates sativa with uplifting, energizing effects. On the other hand, indica is regarded for its often sedative effects that sometimes produce a couch lock effect. A hybrid strain produces both indica and sativa effects in a varying ratio depending on the chemovar. 

While it's true that many indicas are sedative and plenty of sativas are uplifting, that isn’t always the case. These deviations from the perceived public rules are because the terms were never intended to describe plant effects. 

The classifications, first used in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, were intended to describe a plant's physical attributes, not its effects. Indicas are characterized by their shorter buds, often found in cold, northern climates during the fall and winter. Sativa buds are taller and lankier while growing in warm, humid climates.

While it's important to acknowledge the true meaning of the words, we can also recognize that the public has flipped the meanings, with sativa now regarded for its euphoric, uplifting effects, even if that isn't always the case [1] [2].

What is an Edible? 

In the cannabis community, an edible refers to any food, drink, ingredient, or condiment that is infused with cannabinoids. Items are typically infused with THC or CBD, but other compounds have also been prominently featured in certain products.

Consuming cannabis edibles is a markedly different experience than traditional smoking or vaping methods. An edible must be absorbed and processed through the body's digestive system before being metabolized in the liver. Once in the liver, compounds are converted from the psychoactive compound delta 9 THC to 11 hydroxy THC, a compound linked to more intense and prolonged psychoactive effects, aka a more substantial and longer high. 

This process can take anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes to take effect and can be substantially more impactful than smoked cannabis once it kicks in. Consuming an edible will also prolong the effects compared to smoked cannabis, with most edibles lasting between 6 and 8 hours.

Common Sativa Edible Effects

Edibles are designed to deliver specific effects. Sativa gummies, for example, are often associated with distinctive energizing effects. In addition to an energy boost, consuming sativa edibles has been reported to provide an array of benefits:

• Energizing Effects: Sativa gummies and other edibles are associated with energizing consumers, making them ideal picks for anyone searching for an extra energy boost.
• Mood Enhancement: Many sativa strains have been linked with producing feelings of euphoria, aiding in the improved mental well-being of many consumers. 
• Increased Creativity: Sativa dominant strains are often linked to boosting creative energy and improving focus. 
• Mental Stimulation: Sativa effects may encourage conversation, more profound thought, and sensory awareness.
• Increase Appetite: Like most THC-infused products, sativa edibles have been reported to boost appetites, a critical need for many medical consumers. 
• Pain Relief: Sativa strains have been linked to pain relief, particularly inflammation symptoms. 

Consider the product details for an idea of how a cannabis-infused edible will affect you. Products like Snoozy gummies have the intended effect right on the bag. Effects include bedtime, daytime, relief, and intimacy. You may need to research more if the effect isn’t on the packaging. 

You can check the packaging or visit the company website for lab certification information. This analysis includes cannabinoid breakdowns and breakdowns of the present terpenes, oily hydrocarbons responsible for cannabis strain effects, aroma, and flavor. 

Possible Benefits and Risks of Cannabis Edibles

Consuming cannabis-infused edibles comes with various possible benefits and adverse outcomes buyers should be aware of. Effects vary by strain, compound, consumption method, body composition, and other factors. Of the many outcomes, these are some of the most commonly reported benefits of cannabis edibles:

• Improved Sleep: THC has soothing properties that can help enhance the quality of sleep and duration. However, most sativa-dominant strains are better for daytime or periods when the consumer wants to stay awake and alert. 
• Pain Relief: THC is associated with various types of pain relief, ranging from alleviating chronic pain and inflammation symptoms to easing pains during chemotherapy.
• Relaxation, Mood Boosting and Stress Reduction: With cannabis associated with mood-boosting and anxiety relief effects, edibles may induce substantial feelings of relaxation, euphoria, and improved mental well-being. 
• Increased Appetite: THC is linked to appetite stimulation, which is often beneficial in medical patients and sometimes referred to as “the munchies.”
• Enhanced Senses: Cannabis has been linked to reports of heightened sensory perceptions, including enhanced taste, sight, and hearing.
• Creativity Boost: Cannabis has been linked to bursts of creative energy and increased focus.
• Socialization: In some instances, such as consuming sativa gummies, THC may spark social interactions by making the consumer more engaging and approachable. 

In addition to the physical and mental benefits, sativa gummies and edibles come in just about every flavor and option imaginable. With prolonged effects and nobody being able to tell you’re consuming cannabis, you can consume an edible at any time, anywhere, and feel the uplifting, focused effects whenever and wherever you’d like.

Dosing 

Understanding dosage is critical to anticipating the effects and severity of cannabis. Considering the increased effects of edibles, the importance of understanding dosage grows much more significant. Consuming too much THC and/or CBD, through an edible or otherwise, can lead to unwanted short-term outcomes.

Edibles dosing used to be a hazy guessing game. However, thanks to legalization and ongoing tech innovations, license producers have been able to remove the guesswork from the equation. Today, licensed cannabis products are made using processes that Ensure each edible is consistently dosed and made to state-regulated standards.

Despite the growing assurance of cannabis product dosages, consumers still need to be aware of how much their bodies can handle. Consuming excessive amounts of cannabis can lead to several reported short- and long-term adverse reactions, including [3]:

• Extreme anxiety or panic attacks.
• Unwanted psychoactive effects (Paranoia, hallucinations, delusions)
• Decreased judgment 
• Decreased perception
• Decreased coordination 
• Increased heart rate
• Chest pain
• Heart attack
• Uncontrollable shaking or seizures
• Pale skin color
• Unresponsiveness
• Sudden high blood pressure with headache

Each person has a unique response to the plant. Rather than diving into a high THC edible or strain, newcomers or anyone with a low tolerance may want to start with a cannabis edible no more than 5 mg in dosage. Consume the low dose and see how you feel in 30 to 60 minutes. Repeat dosing if you think you need more. 

The above process is called the “start low, go slow” approach. While it may not produce the ideal outcome the first time, starting with a low dosage helps identify your perfect dose without running into any unwanted outcomes. 

Consider starting with a 10mg dose if your tolerance is more established. Most edibles come in 10mg doses per serving, as stipulated by laws in many states, providing consumers with an experience that is precise, measured, and consistently effective. With one or two pieces, most standard-tolerance consumers should feel their desired effects. 

Choosing which dosage to start with boils down to how much you want to feel and how much you can tolerate. There’s no wrong choice as long as you pick what works best for you. 

In Closing

The world of weed has continued to evolve to cater to the multitude of consumer needs. One of the most sought-after effects is a combination of an uplifting, energizing boost that allows people to focus during their daily tasks. A sativa-dominant strain can usually check most or all of those boxes.

While it used to be challenging to gauge the dosage of an edible, that isn't the case anymore. Today, gummies and other edibles produced by licensed operators deliver precise, controlled doses suitable for newcomers and seasoned consumers alike.

Thanks to the power of the plant and its wide-ranging effects, medical and recreational consumers are using gummies to experience significant effects over a prolonged period. While largely beneficial, consumers must be aware of what they consume or risk experiencing less than desired effects. 

Understanding how sativa gummy effects differ from indica and hybrid options is a great place to start. Going one step further, understanding the whole plant profile of the cannabis strain used, as well as the true meaning of indica and sativa, will only help you get a firmer understanding of this intriguing, exciting, and often complex cannabis plant.