Posted by Lori Ann Reese on 09/05/2024 in Alternative Medicine
Have you heard of psychedelic strains of cannabis? No, they are not a mutant hybrid of magic mushrooms and cannabis. There are (and always have been) strains that are more cerebral than other types. And a scary movie or a haunted house at Halloween could become a system overload situation if you don’t pair it with the right bud.
Psychedelic strains are not top sellers in every market. And in other jurisdictions, they sell out fast. But some people end up buying psychedelic bud because they are discounted (and sometimes heavily seeded). The strains that can provide psychedelic effects have interesting origins and are worth knowing about.
You may want to seek out some psychedelic strains. Or avoid them at all costs, knowing that your tolerance for potential hallucinations and heavy psychoactive effects is pretty low. Here is everything you wanted to know about psychedelic weed.
Many people don’t even know about the psychedelic strains of cannabis. When you think of psychedelic drugs, you probably think of ketamine or psilocybin. Ketamine is federally legalized for off-label therapeutic use. And it may not be long before psilocybin is also legalized for medical use in many states.
Cannabis makes you high. The psychoactive experience that you get after taking cannabis depends on the type of plant. Sativa cannabis can bring feelings of energy, alertness, happiness, and creativity. Indica strains can relieve pain, make you tired, and erase stress and anxiety.
And then, there is the entourage effect. That is a Sativa, an Indica, or a hybrid Sativa/Indica, combined with natural terpenes and flavonoids. When all those elements of cannabis work together, they can provide medicinal benefits. Your body’s cannabinoid receptors love (and can benefit) from the entourage effect.
Psychedelic plants occur naturally. There are many different types of flowers and leafy plants that have psychedelic properties if consumed. Some have been part of alternative medicine, healing, and cultural practices for thousands of years.
Other psychedelic plants include:
We are not going to bring specific species of toads into the conversation. But they are also listed as a natural (albeit highly poisonous) psychedelic.
Cannabis strains are not necessarily bred to produce psychedelic effects. Because hallucination is only appealing to a small number of consumers who purchase cannabis. Most people really want to enjoy feeling happy and alert or calm and sedate. And a more predictable psychoactive effect.
As you know, it can be difficult to predict how cannabis will impact someone. Or what kind of psychoactive effects they can expect after ingesting a strain. Sometimes it depends on age, body weight, tolerance levels, terpenes, and other factors.
So, you don’t know how your brain and body is going to react with a psychedelic cannabis strain. Would you be able to tell a psychedelic cannabis ‘trip’ if you are having one? There are some common reactions that people have to psychedelic cannabis strains.
An altered sense of time and space is a common effect when taking psychedelic cannabis. Most often, this is expressed as a feeling of frozen time. You may feel like time has completely stopped for you, like a bad Dr. Who episode.
Lead arms and legs? Quite possibly. Psychedelic cannabis strains can cause a severe couch-lock after the peak of psychoactive effects. If you are an experienced cannabis user, chances are you’ve already had this experience once or twice.
What is worse? Feeling like you need to drink five bottles of water because your tongue is sticky? Or realizing you are experiencing new waves of nausea on a stomach full of water? Psychedelic strains of cannabis are notorious for dry mouth. And persistent nausea.
All types of cannabis can increase resting heart rate. That is why when a patient applies for a medical card, they undergo a cannabis health evaluation. Because a physician needs to check for risk factors, including cardiovascular problems, before a patient uses medical marijuana.
This is where the ‘out of body’ psychedelic experience comes from. And it can be a pleasant experience or a terrifying one. It all depends on your state of mind, body chemistry, and the reaction your brain has to the psychedelic strain.
For example, you may feel like you cannot return to your body. That might be a liberating experience. Or you may start to panic because you have to go to the bathroom, and you can’t reconnect to your body. Because cannabis-induced minor paralysis can be inconvenient and frustrating.
That dripping sound in the bathroom? Or the dog scratching at the door? Sounds that are normally very tolerable and not bothersome can become amplified on psychedelic cannabis. Probably not enough to cause a panic, but irritating.
When you use a psychedelic strain of cannabis, you may slide into the creative zone. It is a powerful experience where you may find yourself with a solution for World Peace. Or a better way to keep your cat off your kitchen counter.
A positive psychedelic weed experience could have you writing a screenplay over a long weekend, painting, creating music, or some great poetry. One nice thing about psychedelics is their ability to ‘silence the inner critic’ and anxiety. And it can open the mind up to some significant creative expressions.
There can also be a negative aspect to the creative explosion. When you get tired and want to make it stop, the hallucinatory phase is still going strong. If that happens, you can try some YouTube meditation or binaural beats.
Binaural beats are sound frequencies and visuals that resonate with the brain and body. At least, that is what the science suggests. Some types of frequencies are also said to multiply the intoxication effects of cannabis and psychedelic compounds.
There is no way to predict how you are going to react to a psychedelic. Whether that is therapeutic psilocybin, ketamine, or cannabis, your psychedelic trip could also go down a darker path depending on your mood and present state of mind.
Unpredictability could be the biggest reason why most people hesitate to use psychedelic drugs, including cannabis strains known for producing psychedelic effects. If you aren’t sure whether you will ‘go dark’ on psychedelic cannabis, the best advice is to avoid taking one.
If you are looking for cannabis strains that can have psychedelic effects, you need to know what you are looking for. Conversely, if you are trying to avoid them, you also need to know which strains to dodge at the dispensary.
There are always new strains being developed every year. Currently, there are over 700 cataloged strains with names and cannabinoid + terpene profiles. Here are some of the most common psychedelic cannabis strains you might find near you.
Remember that cannabis can be a stimulant, a depressant, and a hallucinogen. Sometimes all three psychoactive features at once. People with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions where hallucinations may be a symptom are generally not approved for medical cannabis.
There is a new focus on other psychedelic drugs like ketamine and psilocybin, for the treatment of mental health disorders, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to treatment-resistant depression (TRD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), OCD, and more. Psychedelic drugs are being used under doctor supervision to help heal patients.
In the not-so-distant future, we may see more interest in cultivating psychedelic strains of cannabis that could be a low-potency alternative. One that patients could use in conjunction with talk therapy as part of a mental health treatment plan.
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