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The leaves, blossoms, and buds of the cannabis or marijuana plant’s female are combined to create bhang. It has been used in India as a religious sacrament and medical treatment for many years.
It is used as a spice in Indian cuisine and drinks, including the spring celebration Holi. For thousands of years, it has been utilized in India as a spice.
Bhang is a Sanskrit term for a marijuana-based beverage or dish, as well as an Ayurvedic practice. Some people feel that Bhang can assist with nausea, vomiting, and pain management.
This article discusses bhang and its possible advantages, as well as its safety.
What is bhang and how is it made?
Cannabis leaves and buds that have been dried, ground, and steeped to make bhang are a kind of solid paste.
Despite the fact that cannabis is technically prohibited in most of India, bhang has been consumed there for millennia. However, despite this tolerance, sales and usage of bhang appear to be unhampered.
Bhang is a form of cannabis that can be found in religious cities everywhere, often sold by street vendors or government-sanctioned stores.
However, additional portions of the plant are not permitted because marijuana leaves are expressly allowed by India’s National Drug Policy on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances.
The bhang lassi drink is crafted by combining three substances: bhang, curd, and whey. The last two components are the solid and liquid matter that forms when milk coagulates.
Another popular choice is bhang goli, which is a cannabis-infused drink. Freshly ground cannabis with water is used to make this drink.
Bhang can also be combined with sugar and ghee — a clarified butter used often in Indian cooking — to make desserts.
Cannabis has a long history of use in India and the region’s most popular cannabis strain, Binders, is named after the area where it was discovered. Cannabis sativa plant components are used to prepare bhang, which is a paste made from Cannabis sativa plant components that is utilized to make cannabis-infused meals and beverages.
How does bhang work?
The term “bhang” is used to describe a hallucinogenic drink made primarily from the leaves of the Indian hemp plant. Bhang is popular for its psychoactive effects, which are caused by different cannabinoids that interact with your brain and nervous system. The main active compounds responsible for these effects are:
- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Bhang, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, is what creates the altered state of mind that people experience after consuming bhang-laced foods and beverages.
- Cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabigerol is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that some researchers think contributes to bhang’s healing properties.
Both CBD and THC, like other compounds produced by your body called endocannabinoids, have a chemical structure. Endocannabinoids are chemical compounds that bind to your body’s cannabinoid receptors and influence a variety of functions, including learning, memory formation, immunity, and motor function.
CBD and THC work by binding to cannabinoid receptors in your body, which affects how messages are sent between brain cells. If you smoke or vape dried cannabis plant material, blood THC levels usually peak within 15–30 minutes.
Cannabinoids ingested via eating or drinking are broken down more slowly — peaking around 2–3 hours later.
The majority of the cannabinoids in marijuana, THC and CBD, can interact with cannabinoid receptors to impact functions like memory, movement, learning, and immunity.
Helps prevent nausea and vomiting
Bhang might help to relieve nausea and vomiting. THC, one of the major cannabinoids found in bhang, has shown to be effective at preventing nausea in clinical trials. Cannabinoids have been demonstrated to effectively treat nausea in cancer sufferers undergoing chemotherapy. To-date, their anti-nausea and anti-vomiting properties have been studied most extensively in people receiving chemotherapy for cancer.
The review of 23 RCTs showed that people undergoing chemotherapy who were given cannabis-based products had less nausea than those given conventional drugs or placebo. Cannabis-derived medicines were 90 percent less likely to induce nausea and vomiting, according to the researchers. Furthermore, these items were just as effective as traditional medicine in reducing symptoms.
Cannabinoids have also been found in numerous other studies to help with nausea and vomiting. Particularly for adults going through chemotherapy, several research has confirmed that cannabinoids can aid in the reduction of nausea and vomiting. In some people, nevertheless, heavy long-term cannabis usage has been linked to stomach discomfort, persistent nausea, and excessive vomiting. This is especially typical in middle-aged men and is difficult to cure using traditional anti-nausea medications.
Although Bhang can alleviate nausea and vomiting in the short-term, chemo patients should be aware that long-term use may have opposing effects.
May reduce pain
It’s a popular remedy for discomfort. It has been demonstrated in multiple studies to be beneficial. Cannabinoids are effective in the treatment of chronic pain and nerve pain, among other problems, according on a recent meta-analysis of 28 RCTs.
In a study of 18 RCTs, it was found that cannabinoids can be beneficial in decreasing chronic pain caused by myalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, research showed that out of 614 people with chronic pain, 65% of those who used legally prescribed cannabis had an increase in their pain. However, cannabis medicines like bhang have been shown to relieve agony- especially if the source of the pain is from illnesses such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis.
May reduce muscle spasms and seizures
Cannabis can also assist with muscular spasms and epileptic episodes. Cannabis-based drugs have been found to reduce muscular spasms in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological illness that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle cramps.
Cannabinoids are more effective than placebos at reducing muscle spasms experienced by people with MS, according to two studies.
Cannabis-based medications, such as bhang, may assist with seizure control, especially in those who haven’t responded to other treatments.
A recent study of four RCTs found that CBD-based products may assist kids with a form of epilepsy who don’t respond to regular medication.
In a trial separate from the aforementioned, it was found that 9 mg of CBD per pound (20 mg per kg) of body weight daily is 1.7 times more effective than a placebo in reducing seizure numbers by half for people with epilepsy.
Though more studies are needed, current findings suggest that cannabis-based medicines like bhang may help relieve muscular spasms in individuals with multiple sclerosis. It might also aid in the reduction of epileptic seizures for people who haven’t found relief through conventional therapies.
Helps with Pain Management
Cannabis products such as bhang are well-known for their painkilling properties. Many studies have been conducted on the subject. A recent meta-analysis of 28 RCTs revealed that particular cannabinoids, especially CBD (Cannabidiol), are very effective in treating chronic pain. Cannabinoids were found to help with chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis in a review of 18 RCTs. Cannabis can also assist with menstrual cramps.
Reduces Inflammation
The hemp plant, like bhang, includes a variety of chemicals. These chemicals bind with CB1 and CB2 receptors in our bodies. The CB2 receptors are important in reducing inflammation. When the cannabis-derived signals stimulate the CB2 receptors, cytokines are released by the cells. CBD has been shown to help reduce inflammation in numerous studies. This chemical is found in bhang, along with THC and other substances.
Other health advantages of bhang are: improved sleep, increased hunger, muscular spasms and seizures reduction, and so on.
Possible risks
Although bhang has several advantages, it also has a number of health concerns. Bhang is best recognized for giving pleasure, but it can also induce anxiety, dread, and sadness in some individuals. Furthermore, because to its psychotropic properties, bhang may impair short-term memory, coordination, judgment, and paranoia or psychosis when taken at high dosages.
Children and teenagers should avoid consuming Bhang since it may limit neurological development, cause school dropouts, and reduce life satisfaction. Cannabis products might also raise your risk of particular diseases, such as depression and schizophrenia, especially in those who are susceptible to developing them.
Bhang should not be consumed by pregnant or breastfeeding women as it might cause premature birth, low birth weight, and poor brain development in infants. When taken as a food or drink, bhang’s absorption rate slows down making accurate dosing difficult and increasing the risk of taking too much—which can lead to an irregular heartbeat very low blood pressure,, and confusion.
Bhang can be dangerous if consumed by the wrong people. It shouldn’t be taken by children or adolescents, pregnant women, nursing mothers, or those who are prone to certain health problems like depression.
The bottom line
Bhang, a paste created from Cannabis sativa flower buds and leaves that is frequently used in meals and beverages, is available in powder or liquid form.
The following ailments may improve with CBD use: pain, muscular spasms, seizures, nausea and vomiting.
While marijuana has several drawbacks, it may be useful for some individuals. Those with certain medical conditions or during particular life phases should avoid bhang, including childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and lactation.
Furthermore, cannabis and its derivatives are regulated differently in various countries. As a result, it’s critical to learn about local laws before using bhang or other cannabis products.
