Cannabis Suppositories
Thanks to the pioneering effort of one Czech caregiver, people around the world are coming to see the benefits of using cannabis suppositories to treat a variety of ailments. Suppositories are solid medical preparations that are inserted into the rectum, where they then dissolve into the bloodstream. And cannabis suppositories accurately solve a big problem some patients have with taking cannabis extracts orally.
Looking For A Solution
When people think of medical marijuana, they picture the route of delivery to be either smoking or vaporizing the plant. But thanks to the inspiration from a Canadian patient, a man has found a third method of reaping the medicinal benefits of cannabis: suppository.
A Czech caregiver who goes by Martin T. began using the suppository method some years ago after meeting with Canadian man Rick Simpson. Simpson was using cannabis oil to treat his cancer with great results, but there was a problem.
Cannabis extracts are often high in THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. Ingesting these extracts orally results in the ‘high’ associated with using marijuana. The more THC, the stronger the feeling. With some extracts being as high as 90% THC, the high is often too much to handle.
“Some six years ago, after meeting with Rick Simpson, I started to produce extracts and provide them to many sick people. Illegally, of course. But lots of them could not bear the psychoactive effects of THC,” Martin says. And that’s when the idea for a suppository struck him.
An Unconventional Method
“I tried to infuse cocoa butter – with a little bit of shea butter and coconut oil- with the extract and made rectal suppositories. Patients immediately loved them, especially those with digestive and urinary issues.”
The fact that the results pleased Martin’s patients is unsurprising. After all, we know that cannabis is effective in treating a variety of bowel issues like Crohn’s disease.
But the primary benefit of the suppository alternative offers is the significantly diminished psychoactive effect it has on the patient. With a suppository, the patients get all of the healing benefits of the extract with only a fraction of the ‘high.’
Also, suppositories begin to act extremely quickly, as their contents almost immediately enter the bloodstream once administered. Coupled with the ease with which they can be made, this method has become quite popular. This is particularly the case in Central Europe, where Martin practices. In his case, about 90 percent of his patients opt for suppositories.
His most notable case deals with a man who had prostate cancer. In 2013 doctors diagnosed the man, and they advised he begin chemotherapy three months later. Seeking to avoid chemotherapy for obvious reasons, the patient instead began to use 1-gram suppositories.
When the three months had passed, his suppository treatment was so effective that chemotherapy was no longer necessary. Also, the treatment with suppositories had no adverse side effects. “I did not feel any high, which was a big difference from oral consumption when 0.1 gram would get me couch-locked for half a day. I just felt pretty relaxed and slept much better.”
The Final Hit
In Martin’s case, marijuana suppositories have proven to be extremely effective. They are great at treating his patients while minimizing their adverse side effects. Their rise in popularity within Europe seems like a natural consequence of the cannabis suppositories success.
