Topical Cannabis Products Heal and Lubricate

Cannabis plant parts and extracts can be combined with coconut oil to create a pleasing, moisturizing and healing skin lotion.

Cannabis lotions, rubs and tinctures have been used throughout history for many purposes. The skin is the largest organ in our body, maintaining our internal environment and separating us from the external environment. The internal environment is made suitable for our organs to flourish. Temperature, humidity, the balance of acid and base, the proper concentrations of salts, and countless other factors are involved in maintaining our lives. In fact, there are more processes involved in maintaining our lives that are unconscious (managed by the parasympathetic system) than are consciously within our control - remember this the next time that you are worried or anxious about your health!

Our internal environment is joined with the external through our skin. Skin is capable of absorbing oxygen, water, sunlight and other essential nutrients for life. Because of the nerve distribution and blood circulation within the skin, it is able to circulate nutrients and medications from outside our bodies in a more selective way than when ingested through the alimentary canal, our digestive system or our respiratory system.

Cannabinoids and Your Skin

When Cannabis is absorbed through the skin, THC is no longer psychoactive. The cannabinoids are absorbed and produce their effects in the area of the skin where they are applied. The cannabinoids lock into the anandamide receptor sites, the body's own natural cannabinoid receptor sites that are part of the endocannabinoid system. These receptor sites are located throughout the body and nervous system.

Anandamide-cannabinoid receptors are also created and formed in areas of inflammation and other diseases' conditions. The cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) have a modulating effect in these areas when the receptor site is activated. Pain is not numbed but the sensation is modified to be felt as something else, or nothing at all. The pain of sore muscles or arthritic joints is moderated in this way.

As early as 2003, topical cannabinoids were found to moderate immune system response. In 2005, a British study reported that cannabinoids have a significant effect on easing pain and improving the quality of sleep in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, cannabinoids slowed the progression of the disease. In another 2005 study, published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology, researchers in Japan showed that cannabinoids suppress joint destruction, slow disease progression and moderate the auto-immune response of rheumatoid arthritis.

Headache and migraine pain can also be modified and reduced by cannabinoids. Abdominal pain related to digestion or menstrual cramps can be eased by the topical application of Cannabis lotion or ointment.

Cannabis is able to aid the body in healing diseases of the skin. Cannabinoids are anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic; they inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and some viruses. Topical preparations can help the body recover from eczema, psoriasis, contact dermatitis, pruritus, scrapes, rashes and burns through modifying the body's immune response.

How To Make a Cannabis Alcohol Rub

Cannabis for topical application comes in many forms, the simplest being an alcohol rub. The alcohol acts as a carrier for the cannabinoids, just as oils do. An alcohol rub is not difficult to prepare. A pint jar is filled with Cannabis cuttings. Leaves can be used, but flowers will produce a more potent topical medicine. Using flower trimmings or shake will work best for most people. Fill the rest of the pint jar with alcohol, preferably 180-proof ethanol. Let this mixture sit in a dark place for two or three weeks. The mixture should then be strained and poured through filter paper to remove any sediment. This alcohol rub is liberally applied to sore joints and muscles.

Making Marijuana Topical Oils

Cannabis-infused oil for lotion, salve or ointment can be made in a similar way. The carrier oil is whatever one chooses to use; a favorite for some is coconut oil. Organic, virgin coconut oil is the best choice. Coconut oil is also anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, plus, it is moisturizing to the skin, hair and nails. Dry fingertips, nails and cuticles can be improved with the regular application of coconut oil. Dry hair will become more manageable, thick and lustrous with regular application. A diluted spray of coconut oil can be applied to the hair or the oil alone can be applied, then washed out.

Most coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but some forms stay liquid. Coconut oil can be mixed with other oil, such as sweet almond oil or kukui seed oil, for a more liquid consistency. The two oils can be mixed and heated in a double boiler until the desired consistency is reached, then cooled. To make Cannabis coconut oil for topical application, take the one-pint bottle and fill it with a quantity of Cannabis leaves, flowers or flower trim. Experiment to determine personal dosage. Cover the Cannabis in organic, virgin coconut oil or use any oil that you desire. Let the Cannabis-and-oil mixture sit in a dark place for two to three weeks, then strain and filter.

Alternatively, one can place the mix in a double boiler and simmer for an hour or two. Afterward, strain and filter the Cannabis from the oil. The coconut oil can be returned to liquid in the double boiler, or with heat. Cannabis concentrates can be used at a ratio of one gram to one ounce of oil for a more potent product.

Among its myriad applications, medicated coconut oil can also be used by women as a personal lubricant to promote healthy bacterial flora and increase sensation during lovemaking. Cannabis coconut oil lotion or spray can be used as a personal lubricant by women with dry vaginal tissue. This can often occur after menopause and leads to vaginal and urinary tract infections or pain during intercourse. The moisturizing properties in coconut oil keep vaginal tissues moist and the coconut oil acts to inhibit odor-causing bacteria and yeast fungi. The action of the cannabinoids on the receptors in the nerves of the clitoris and vulva are found to enhance sexual stimulation for most women.

Making topicals is a constructive way to use the scraps from Cannabis to produce chemical-free medication. People with pain or skin disorders will benefit the most from these products.

Header photo: Alcohol being poured over Cannabis [Credit: Pinterest]