A Scientific Explanation Of How Marijuana Causes You To Be Hungry

THC can increase the way we are sensitive to various scents and flavors and produce a wide range of impressive effects for our senses. Perhaps one of the most interesting ways that marijuana can affect us is with the way that it can make us hungry. This article will give a scientific explanation of how marijuana causes you to be hungry.

It is quite well known that marijuana can cause a powerful effect on our appetite. There are many people that start to feel very strongly after they take a dose of the drug and they can get what is called “The munchies”. This effect can be extremely useful for people that are overcoming various cancers and for those that are going through the process of medical treatment or chemotherapy. For many years, scientific testing has been carried out to determine how it is possible that THC stimulates the appetite. 

In studies published by nature neuroscience, we are getting closer to solving the mystery surrounding marijuana. THC has an effect on receptors in our brain in an area called the olfactory bulb. This is a section that increases our ability to smell, eat and seek out food. One of the largest reasons that you can eat more with marijuana is that you can taste, smell and crave food in a much larger way. Food will taste better, food will smell better and because of these heightened senses, you will want to go seek out the best food you have and eat it.

The way that THC affects us comes down to some of the effects on the brain. Marijuana likely first started producing these effects as a means to protect itself. Marijuana is a plant that has a series of methods for establishing self-defense against herbivores. There are a series of herbivores that might feel disoriented after eating the plant, and then they will stop eating the plant in the future. THC affects the endocannabinoid system and this can help us to regulate our emotions, memory, appetite, and pain sensitivity. Because these receptors are so affected by marijuana, it takes just a short amount of time before we can see these effects which were once a defense mechanism for the plant.

Researchers have completed studies on mice that have been bred to lack cannabinoid receptors in their olfactory bulbs. The mice here were subjected to experiments measuring their reaction to marijuana and it showcased that the scent enhancing powers were less affected. Mice with a lack of these receptors did not experience the same increased appetite or improved olfactory lobe activity.

Mice that had an average amount of cannabinoid receptors were dosed with CBD in this test. They were then exposed to almond oil and banana oils with results that had them continuing to smell the perceived food. The mice with the lower cannabinoid receptors were not affected in the same way and went on to ignore the oils shortly after they were exposed.

By using this as an example, we can see more about how THC can manipulate the natural system. It can mimic the sensations we experience when we are extremely hungry with a heightened sense of taste and smell. Because some of our other senses trick us into a greater food craving, we continue to feel the same results when we use marijuana as though we have been on a longstanding bout of being hungry.

THC gives us the feeling that we are starving by heightening our senses. While THC can marijuana can affect our body and mind in a number of beneficial ways, the symptoms of feeling as though you want to eat everything in sight is not always advantageous. For those that are trying to improve their appetite, however, the option to use THC and marijuana can work as an excellent boon.  Contact us today for more information.