12 Tips to Soothe a Sore Throat from Smoking Cannabis
If you want to soothe a sore throat from smoking cannabis, you should not bring a sore throat with you. If you are not feeling well, have the sniffles, runny nose, and/or sore throat, you should go to the doctor — especially in the middle of a pandemic.
Smoking anything will only exacerbate existing health problems, so you should use your head. However, if we are just talking about easing the raspy throat and dry cough that follows the use of some strains of cannabis, there are things you can be to soothe a sore throat that comes from smoking cannabis.
12 Tips that might work for you:
Never smoke dry. When you prepare your joint, you should also set a bottle of water to the side. You can sip on the water between puffs and drags. But you should finish that bottle when you are done. The more you hydrate the less likely you are to suffer.
Suck a lemon. Lemons are great for cutting through the phlegm and congestion. You need not literally suck a lemon, but you can squeeze the juice of a lemon into that water you are using to hydrate.
Try some tea. You can also add lemon to a cup of mild hot or iced tea. You can also vary the tea resources using chamomile, licorice, peppermint, or green tree. Avoiding the sugar and milk, you can add a touch of lemon juice, oil, or zest for a delicious solution.
Make a hot toddy. Still, on the lemon and tea track, you can prepare a hot toddy with equal parts of honey and lemon juice heated in a microwave. You might add a shot of whiskey or rye if you are not going to drive after you drink and smoke.
Wash your mouth out. If you swill an ounce of coconut oil around in your mouth, over and under the tongue, and all-around your gums, it will restore the natural lining in your mouth and throat.
Gargle saltwater. There are healing and soothing mouthwashes on the market that you use to gargle. However, all you must do is stir a tablespoon of salt into warm spring or distilled water. Swish that around in your mouth and gargle so it reaches down your throat without choking. You should repeat that process until you finish the salted water.
Eat something. You should treat yourself to something soothing and tasty after smoking. You should treat yourself as if you had a cold with a cup of chicken soup, a popsicle, or some treat your sweet mother would think of when you were sick in bed.
Use Biotene. Biotene, Act Dry Mouth, and Oasis are name brand mouthwashes you can try. There are also scores of off label versions available everywhere you shop. If you use them before smoking, you will ruin the cannabis experience. But they are good for mornings after.
Switch the method. Using bongs or vaping avoids some of the harsh carbon irritants in smoking cannabis joints or blunts. You might add a little lemon juice to the bond water to cut the effects, but you do not want to alter the taste of the product too much. Vapers do not worry about the flavor or so many flavors would not sell so well.
Humidify with a vaporizer. If the cough and sore throat are lasting and bothersome, you might try a vaporizer or humidifier to throw some menthol into the room. If it continues and is accompanied by a fever, you must see a doctor.
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates, so if you smoke and drink, you double the likelihood of enduring dry mouth and sore throat. If you are hungover, you will not be sure of the cause, so you should hydrate with plain water, water for pediatrics, or water with electrolytes.
Opt for cough drops. You can relieve mild sore throats with lemon, mint, or eucalyptus flavored cough drops. You might also switch to cannabis lozenges which relieve pain and deliver some beneficial cannabinoids at the same time.
The biggest tip of all!
If you continue to smoke anything during the spread of COVID-19, you may be asking for trouble. This is not the time to tax your mouth, throat, nose, and respiratory system. If you insist on continuing to test the gods, you should consider some steps toward preventing the sore throat in the first place:
Avoid smoking circles. They are not conducive to facemasks and temperature checks.
Stop passing your butt. Your saliva will carry its DNA to the smoker on your left, not something you want to share.
Clean your room. If are inclined to smoke in your bedroom, bath, or wherever, you should give it a good cleaning frequently. The smoke you inhale and exhale stays in and on the environment for some time.
Refresh the stash. The older your cannabis stash the more irritating it can be. It has a shelf life and degrades overtime accumulating microbes that are not your friend.
Take a break. If you worry about the dry mouth and sore throat, if they have changed in strength, and if you have any exposure to COVID-19, it could be time to take a break from cannabis consumption for a while.
Will this pass, too?
COVID-19 is not a temporary thing. You will find it changing your way of life in the short- and long-term. Hopefully, cannabis breeders will step up to refine strains, breed the irritants out of it, and/or develop hybrids with increased medical benefits. Whatever this “new normal” turns out to be, you should prepare to alter your cannabis consumption.
