The benefits that can be reaped from marijuana consumption are almost endless, with more and more positive attributes of the plant being discovered every day. However, high THC weed has been found to have negative effects on the testosterone levels inside of the body. This article is here to keep your informed about exactly what it is about cannabis that alters the production of your hormones levels so that you can keep yourself in check.
It is important to know that THC is one of many different cannabinoids that can be found within marijuana, with the other main one being CBD. Both of these compounds are vastly different – for instance, THC produces psychoactive effects, whilst CBD does not.
But, I hear you ask, what exactly does this have to do with testosterone?
Well, the simple answer to this question is that its related to the ways in which the compounds interact with the endocannabinoid network in the body. Unfortunately for us high THC weed smokers it has been discovered that, as THC binds to the receptors in the network, the production of testosterone is inhibited – this is pretty bad news.
The Silver Lining Of It All (Sort Of)
There is a little bit of a silver lining though, as weed that is has high CBD levels typically does not have this effect, since CBD doesn’t actually bind to cannabinoid receptors at all. Hooray!
Furthermore, CBD has actually been found to negate the bond between CB1 receptors and THC, meaning that it has the ability to reduce the psychoactive effects on the body caused by THC.
However…
However, all of the benefits associated with CBD do not cancel out the fact that, despite CBD not bonding with cannabinoid receptors, it still has the capacity to decrease levels of testosterone. This is due to a two-way relationship shared between testorsterone and cortisol – the body’s stress hormone.
CBD helps to reduce cortisol levels, which is why it is so good at calming down anxiety. However, with reduced cortisol levels comes reduced testosterone as well – because of their two-way relationship.
What’s the take away from all this?
In conclusion, smoking weed doesn’t do people any favours in terms of testosterone levels – in fact, smoking weed – especially high THC weed – is pretty much bound to decrease them. Therefore, my advice to you is to try to include more high CBD weed into your smoking diet, and try to consult a health professional about your smoking habits so that you can make sure you aren’t overdoing it. If you try switching out THC for some good old CBD, leave some comments about your experience down below! We’d love to hear from you.
Happy Smoking!
Brodie M
Nice!
Hi Emma 🙂
Thank you for the Reply 🙂