It’s no secret that medical marijuana has countless beneficial applications – and it seems that every day, she carves another notch into her bedpost.
From coffee and chocolate bars to beauty products and even dog treats, industry leaders and consumers alike are beginning to experiment with adding cannabis to their product lines and lifestyle routines. They’re reaping benefits like enhanced focus, increased relaxation and reduced pain. But while you may be aware of how cannabis can assist your performance on the running trails or at the brainstorming table of your start-up, you may be surprised to learn it can also enhance your experience in other areas – namely, between the sheets.
According to a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Stanford University Medical Center and published by the Journal for Sexual Medicine[1], researchers found that non-cannabis using women averaged six sexual encounters in four weeks – while their weed-loving counterparts capped out at 7.1 sexual encounters in the same span of time. This ran counter to expectations of researchers, who assumed cannabis use might impair sexual desire (clearly, they’ve never tried the stuff).
Now before we ask the curious and pressing question of what exactly that extra .1 entails, let’s reflect for a moment on what this data means – and it isn’t necessarily that more frequent cannabis use will lead to more frequent sex (If only we could light up a joint and immediately summon our perfect bedroom partner…But I digress).
However, the study does point to a positive association between marijuana use and sexual frequency in both men and women across all demographic groups studied. According to Senior Author Michael Eisenberg, this dose-dependent relationship suggests that cannabis could play a dynamic role in both enhancing a healthy sex life and treating sexual dysfunction.
This news couldn’t come at a more perfect time for women. Currently in the United States alone, a shocking 43% of people identifying as female report struggling with sexual issues.[2] Unfortunately, statistics can be difficult to generate due to cultural hesitation around the topic of sex and fear of speaking up in the doctor’s office. This means that an even larger number of us than originally reported may not be getting all the enjoyment we could out of our sex lives.
The shocking fact is this: Discrepancies in data considered, there are nearly FIFTY PERCENT of American women having less-than-pleasurable sex. That’s nearly half of women in the United States missing out on the enjoyment, satisfaction, and health benefits of a routine sexy-time sesh. The four culprits responsible for sexual dysfunction in women are categorized as lack of desire, inability to orgasm, problems reaching arousal, and/or pain during sex. Ouch. Could cannabis provide an opportunity for relief?
According to a growing number of physicians and sex specialists, it absolutely can. Dr. Hervé Damas of Grassroots Wellness in Miami, FL recognizes cannabis and sex as two topics intrinsically-linked. Dr. Damas holds workshops to educate patients on how different cannabinoids, terpene profiles, and available products can help treat common sexual issues and improve sexual experience.
“Our body’s natural endocannabinoid system is key in regulating things like pleasure, pain, relaxation and homeostasis,” says Damas. “When it is activated by the cannabinoids in cannabis, it can leave users feeling relaxed, with increased pleasure and decreased pain.”
Your Endocannabinoid System (or ECS) is the system of your body responsible for maintaining homeostasis – or balance – of your cells. The chemical compounds in cannabis, such as THC and CBD, bind to receptors on the cell walls and allow cannabis to produce its medicinal and euphoric effects. The ECS regulates countless important physical functions, including sleep, mood, appetite, inflammation, memory, pain, reproduction, and – you guessed it – pleasure.
“Introducing cannabis in the bedroom can lead to increased arousal, making sex even more enjoyable,” says Damas. “For some people who experience increased pleasurable sensations with cannabis, this effect can make sex feel even better.”
Of course, more research is needed to determine the efficacy of medical cannabis on sexual health. Although Cannabis consumption is becoming commonplace, its use in correlation with sex hasn’t been comprehensively studied. However, times are changing – and in the meantime, thousands of women are taking advantage of the plethora of new cannabis products designed to help them break their pleasure boundaries.
Click here for a review of three top-selling cannabis sex products
[1] https://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(17)31417-0/fulltext
[2] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9121-sexual-dysfunction
