Tolerance breaks and Herbal Integration
By: Laura Murphy
Lets talk about Tolerance breaks
Tolerance break - or otherwise known as a T break - is a conscious decision to temporary halt cannabis consumption for the purpose of resetting the endocannabinoid system (ECS)
Think of it as a little reboot for your mind and body.
Our ECS is extremely important in the maintaining homeostasis, or balance, among all the body systems. It's a complex molecular system responsible for regulating many processes in the body including pain, memory, mood, appetite, stress, sleep, metabolism, and immune function. Since, THC works directly on our cannabinoid receptors it has the tendency to overwhelm our ECS, in turn, reducing the amount of cannabinoids your body produces naturally. So, when consuming THC we must be considerate in a way that improves our ECS rather than having the opposite diminishing effects.
Tolerance breaks can assist in the reset by helping it function to its highest ability.
While there is no scientific evidence that explains how long to refrain from cannabis, a study that was published in 2015 indicates that after about 48 hours, the endocannabinoid receptors have already started to reset. Therefore, a minimum of 48+ hours is considered to be a good tolerance break.
Every body is different though, so in retrospective doing what's best for your needs should be considered. For example, Frequent flyers may want to consider taking at least one week before reintroducing the plant back into your ritual/routines. A chronic cannabis consumer may need a couple of weeks to a month to fully detox from THC.
When is it time for a T - break? If you are finding that you’re no longer getting the same therapeutic benefit from your cannabis, you may want to think about a tolerance break.
Incorporate other herbs during a tolerance break
During tolerance breaks there may be experiences of negative side effects as your body adjusts back to its normal state. Incorporating other herbs into your regimen during this time can help with nourishing the nerves, relieving pain, irritability, low mood, changes in appetite, and aid in sleep along with other side effects that may arise.
Miss the ritual of smoking?
Incorporating smokable herbs during this time can give you an overwhelming sense of connection back to the mindfulness of ritual smoking without disrupting your tolerance break.
To name a few, Use herbs like :
Mullein - A great base herb for any herbal smoke blend known for its therapeutic actions to the respiratory system.
Skullcap - A supporting herb that soothes & nourishes the nervous system. Calms the mind and relaxes the body.
Passionflower - another supporting herb that relaxes the mind, calms restlessness with a subtle sedative effect.
Lavender - is a flavoring herb to use in your herbal smoke blend - If you're used to cannabis strain high in the terpene linalool - Use as a stress reliever that reduces anxiousness and promotes sleep. Leaves you calm and in a state of euphoria.
Curious on how to craft your own herbal smoke blend? You can find information here
Looking for smokable herb blends already formulated with CBD? Click here
Using other forms of herbal integration might look like teas and tinctures.
This can provide a great alternative to herbal smoking when taking a tolerance break.
Utilizing the power of herbs to relieve tolerance break symptoms can improve your overall sense of well being.
Using herbal adaptogens like Ashwaghanda or Reishi to help the body adapt to stressful situations and calming the nerves.
Having trouble mentally? Experiencing brain fog or mental exhaustion?
Incorporate herbs such as Gotu Kola for nourishment of the mind or Rosemary to improve memory.
To regulate the body back to its natural state, try our herbalist formulated Tolerance Break line of teas and tinctures.
During a T-break it is important to consider taking herbs to assist in cleaning & strengthening the lungs, along with clearing mucus from the respiratory passages,
especially if your way to consume was through smoke.
Do this by drinking teas with expectorant herbs or using tinctures made with lung supporting properties, which can provide you with relief from the symptoms that may arise during this time.
Choose herbs like :
Marshmallow Leaf - Soothes the throat and chest due to mucus in the lungs
Yerba Santa - Clears and assists respiratory
Mullein - A valuable herb for coughs and congestion.
Velvet Roots has created a lung supporting line just for tolerance breaks.
Use our herbalist formulated teas and tinctures to support you on your next tolerance break journey.