Cannabis flower may act as an effective pain reliever for migraines and headaches

Research published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine sheds new light on the use of common cannabis products for treating headaches and migraines. Researchers Sarah S. Stith et al. found that dried Cannabis flower could effectively treat pain from migraines and headaches. From 2016 to 2019, the researchers used a cannabis use tracking application called Releaf to collect data from 699 participants.

In 1,910 sessions, 94% of the participants reported improved symptoms in a two-hour window. Trends in relief depended on users’ gender and age, whether they suffered from headaches or migraines, and variations in cannabis strain. Researchers found greater symptom relief in males and users younger than 35. A concentration of at least 10% THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) was the “strongest independent predictor of symptom relief,” with the most noticeable effects in headache sufferers. Finally, both younger cannabis users and females benefited more from a particular flower strain called C. indica, rather than C. sativa or hybrid strains.

The study’s limitations include its lack of a control group and the range of cannabinoids tested. However, its results indicate that specific cannabis strains effectively treat migraine and headache pain in certain patient groups.