Introduction
Cannabis has historically been cultivated and consumed all over the world for its therapeutic and psychoactive compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes. Prohibited in most of the world for the past century or so, recent law changes in various places has led to more education and less stigmatisation of cannabis. So why does THC give you the munchies? This article will dive into how the body and mind processes cannabis, how it results in our increased appetite and enjoyment of food and the role dopamine plays.
See the legal countries in the previous post.
“The munchies” is one of the most well known side effects of cannabis. It can be a bother if it’s late at night and you have nothing in the cupboards, or it can be what makes the difference to your quality of life during chemotherapy. There is some scientific understanding but there are limits to the knowledge. Like most things cannabis, it’s very personal and not so concrete.
Understanding THC and Cannabis
Cannabis contains dozens of cannabinoids and hundreds of terpenes, these occur in different amounts across the spread of cultivars. The most psychoactive and therapeutic of these compounds is the cannabinoid THC. THC is responsible for the euphoric and relaxed feeling of cannabis as well as the induced hunger.
The ECS is responsible for regulating many functions in our brain and body including mood, stress and organ function. THC actually mimics the compound anandamide, which is an “endo” cannabinoid, meaning its produced by our own body. Anandamide in the system leads to the release of dopamine, which we will discuss in more detail later.
THC also interacts with areas of the brain that deal with motor control and activity level. This is why cannabis can slow down your reaction time and affect your movements. This combined with the euphoria of the dopamine release created the iconic unbothered relaxed feeling of being high on cannabis.
Strains with a higher THC content are known to have the strongest effect on the body and mind. THC is also used by some people as a mild sedative, especially effective when the cultivar contains high levels of calming terpenes like myrcene. Some strains have equal or even higher amounts of CBD than THC. These strains have less sedative and euphoric effects but can be very calming and therapeutic to the system and help you focus.
The Science Behind the Munchies
When THC has been consumed, the whole experience of eating feels like it’s magnified as well as an increase of appetite. Food seems like it tastes better, smells better and you want it more. There are a number of functions the way we process THC that cause this to happen.
Possibly the most direct way is by inducing the release of the hormone “ghrelin” which is usually regulated by your stomach and intestines and is responsible for the feeling of hunger. This happens via the CB1 receptors of the ECS which regulate much of the brain, the digestive system and cardiovascular system among other things.
THC in the CB1 receptors can increase levels of ghrelin in multiple ways. One way is the reduction of a natural hormone called “peptide tyrosine tyrosine” or PYY which is linked to body weight and energy control. Also, something called the “mammalian target of rapamycin” or the mTOR pathway can be activated. It controls things like metabolism, cell growth and protein processing so when activated will induce ghrelin production and therefore hunger.
Production of ghrelin explains the sometimes surprising increase of appetite as the THC directly affects our hunger hormone. This is very useful particularly with conditions such as anorexia, or chemotherapy induced anorexia. There have been attempts to create synthetic chemicals to treat anorexia but none have been as successful as cannabis.
The experience of the munchies overall is a mix of things happening as THC’s mood altering effect makes food more appetising and more enticing as well as increasing our capacity to eat.
Increased Sensory Perception
THC gives you heightened senses, this adds to the experience of cannabis as a whole. Many people feel a more intense feeling of pleasure and joy when they couple cannabis with things like music, film as well as food. Too much THC can bring us to the other extreme and we can end up being very uncomfortable and anxious as we focus on and magnify negative things around us.
THC also produces a heightened sense of smell and taste due to its interaction with the ECS in the brain. This therefore results in more vibrate and vivid tastes, which are experienced by a more sensitive nervous system. This has the potential to snowball into extreme enjoyment. This would explain characteristic theatrical awe of food “the munchies” sometimes induces in people.
In the brain, the basal ganglia affects motor control and may also influence the enjoyment of eating and the experience of full immersion into the food. Research has also shown that there are CB1 and CB2 receptors in our taste buds, and when they are activated the tastes of sweet and fatty food is enhanced. This explains the cravings for foods that might be more unhealthy for you.
Therefore it is recommended to prepare healthy snacks to avoid giving into potentially unhealthy cravings. It may be logical to assume that this means having the munchies all the time might cause weight gain. However, a study about medical cannabis and insulin levels found on average, a smaller waistband and more stable blood sugar levels in those who consumed cannabis.
The Role of Dopamine
Dopamine is sometimes known as the pleasure hormone and is the chemical associated with joy, euphoria, excitement and satisfaction. It affects many parts of our physical and mental functions including mood, memory, attention and sleep. It is our body’s inbuilt reward system designed to regulate our activities and feelings towards them.
When we consume cannabis, our dopamine levels go way above normal, creating the euphoria and energised feeling from cannabis. Dopamine is also released with things like eating delicious food, drinking alcohol and socialising.
The dopamine release from just eating certain foods can actually add to the experience of the munchies because both the food and the cannabis are enhancing the enjoyment of each other. In theory, if the food you eat is nutritious enough and contains various terpenes it can add its own special influence to the entourage effect brought by the cannabis.
This opportunity for optimisation of health and enjoyment does come at a cost however. If we are not careful or emotionally compromised somehow, we can begin to crave the dopamine release of cannabis, junk food or alcohol. It is important to consume everything consciously and always seek the best advice we can to keep our mental and physical health secure.
Conclusion
Cannabis has many uses and effects that are often intertwined with each other and differ from person to person. THC, the main psychoactive ingredient, is responsible for many therapeutic effects of cannabis due to its mimicking of the natural ‘bliss’ hormone anandamide, which in turn leads to the creation of more dopamine.
There are also various biological and neurological functions that combine to induce the production of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. THC also adds to the immersion in food by increasing the sense of smell and taste. This induced appetite which can be utilised for treatments of things like anorexia.
The dopamine released by THC enhances the enjoyment of the food as we also get dopamine from the food itself. The tastes of sweet and fatty foods are particularly enhanced meaning we should be careful not to overload on dopamine.
Cannabis science has developed a great deal in the last 50 years and there are many medical treatments and certain nations allow for adult personal use. The munchies is a well known phenomenon but actually fairly complex still with unknown elements. Most cannabis industries are still very young and there is still much more we can learn about what the plant works.
