How Cannabis Can Shorten Your Sick Day (Without Smoking)

Just because you aren’t feeling well enough to light up doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy all of the benefits of cannabis during your downtime.

There’s nothing worse than being completely unprepared to battle a cold or flu when your body gets unsuspectedly taken over by nasty, vicious germs. First, it starts with the sniffles and a mildly bothersome tickle in the back of your throat. Then, before you know it, you’re in full blown defense mode with a hacking cough, searing throat, runny nose, watery eyes, a killer headache and chills running up and down your spine.

On those miserable days, just the idea of smoking is usually enough to send you into another round of painful, heaving coughs. So though it may be a little annoying, it’s definitely for the best that you listen to your body and resist the urge to smoke.

Keep in mind that you get to pick whatever strain you prefer for these recipes, so consider whether you’d like a mood-boosting sativa, a calming indica, the best of both worlds with a balanced hybrid or if you’re more interested in a CBD strain to take the edge off. You can also consider flavor profiles that will complement your dishes, and generally stay away from sweet or fruity strains for the savory recipes.

Cannabis-Infused Honey
Nothing is more humbling than struggling to swallow. Thankfully, honey is a lifesaver when it comes to relieving that stinging feeling in your throat. This super simple, two-ingredient recipe will get rid of the gravelly feeling you get every time you try to swallow.

Kief-Infused Chicken Soup
Chicken soup is a common sick day staple when it comes to home remedies, but this one will warm you up, offer you some nostalgic comfort and give you a nice, mellow buzz — depending on how much you eat. If you’ve got some time on your hands (three-and-a-half hours to be exact), you can try making your own brown stock from scratch. But if you’re in a hurry for relief, you can skip this step and still have a delicious soup.

Vegetable Soup with Medicated Garlic Croutons
People who don’t eat meat can skip the chicken without missing out on the soothing effects of a nice, hot bowl of soup with this vegetarian-friendly recipe that still gets the job done. This recipe definitely doubles the pleasure and healing effects, with cannabis-infused oil used in the soup as well as the medicated croutons.

Crystallized Kief Ginger
If your stomach is in knots or you feel nauseous, nibbling on some fresh ginger is an excellent way to ease your bellyache. Adding kief to this recipe boosts the root’s natural healing properties and can help to relieve muscle pain or menstrual cramps. Plus, it’s a sweet treat that can substitute for dessert while you’re getting better.

Kush Creams “The Cough” Throat Spray Elixir
Calling all aspiring herbalists! In addition to cannabis, this loaded throat spray incorporates hella medicinal herbs in its recipes, including dried Echinacea root, sage leaf and licorice root to help calm down painful inflammation in your throat. It will take some time and effort to make this concoction, but it’s worth it. Popping cough drops back-to-back is not only disheartening but the weird aftertaste of too many medicated lozenges can be really gross. [You can also buy the spray from Kush Creams.]

TELL US, how do you use cannabis medicine when you have a cold or flu?