Science of Edibles Simplified or Why Your High Hits Different

Margaret 00:00:05 Welcome friends, to episode 313. And today we're talking about the science of how edibles work in your body. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your hi life. I'm your host and Certified Ganjier Margaret and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. Welcome back, friends. I'm so glad that you're here. I want to say to the Bite Me the show about edibles. And I always forget that. Of course, there's a whole introduction that I've prerecorded that I always add in. You probably don't need to hear it another time, but I am thankful that you're here. And if you're just tuning in for the first time, this might be a good episode to start with, because we're getting a little sciency today about how edibles work biologically in your body. Because knowledge is power, and the more we know, the better we can take control of our high life, essentially. That's how I see it anyway.

Margaret 00:00:59 But welcome to the podcast that explores the intersection of food, culture and cannabis. Helping cooks make great edibles at home. What are you making today? What are you excited about? Let me know. Before we get into today's episode, we did cover a question last week that I wanted to remind you of. I did get some responses. What was something on your childhood wish list that you're still kind of mad that you never got? And I mentioned Cabbage Patch Kids because a lot of my friends had those and they were super popular at the time. I also really wanted Transformers. I think, as I mentioned in last week's episode, though, I did have three boys that lived two doors down that had all the toys you could ever hope for, but sometimes you just wanted one of your own. Am I right? But you know what I did play with a lot were little plastic figurines, and I do remember getting a lot. I had tons of them and I loved them. We would move around the house, plants and make jungles.

Margaret 00:02:03 And I remember that we would visit the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto as kids because they have the coolest dinosaur exhibit, and we would often get to pick out a plastic dinosaur figurine from the gift shop on the way out. I had those things forever, for years and years and years. Finally had to get rid of them. I grew out of them. I guess I kind of wish I still had 1 or 2 kicking around, but I would love to share a couple of the responses that I got over in the Bite Me Cannabis Club because I posted it there as well, and fortunately there were a couple of folks that were like, you know what? I didn't really want for anything when I was growing up. That was sort of a sentiment that I got from Wayne, based out of New York and Elbow based out of Australia. They spent a lot of time playing outside, as I did as well. I had a wonderful climbing tree in the yard and was playing the floors larva long before it became a thing.

Margaret 00:02:57 There was also Woody who said that as a kid he really wanted to get a mini bike and go kart. I never did get one. And the funny thing is, now that you get older, you think you know I have the money now, I could probably go get one of those things. I could probably reminiscence early, go get some kind of vintage Cabbage Patch doll. But alas, priorities change. So I'm going to ask you another question today, and I'll try and change it in the fan mail text messaging feature in the app that you're listening from. You can make use of that. I'll post it in the Bite Me Cannabis Club as well. What popular TV series do you think is extremely overrated? And as you may have guessed, as I mentioned last week when I first did this question, these are not necessarily cannabis related. I'll go first, friends. Yep, I said it. The show friends. I admittedly didn't really ever get that into it, but the laugh track I can't do TV shows with a laugh track.

Margaret 00:03:52 I never found it that funny. It was kind of unrealistic. It was just everyone loved. I know so many people that love the show friends. I'm like, I don't get it, so let me know. What TV show do you think is extremely overrated? And I'll I'll read out your answers on the show. And because we're also here to expand our cannabis knowledge, I'm also going to read a question, a culture question from the stoner trivia race for 20. Trivia pack. Shirak is a word used to describe high quality hashish. In what country? Afghanistan, New Zealand or Egypt? I've not heard of this term before. Chirac, Chirac and your options are Afghanistan, New Zealand and Egypt. If you guessed Afghanistan, you are correct and you know a lot about hash. We are talking about the science of edibles and how they work in your body. If you know somebody who might enjoy this episode, I know I'm asking you this before you've actually heard the episode itself, but you know me.

Margaret 00:05:01 I've done 300 episodes by now. It's going to be full of information that you can use to take control of your high life. So please share this episode with someone that you think would enjoy it, or learn something from it, or help to reduce stigma as well. And let's get into it. So I don't know about you, but the first time I had an edible, I probably expected it to hit like a like smoking a joint, like fast, familiar, easy, maybe with a touch of paranoia. This was happening to me quite often, which is why I was exploring edibles in the first place. But I took the edible, I knew nothing, I made this butter on the stove, didn't really know what I was doing, and I waited and I waited and I waited. And then suddenly you get this twinge, you're like, oh, maybe. Is that it? And the next thing you know, I'm just enveloped in this warm hug, having a heart to heart, I'd say, with my dog, but I can't remember if I still have my dog at that time.

Margaret 00:05:59 I might have, actually, I might have. Regardless, it was a lovely experience. It is by some miracle that I didn't overdose myself based on what I knew then versus what I know now, but I really liked that slow onset I discovered and the feeling of the high as well. But why does this happen? Today we're going to explore the science of how edibles actually work in your body, from your stomach to your liver to your brain. And don't worry, this isn't going to feel like a boring biology lecture. Think of it more like a guided edible trip through your digestive system. Think what was that magic school bus? Where, miss? I can't remember her name offhand. Miss frazzle took the kids through people's bodies. Digging myself a little bit. I'd use a more current example, but I'm really not up to date on kids kids entertaining cartoon entertainment. But buckle up, friends. Regardless, it's going to get nerdy and delicious. So the journey begins, and it begins with digestion.

Margaret 00:06:58 When you smoke or vape, THC takes a shortcut. It goes straight from your lungs into your bloodstream and then right to your brain. And that's why you feel it almost instantly. You know, you you take that puff and then 60s later, the process has happened and you're starting, you're feeling that high. But edibles, they're taking a scenic route and we're going to walk through it. So you eat your infused cookie gummy brownie infused pesto because you're a listener of this show and you've expanded your horizons substantially. So the first stop is your stomach. If your stomach is full, THC is going to hang out there longer waiting for its turn, and if it's empty, it's going to move along faster. But the ride might be bumpier. Then it heads into your small intestine, and that's where the real action begins. So here's the key. THC is fat soluble. That means it loves clinging to fat. And this is why infusing cannabis into fat butter, oil, cream. Any high fat infusion works so well.

Margaret 00:07:55 The fat molecules act like little taxis that carry THC across the gut lining and into your bloodstream. So while you're wondering why nothing's happening, your body is literally breaking down the edible packaging THC into fat friendly little bundles and shipping it off for processing. Think of it like a slow delivery. It's on the way. It's in the warehouse. It's on the truck. But it hasn't hit your doorstep yet. Did you know that your stomach acid doesn't actually break down the THC? It's the small intestine that absorbs it into your bloodstream. And without fat, much less THC gets through. So, yes, that little extra butter in your brownie is science approved. Next we go to the liver, and that's where the magic happens. Once THC leaves the small intestine, it doesn't just cruise directly to your brain. It takes a detour through your liver. And this is where the real magic happens. The liver is like the body's chemistry lab. Its job is to filter, metabolize, and break down compounds. And when it meets THC, it doesn't just process it, it transforms it.

Margaret 00:09:01 And this is what makes edibles different from smoking or vaping. Smoking gives you mostly delta nine THC. Edibles get converted by the liver into 11 hydroxy THC. So why does that matter? 11 hydroxy THC is more potent. Some studies suggest it's 2 to 3 times stronger. It also crosses the blood brain barrier more easily, meaning it can flood into your brain more effectively. And this is why edibles can feel so much more intense than smoking, even if the THC milligram looks the same on paper. And because your body has to digest, absorb, and metabolize before you feel anything. Edibles don't just hit stronger, but they hang around for longer. Sometimes 6 to 8 hours or more. As many of us know, if you've had a bad time on them because that's six eight hours can feel like an eternity. So the next time an edible sneaks up on you like a surprise boss battle in a video game, blame your liver. It's doing its job a little too well. Did you know that there are over 100 different cannabinoids in cannabis, but only a few, like THC and CBD, are well studied.

Margaret 00:10:09 Some evidence suggests that other cannabinoids like CBD or THC, might change how edibles feel. Though we're just scratching the surface. There is so much fascinating science around these new emerging since they are new but emerging cannabinoids that you're starting to see a little more out on the market now too. So next is the timing tolerance and why edibles are unpredictable. Let's first look at onset time. And I'm not going to get too much into this because I did a whole episode on the science of onset time, which is actually really interesting and worth a listen. I'll link to it in the show notes. You can find it easily, but the onset time can be anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes, depending on metabolism, what you've eaten, body weight, gut bacteria. It can also depend on empty stomach versus full stomach. An empty stomach. It's going to hit you faster. Often it it will feel more intense if your stomach is full. the slow the onset will be slower and a smoother ride. There's also considerations of tolerance.

Margaret 00:11:10 Regular cannabis users may metabolize THC differently, and bioavailability only a fraction of the THC gets absorbed. Efficiency matters. This is why edibles can feel like a sneaky ninja. You know nothing's happening. So you eat another cookie and then an hour later, bam! You're high enough to smell colors. That's where you get all these. These edibles ain't shit. Memes. Which a lot of them make me laugh. Did you know that men and women may metabolize edibles differently? Some studies suggest that estrogen levels can actually affect the THC sensitivity, which might explain why your partner and you have totally different experiences with the same brownie. And finally, we're going to talk about why the high feels different. So when you're smoking or vaping, you're going to get a quicker, shorter high say around 2 to 3 hours edibles. It's that slower onset but stronger longer High 4 to 8 hours, sometimes longer. The body is the body. High is more pronounced because of digestion and liver conversion. The brain experiences a wave effect since 11 hydroxy THC is stronger.

Margaret 00:12:19 So that's why edibles are great for long lasting relief. Pain, sleep or just a Saturday movie marathon? But it also explains why some people get overwhelmed if they don't respect the timing. Also, as I talked about at length and last week's episode, dosing matters, you want to get your dosing in because that is a very long time to feel uncomfortable if you don't get the dosing right. Did you know the reason edibles sometimes feel psychedelic at higher doses is because 11 hydroxy THC is not only stronger than delta nine. It may also interact differently with serotonin receptors in your brain. And that's why you might feel almost dreamlike after a big dose. So to recap, edibles take take the longer road digestion first, then metabolized by the liver, the transformed THC, into a stronger version of 11 hydroxy THC. And that's why they hit harder, last longer, and feel different than smoking. So the next time you pop an edible, you'll know the science behind why your edibles convinced you that you could, in fact, direct a Broadway musical.

Margaret 00:13:25 Knowledge is power. It can actually help you take control of your high life. And it's just wise to know the scientific mechanisms of how these things work. I'm working to get some scientists on the show, so maybe we can delve a little deeper into this science because, you know, my knowledge is somewhat rudimentary. You know what I know now? But speaking of guests, I am excited to announce that we're going to have a wonderful guest next week, Wesley Holloway of Benevolent Bakery. I'm really excited about releasing that episode to you. I think you're really going to enjoy it. He's a fascinating character, so stay tuned for that. My friends. I am your host, Margaret. And until next time, stay curious and stay high.