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11 Best Strains for Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease (a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD) is a digestive condition that can impact nutrition, cause significant bowel symptoms, and stimulate painful side effects.

Cannabis has long been used as a treatment for Crohn’s, and patients use a wide variety of strains to treat their condition. Patients use indica, sativa, hybrid, and CBD-forward strains—your choice will depend on personal preference.

Some patient favorite strains include Hash Plant, Jean-Guy, Medicine Man, and ACDC.

You’ll have to experiment with dose timing and strain to find your perfect medical cannabis treatment for Crohn’s.

If you’re living with Crohn’s disease, you’ve likely been frustrated by the lack of solutions available in the Western model of medicine. Between expensive medications and life-interrupting bowel rest, treatments for Crohn’s leave much to be desired.

Enter medical cannabis—an all-natural treatment that can boost your quality of life, improve your overall nutrition, and slash symptoms for Crohn’s patients. People have been using medical marijuana for chronic pain, inflammation, and nutritional support for generations, but Western medical research is only just scratching the surface of what medical marijuana has to offer.

In this guide, we’re breaking down a critical consideration for people looking to try medical cannabis for Crohn’s treatment: strain selection. If you’re looking for a comprehensive starting point before selecting your first medical cannabis product, read on.

Crohn’s Patients’ Favorite Strains

Depending on your personal goals and unique Crohn’s presentation, your strain selection might vary vastly from fellow patients’ selections. Every patient responds to cannabis strains in a unique way.

However, patients have reported that the following strains offer relief from one or more Crohn’s symptoms.

Strains fall into one of three categories: indica, sativa, and hybrid strains. If you’re looking for a mellowing strain that can relieve chronic pain and provide overall quality of life support, consider indicas like:

Hash Plant – Hash Plant offers a drowsy, relaxing high. It’s best used in the evening, and many patients report that it’s useful for nausea treatment and prevention.
King Louis – King Louis is a high-THC strain that’s exceptional for sleep support and appetite stimulation. However, it can be difficult to source—ask your budtender for similar recommendations if it’s not available at your dispensaries or pharmacy.
MK Ultra – A favorite among patients with nausea symptoms, MK Ultra offers a cerebral, relaxing high. However, it might be best suited to seasoned cannabis patients: its high THC content can lead to disorientation in large doses.

The above strains are generally recommended for nighttime use—they feature a relatively high THC content, and their relaxing properties might decrease your overall energy level and promote sleepiness.

However, Crohn’s patients in need of a more stimulating strain should consider sativas, including:

Jean Guy – A very popular strain in Canada, Jean Guy is commonly used to treat appetite loss and social anxiety. However, if you’re a newcomer to cannabis, tread lightly: this packs a punch with THC concentrations in the high 20% range.
Willie Nelson – Willie Nelson is a favorite among people living with chronic pain and inflammation, but it can also stimulate focus and appetite. However, if you’re prone to anxiety, keep your doses low and slowly increase as needed.
Citrus Punch – Renowned for helping users focus and fight nausea, Citrus Punch is a flavorful daytime strain. With a moderate THC concentration, it’s an excellent introduction to sativas.

What if you’re looking for the best of both worlds—a combination of the calming effects of indica with the focus-boosting properties of sativa? Turn to Crohn’s patients’ favorite hybrid strains, including:

Medicine Man – An indica-dominant hybrid, Medicine Man can improve focus and promote a subdued attitude. Plus, it’s a top choice for both pain relief and appetite stimulation.
El-Na – Promoting balanced mood, improved energy, and pain relief, El-Na is the perfect indica-dominant hybrid for newcomers to medical cannabis.

It’s important to keep in mind that, since all of the strains listed above have a non-negligible concentration of THC (10% and up), they will produce psychoactive effects. While you can limit these effects by using small doses and refining your treatment routine, some patients simply prefer to avoid intoxicants like THC.

These patients are in luck: CBD, the second most prevalent cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant, also promotes pain relief, appetite support, improved sleep, and so much more. Crohn’s patients looking to use medical marijuana without the high should try:

AC/DC – An even-split indica-sativa hybrid strain, AC/DC offers some of the highest CBD concentrations across all strains—as high as 20%. If nausea and upper digestive symptoms of Crohn’s keep you from achieving your ideal quality of life, this strain is a must-try.
Charlotte’s Web – Charlotte’s Web has been the subject of ample positive media attention after it was developed as an innovative seizure treatment strain. Its anticonvulsant properties translate to reduced pain—which could also be useful for people living with Crohn’s.
Pennywise – While this CBD-forward strain does feature a non-negligible THC concentration (meaning that it could produce psychoactive effects in high doses), it’s an exceptional entry for long-time CBD users looking to get their feet wet with THC. Its nausea-fighting, pain-relieving properties are highly sought after.

This is truly just the tip of the iceberg for Crohn’s patients—there are hundreds of cannabis strains on the market today, but the products above can provide a springboard for customized regimens.

Finding Your Ideal Strain: Practice Makes Perfect

Speaking of strain selection, how can people living with Crohn’s find their ideal strain for all-day, multi-symptom support? By keeping these two facts in mind:

You might need multiple strains – Depending on your symptom profile, lifestyle, and response to cannabis in general, you may need to use more than one strain each day to accomplish your goals. While this sounds complicated, it doesn’t have to be—it might be a matter of using one strain in the morning and taking a different strain before dinner.
Your responses could change – As your body adjusts to your cannabis treatment and you test out other lifestyle changes, you might find that your needs shift. Patients can change their strain selection, dose, and routine anytime. Your medical cannabis doctor can help you tweak your routine as needed.

That said, finding the right strains for you is all about experimentation:

Try out multiple strains – Explain your symptoms to your medical cannabis doctor and budtender (the pro at your local dispensaries or pharmacy). These experts will offer multiple strain options. You can test these out one at a time and assess your response.
Document your results – Think of strain selection as a science experiment: document the strains you test, your doses, and your responses to identify patterns and refine your selection over time. With a clear picture of what you like and dislike, you’ll quickly become your bartender’s favorite client.
Experiment with fidelity – Valid scientific experiments require repetition—running an experiment at least three times to establish as many data points as possible. Unless you have an extremely unpleasant experience with a strain, try to use it at least three times to get an overall feel for your response.

With an open mind, a detailed log, and multiple data points, you’re sure to find your ideal strain relatively quickly.

Notes About Home Growing

If you’re looking to cultivate your own strains of cannabis for Crohn’s disease at home, you’ll need to do your due diligence first. That’s because home cultivation isn’t legal in every state with cannabis legalization. For instance, it is not legal to grow cannabis at home in Louisiana.

It is, however, legal to grow medical cannabis in the following states:

Arizona
Hawaii
Illinois
Maryland
Missouri
Montana
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah

In addition, it’s legal to grow cannabis for either medical or recreational use in the following states:

Alaska
California
Colorado
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Nevada
Oregon
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington, D.C.

If you’re interested in home growing, check out our guide on the subject.

TeleLeaf Connects You with Medical Cannabis Care

If you’re living with the daily realities of Crohn’s disease—nausea, inflammation, pain, and nutritional deficiencies—medical marijuana could be the key to improved quality of life and symptom relief. But before heading to the dispensaries, you’ll need a recommendation for medical marijuana from a licensed clinician. That’s where TeleLeaf comes in.

As the best online medical marijuana card service on today’s market, patients turn to us for holistic cannabis support. We connect patients with compassionate, cannabis-informed clinicians who are prepared to guide you through every step of your all-natural healing path.

Plus, you can visit us from the comfort of your home. Schedule a virtual visit with a TeleLeaf provider to get started.

Sources:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Treatment for Crohn’s Disease.
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/crohns-disease/treatment

Canna Connection. Hash Plant.
https://www.cannaconnection.com/

WikiLeaf. King Louis XIII.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/king-louis-xiii

WikiLeaf. MK Ultra.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/mk-ultra

WikiLeaf. Jean Guy.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/jean-guy

WikiLeaf. Willie Nelson.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/willie-nelson

WikiLeaf. Citrus Punch.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/citrus-punch

WikiLeaf. Medicine Man.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/medicine-man

WikiLeaf. El-Na.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/el-na

WikiLeaf. ACDC.
https://www.wikileaf.com/strain/acdc