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Herb smoking?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by ptacub, Jan 5, 2013.

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  1. ptacub

    ptacub Guest

    Hey guys

    I'm a little curious about herb smoking (either rolled into a cigarette or smoked in a hookah or bong). For a short while, I have been curious about smoking but I don't want to experiment with tobacco-products because of nicotine's addictive properties, but I did hear about people smoking non-tobacco, non-addictive herbs (excluding cannabis and synthetic cannabis) and that some herbs do have relaxing properties.

    Obviously, I'm not oblivious to the fact that any form of smoke is bad for you. If I do end up smoking (and only after all my research is done), I would probably do it infrequently. However, I want to have all the facts before I do anything, so I'm just curious if anyone else has had prior experience with smoking legal herbs (while I do believe cannabis should be legal, this thread is not about smoking weed). I find a lot of contradicting and confusing information online so I want to hear it from users first-hand.
     
    #1 ptacub, Jan 5, 2013
  2. hmph

    hmph Guest

    there are a lot of great herb mixes you can smoke that do relax, make you sleepy, etc, whatever your needs are.
    i've smoke chamomile, it's not harsh (i never used hookah or bong for this, either), and it can be very relaxing and mellow. a few other flowers/herbs (passion fruit, lavender, sage and mint) can cause mellowness but not extraordinarily, for what i have experienced.
    however, i prefer drinking teas for calming effects. (tea leaves are harsh, herbal teas not as much when considering smoking them)

    i dont know. look around on the internet. try things out. i will warn you not to buy any 'legal bud/herbs' for the purpose of smoking. i used to fry my brain on this shit. the high is paranoid, dead, stupid, and scary. very intense and hallucinations are not uncommon on any of this stuff. stay away from legal highs. doesnt sound like this was what you are looking for, but just my suggestion if you do consider it.
     
    #2 hmph, Jan 6, 2013
  3. ptacub

    ptacub Guest

    I know exactly what you're saying. Those are the first things I came across. I find it quite ironic that they're legal to consume yet they're more dangerous than cannabis, which is relatively harmless yet illegal. But no, I don't want to achieve a high, just something that relaxes me because I tend to get very bad anxiety attacks and depression.

    Looking online I found a website that states that rolling Skullcap, Parrot’s Beak, Elephants Head into a cigarette and smoking it makes the user mellow and relieves anxiety. Sounds like it's okay to smoke or brew into a tea.

    Thanks for you help. I really appreciate it. :slight_smile:
     
    #3 ptacub, Jan 6, 2013
  4. KaraBulut

    KaraBulut
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    I'm not a fan of smoking anything. Generally speaking, smoking cigarettes does more damage not because of the nicotine but because of the frequency. But in the end, smoke is smoke and it's not good for your lungs.

    Have you been to a health food store and looked at teas and herbal options? If you're wanting something for anxiety and you're opposed to trying anti-anxiety meds, there are homeopathic remedies that are legal that you can take by pill or in teas that may help.

    You might also look into other options like biofeedback, progressive relaxation, exercise therapy and massage therapy- these work surprisingly well for anxiety.
     
    #4 KaraBulut, Jan 7, 2013
  5. Pseudojim

    Pseudojim
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    Firstly: Legality is not safety and i would strongly recommend against conflating the two issues. If you are interested in safety, then study safety, and disregard legality as legality has ZERO bearing on safety when it comes to substances.

    Synthetic cannabis has not been studied anywhere NEAR enough to be deemed safe. Essentially, nothing is known and it should be avoided at all costs in my opinion (for now).

    No correlation between lung cancer and cannabis smoking has been made, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Likewise emphysema and cannabis smoking. Thinking about it though, there are high-temperature free radicals and ions in almost all smoke, and these cause cancer. I think it is fair to say that inhaling any smoke will increase one's changes of contracting cancer or developing emphysema.

    You must also realise that cannabis is addictive, just in a different sense to the way in which nicotine or opiates (like morphine, heroin etc) are addictive. Cannabis can be habit forming, and an extremely difficult habit to break. Thankfully withdrawal symptoms are minimal, but you must be aware of the potential for psychological addiction. Don't ever take anyone's word who tells you that you cannot become addicted to cannabis.

    Finally, given your age, in my opinion you should not be considering this shit yet. Your brain is still developing and will be for around the next 7 years or so. During that time, what you put in your body will affect the ways in which your brain develops. Give it a few years at the absolute least, i reckon.
     
    #5 Pseudojim, Jan 7, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2013
  6. fallingsnow

    fallingsnow
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    Smoke weed.
     
    #6 fallingsnow, Jan 7, 2013
  7. ptacub

    ptacub Guest

    I'm well aware that any smoking is bad, but as you said, it's frequency, not necessarily the substance itself. I don't plan to do it frequently, just a "once in a while" kind of thing.

    I have tried any anti-anxiety meds, but they don't help. They just make the problem worse. So I'm looking for alternatives. Also, like I said, I'm just curious about smoking as a whole. But I will look into your suggestions as well. Thanks :slight_smile:

    I know. I have looked into it and what most people who have had experience first hand recommend against it. A lot of people said they had "bad trips" on synthetic cannabis that they did not get with regular cannabis. But like I said, this thread is not about cannabis. I have no intention to smoke it habitually.

    It depends on one's personality. If you generally have an addictive personality, you'll get addicted. I generally don't get psychologically addicted to anything. But, as I said, it's not about cannabis. You must've misread my original post.

    I appreciate your input. Like I said, I'm not going into this without all the facts. It's just a curiosity, I have not decided anything yet.
     
    #7 ptacub, Jan 7, 2013
  8. fallingsnow

    fallingsnow
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    Out of all the options you are thinking of... to be honest, marijuana is by far the safest. Weed has always had negative stereotypes ever since the Regan administration. The facts are there if you look for them. Non habit forming, safe, helps countless diseases and mental disabilities. If you are serious about trying anything, please choose something natural and not some fake herb from a smoke shop or magazine, those are MUCH worse for you. (First hand experience)
     
    #8 fallingsnow, Jan 7, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2013
  9. Pseudojim

    Pseudojim
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    Ah, yeah i must've skimmed and missed the word "excluding" =)
     
    #9 Pseudojim, Jan 7, 2013
  10. KaraBulut

    KaraBulut
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    It goes back much further that that. :slight_smile:

    Reagan was in office from 1980-1988.

    This film is from 1938:
    [YOUTUBE]54xWo7ITFbg[/YOUTUBE]


    It would not be accurate to say that marijuana is not habit-forming, nor would it be consistent with the research. The drug interacts with a receptor in the brain called the cannabinoid receptor that plays a part in the dopamine reward system. The drugs that we know act upon this system are habit-forming and the research does support that cannabis is moderately habit-forming. It's not as addictive as nicotine or methamphetamine but cannabis is considered to be both physically and psychologically addictive.

    Most clinicians agree that some of the substances in marijuana in symptom relief for some diseases or for relief of the side effects of chemotherapy. It does little to address the underlying condition.
     
    #10 KaraBulut, Jan 8, 2013
  11. Pseudojim

    Pseudojim
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    Can personally vouch that cannabis is habit forming, after believing that it was physically non-addictive.

    It tends to lack the withdrawal symptoms of most addictive drugs, but that does not mean that it is not addictive. It is.
     
    #11 Pseudojim, Jan 8, 2013
  12. ptacub

    ptacub Guest

    I know. I would if it were legal, but to be honest I'm not really willing to deal with the legal consequences involved. But it may change in a couple of years or so, considering Netherlands has it legal and Washington legalized it.

    tbh, now that I think of it, I might reconsider this and maybe attempt it later in life when I'm independent. I don't want to have to sneak around to smoke stuff while I still live with my parents. But thanks for your help, guys. :slight_smile: Really appreciate it.
     
    #12 ptacub, Jan 8, 2013
  13. Tildeunderscore

    Tildeunderscore
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    If you must inhale herb vaporization is much better. Vaporizers aren't even that expensive and can be homemade pretty easily
     
    #13 Tildeunderscore, Jan 17, 2013
  14. Shadowsettler

    Shadowsettler
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    Don't smoke tobacco... marijuana might be okay. I'm not telling you to do it, i'm just saying that it's okay.
     
    #14 Shadowsettler, Jan 17, 2013
  15. Jim

    Jim
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    I've smoked weed a few times and it didn't do anything, so I've just decided it's a huge waste of money, and anything you smoke damages your lungs to a certain degree. Weirdly i've never become addicted to smoking tabacco either, I think I might be immune to nicotine haha
     
    #15 Jim, Jan 17, 2013
  16. Shadowsettler

    Shadowsettler
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    It baffles me that some people don't feel the effects of marijuana....
     
    #16 Shadowsettler, Jan 17, 2013
  17. Jim

    Jim
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    Why? It just doesn't do a thing to me :/
     
    #17 Jim, Jan 17, 2013
  18. onlythebulls13

    onlythebulls13
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    If it doesn't do anything to you then you are either smoking really low grade bud or you are not inhaling.... Its impossible to not be effected by marijuana because all humans have THC receptors in their brain and they are triggered as soon as it enters your blood stream
     
    #18 onlythebulls13, Jan 17, 2013
  19. Jim

    Jim
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    I do inhale and I smoke the same stuff my friend smokes and she gets really high..

    I'm just weird.
     
    #19 Jim, Jan 17, 2013
  20. Pain

    Pain Guest

    I wouldn't recommend smoking cannabis through a hookah. If you were to smoke anything else (usually shishah in a hookah), the cannabis would still be strong even with a couple washes.
     
    #20 Pain, Jan 17, 2013
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