CBD has 20X the anti-inflammatory power of aspirin and twice that of hydrocortizone. Smoking it does not unleash that power for the gut unless ingested orally. Smoking hi THC strains is mostly for pain relief.
Here is a some info on decarboxylizing THCA or CBDA into THC and CBD. When smoked the carboxyl group is immediately freed from the acid form and renders THCA to THC and CBDA to CBD. When eating it you need to do this to make it able to pass the blood brain barrier to get the pain relief effects AND the anti-inflammatory effects in the gut and elsewhere.
The below describes the 'range' of effects provided by different levels of activation, their benefits, and the desired outcome for the patients who choose them.
Starting with:
The least activation, producing a bioavailable solution of mostly carboxyl-intact acid components; Continuing right through to decarboxylation, and active cannabinoids and chemicals, free of their carboxyl groups; And finally finishing with degradation and the byproducts of degraded THC.
1.) - Some patients require 'inactive' but bioavailable THCA, CBNA, CBDA and the other (to us) 'inactive acids', and in flowers those doses can range from .05g to as high as 4.5g, without 'doping up' or intoxicating a patient much, if at all even at the highest doses. These are cold tinctures, processed with material that is as fresh as possible, without decarbing.
Cold, but most importantly bioavailable extractions (more than just 'juicing' plant matter is required!), provide powerful anti-cancer/mutagenic, anti-seizure/spasmodic benefits and they provide wonderful pain relief without reducing sensation of touch, they reduce swelling and inflammation even in lower doses, and especially at higher doses, and they provide especially wonderful relief for specifically for MS, Parkinson's, as well as for generally frail patients, and also for those suffering from seizures.
Where it takes literally only a day or two to build up a tolerance to the highest of doses, and these oils and tinctures do not make a person feel overwhelmed, they are wonderful for treating patients who suffer from very powerful seizures, and similar attacks. Cannabis is incredibly non-toxic, an incredibly larger dose may be given to both provide relief, and to control the symptoms of more intense attacks, preventing further injury.
These oils and tinctures are also somewhat mood elevating, but still, for the most part it's without that medicated feeling. You will have very good pain relief, without losing your sensation of touch.
2.) - The first sensations (following a cold tincture that has had no activation) of an oil or tincture with only limited or partial activation and decent bioavailability, are primarily cerebral.
In higher doses, these under-processed edibles can cause some mild anxiety and even paranoia in some patients; hyperventilating, 'room-spins', racing-mind/thoughts, even vomiting, these are not uncommon side-effects of over-consumption of THC and trace amounts of THCA, when they are consumed in quantity, minus some of the important experience-regulating byproducts,of degradation.
3.) - Then, some patients want to feel relaxed, nicely buzzed but still functional, and they need something that elevates their mood without gluing them to the couch. In which case edibles decarbed and processed in oil, as described in most of the tutorials here, are a great place to start.
For those first starting out with edibles, I make sure their first few doses are about half of what they'd normally smoke in a single session, or in a single day if they are heavy smokers. Once they know what to expect, the average dose most people are satisfied with (but at the sane time they are not too overwhelmed by), is right around the same amount used in a 24 hour period. It's strong enough to either keep them from smoking quite as much in a day, or it actually out-right replaces their smoking for the day.
So if you smoke a gram a day, you'll want to eat between a half gram, to a gram in a well-processed edible. I like to split my daily dose into two to three smaller doses. Sometimes I take them in quick succession, sometimes I spread them out, and finish with a 'sleeper'... Deciding what level of processing you need, can be the tricky part.
4.) - The longer you heat in oil (to a certain extent, up to four or five hours), the more 'body intensive' the sensations will become, without a noticeable diminish in potency.
At these levels of activation you have highly effective pain relief, that can sometimes be powerful enough to effect sensitivity to touch.... for instance if you have a low tolerance, you may notice that you become clumsy, or 'loose and wobbly' on well-activated oil, you may lose some sensation of touch.
Four to six hours in oil at 220 f, or longer, and I'm either stuck to the couch, or falling fast asleep!
5.) Any longer than a few hours at such temperatures will reduce THC content. But while 'perceived potency' diminishes, and the ratio of THC begins to fall, the material becomes overloaded with byproducts of degraded THC, primarily in the form of delta-8-THC and CBN, and when combined they are powerfully sedative.
While their effects may seem weak during the time you can keep your eyes open, these oils and tinctures usually knock a patient out cold within 45 - 60 minutes, leaving them well rested upon waking the following morning (or afternoon)!