What is Good *RELAXING* Weed? Unwind with OG Kush + ACDC.

Ellen Scanlon (00:00):

This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over.

Ashley Keenan (00:06):

What is good weed? I know it sounds like a little bit of a quip here, but good weed is weed that makes you feel good. And to me that means a number of things. It can make you feel those typical euphoric high feelings that people adore or it could also give you therapeutic relief for symptoms of illnesses or side effects from medications.

Ellen Scanlon (00:39):

Welcome to How to Do the Pot, a podcast demystifying cannabis for women. I’m Ellen Scanlon.

Ellen Scanlon (00:47):

And welcome to our new series, What is Good Weed for Women? You just heard from Ashley Keenan, Leafly’s Canada editor and a patient advocate, and she shares what good weed means to her. In this new series, we’ll dig into what is weed that’s good for the way that you want to feel and which strains will help you feel that way, whether it’s more relaxed, more balanced, or more energized.

Ellen Scanlon (01:16):

If you haven’t yet, check out episode 154 for more insights from some of our favorite women founders in cannabis explaining what good weed means to them. This is a how-to show and the most important question to ask yourself before we start this series is, how do I want to feel after I consume? And we’re going to teach you how to get there. We have recommendations for specific strains, for specific activities because if you’re going to a concert, you’ll want to feel differently than if you’re setting up for a movie marathon on your couch or before you go out to a nice dinner. You’ll learn about two essential strains on each episode, and I’ll share the most important things to know about each strain before you try it. I believe that a big part of what makes good weed is when it perfectly matches your needs. I hope these tips, some from our listeners, some from cannabis experts, help you feel more confident when you’re ready to try for yourself.

Ellen Scanlon (02:30):

We are going to ease into this series and start with the best strains for relaxation first, because if you end up not liking how you feel, you can just fall asleep in the safety of your own warm bed. Think of it as low risk, high reward. And if relaxing sounds like something you need a little extra help with right now, do not worry, you are not alone. A recent survey conducted by the Harris Poll found that the number one reason why adults consume cannabis is to relax. Lisa Curiel Parker, a California-based creative who relies on cannabis for her chronic and painful migraines can relate.

Lisa Curiel Parker (03:14):

It feels like a deep massage on your head, like someone’s massaging your head with both hands and someone’s giving you a back rub, where all tension in your body just releases. It is the most wonderful sense of relief.

Ellen Scanlon (03:28):

Typically, relaxing strains are going to be referred to as indicas, but I really like to stay away from that classification because it just doesn’t tell the whole story or explain how you’re going to feel. If you’re interested in learning more about how that works, check out episode 77, which is called Indica Sativa Hybrid. And for now, I just want to focus on the strains that we know help you relax. How do you know if a relaxing strain is right for you? If at the end of the day you find that your mind is still racing, if you’re dealing with a lot of stress or pressure in your life, if you feel like your body just needs a break or if you have a hard time falling asleep, a relaxing strain may do wonders for you. Our first essential relaxing strain is OG Kush, which may sound like a strain for veteran weed consumers only, but even if you’re new to cannabis, you can definitely enjoy this strain too.

Ellen Scanlon (04:36):

Lately, I have been really into OG Kush. I’ve got limited downtime because of my toddler, my job, my life, and I’ve kind of been sticking to the classics. I don’t really want to spend the free time I can carve out experimenting with strains that I just might not know how I’m going to feel after I consume. With OG Kush, I know I’ll be able to fall asleep and I’ll feel rested in the morning. Strains that are high in THC, like OG Kush is, usually energize me and keep me active. But with this strain, I get both the fun creativity and the relaxation that I’m looking for and I’m not up until 3:00 AM organizing my closet, even if that does kind of sound like a fun night in for me.

Ellen Scanlon (05:33):

OG Kush is beloved for its health benefits, which is why in our original essential strain series, we called it the Super Stress and Sleep Aid. I also recommended it in our Weed Words Munchies episode as a great tool to stimulate appetite because it really does make food taste and smell that much better. So what can you expect when you consume OG Kush? You’ll feel a euphoric high and a heavy body. If you’re consuming cannabis to relieve pain, you’ll experience a less intense head high, which means that the medicine is working on the pain and not the brain, so to speak. THC can have different effects for different people, which makes it hard to tell you exactly how you’ll feel. You do have to try this for yourself. With OG Kush, because it’s usually bred for its relaxing qualities, sometimes the higher percentage of THC, the more sedating the effects will be.

Ellen Scanlon (06:37):

I recommend looking for strains with around 20% THC to start because high THC levels are what cause anxiety in people who are prone to it. And what is OG Kush’s history? OG Kush is the most popular strain of cannabis on weed maps and is the backbone of West Coast weed. It has mass popularity in the mainstream media and is tied heavily to cannabis culture. OG Kush is across between Hindu Kush and Chem Dog, a strain known for its pain relieving properties. OG Kush was first bred in 1992, and since then it’s been used to make a lot of other strains. What does OG Kush smell and taste like? My tip for any strain is always to smell it if you can. Your nose-nose is the saying, and if it smells good to you, it will probably connect well with your body. If you haven’t tried OG Kush before, you’ll notice citrus with lemon lime and a hint of spice. And if you’ve ever had the pleasure of smelling top shelf OG Kush, you probably know that its aromas are some of the richest scents that nature can produce.

Ellen Scanlon (07:58):

Some people think it smells like an old growth forest, and as someone who spends a lot of time hiking, I love this description. It smells like a relaxing walk in the woods that’s both fresh but dank with earthy pines and it has a crispness to it. Why do women love OG Kush? Many women who love this strain find that it helps with stress, depression, migraines, and ADHD. OG Kush helps relax your mind and also has anti-inflammatory properties that relax your muscles. It’s a great strain for women experiencing symptoms of menopause, such as sleeplessness or mood disorders. When is the right time to consume OG Kush? I look for OG Kush if I want a great knocked out best night of my life sleep and no morning after drowsy effects. If you suffer from chronic pain, this can also help allow you to do all the things a pain-free body lets you explore; yoga, hiking, whatever you love.

Ellen Scanlon (09:05):

And if your stressed mind makes it hard to sit and relax, OG Kush can provide the right kind of couch lock, not the kind where you can’t move for five hours, but the kind where your couch feels like the most comfortable place you have ever been. We asked our Instagram audience what they like to do when they consume OG Kush.

Lani Dellelo (09:29):

I believe it has this capacity to really help decompress, de-stress, relax the muscles, ease the mind, boost the mood, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Also, I’m a fiber artist, so I really enjoy it for the creative side of it too, because it does help me focus in and it also gets me into that lovely flow state a lot easier. So my favorite thing to do when I consume Kush is basically get creative. But I also like taking long walks after consuming as well, because I’ve just become more observant to all the beautiful details of nature and that’s where I find my inspirations. And then also in the evening time, I do enjoy consuming to help just relax my body and decompress myself a little bit more to get ready for bed by taking a long hot shower and light a candle and put some chill music on.

Ellen Scanlon (10:30):

OG Kush can be a heavy hitting strain, so I recommend starting slow. Have one or two hits, and then wait maybe 30 minutes to see how you feel. And if you feel like you’re a bit more relaxed, a bit too high, you can take some CBD. Try a tincture, an oil tincture, put it under your tongue for 30 seconds and you’ll feel less high and more like yourself in about 15 minutes.

Ellen Scanlon (11:01):

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Ellen Scanlon (11:34):

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Ellen Scanlon (12:38):

Our next strain has the same name as a famous classic rock band that was played a lot at parties when I was in college, ACDC. In our original Essential Strain series, we called ACDC The Strain for Every Woman, because it can improve your mood, reduce pain, relaxes and helps you feel just generally more content. It tends to work particularly well for women that struggle with anxiety. When you find ACDC in a dispensary, it will generally have a high percentage of CBD, which means that usually it is a non-intoxicating strain. That’s right, you won’t feel high when you consume it, just relaxed. High CBD strains are also really great for pain relief. We asked our Instagram community what they thought of CBD and whether it was a daily use of a tincture, microdosing for relieving a migraine, or CBD topicals for muscle pain, and How to Do the Pot fans agree, CBD can be really effective for pain relief, which is partly why I wanted to highlight ACDC as our second essential strain for relaxation.

Ellen Scanlon (13:57):

It’s hard to relax if you have chronic pain and ACDC’s high CBD percentage can really help offer some relief. What does ACDC smell and taste like? People describe the aroma as being a mix of cherries, diesel, gasoline, and mandarin orange peel. Although those don’t necessarily sound pleasant or even like they go together, ACDC does have a nice smell. You’ll smell an earthy sweetness with kind of subtle hints of juicy citrus. And the flavor is similar to the smell, tastes a little spicy with an overall natural sweetness. Why do women love ACDC? Women tend to really enjoy this strain for medical use and for promoting feelings of calm, really a sense of inner peace. It will give you that dropped shoulder sense of relaxation without feeling intoxicated. It’s also one of the best weed strains to share with a mixed experienced group of friends, people who have zero to infinite experience with cannabis. Everyone can get something positive from it. You should feel confident turning to ACDC for everything from pain relief, including migraines, and for your period to relief from stress to physical and mental relaxation.

Ellen Scanlon (15:33):

Embrace the pleasant clear head and motivation that it brings.What do I like about ac? I find that it helps bring new enthusiasm to an old project maybe that’s been on your list forever. Because ACDC’s non-intoxicating, it makes for a great tool to use if you’re brainstorming or problem solving. And I know those aren’t always the most relaxing activities, but if you’re feeling really stressed out because your living room is just too cluttered or maybe you need a new perspective on a work issue, taking some time on your own to reexamine the problem might give you all the clarity that you need. And there’s nothing more relaxing than finding a solution to something that’s been weighing on you. Some other ideas that feel like a good match for ACDC, you could invite your friends over for a tie dye party, something fun, go for a walk in your neighborhood, or you can just Netflix and chill. And if you’re looking for more information about how women are using CBD, kind of like a vitamin supplement, check out our CBD episode of Weed Words. We answer all your questions about CBD for sex, sleep, stress, and more.

Ellen Scanlon (16:58):

Now that I’ve given you a lot of information about these two strains, what makes them different? So OG Kush is commonly a high THC strain. ACDC is generally a high CBD strain. I had to pick strains that are all letters. That’s a lot of letters. In practice, this means that you will feel different with each of these strains, but you can expect to feel relaxed, whichever one you choose. Since you can get really high with OG Kush if you want, maybe it’s the strain that you turn to after a long week at work and you just really want to be in a different head space. Where ACDC is a better strain for having lunch with a challenging friend that you love, but maybe you just need a little boost to really enjoy. While these descriptions are typically how you’ll feel with these strains, please remember, cannabis is a plant. Plants grown in different places will be different just like with vegetables.

Ellen Scanlon (18:03):

A tomato grown in California and a tomato grown in Virginia are different. And the same goes for you. Weed affects everyone differently. And I really recommend starting slow until you know how you want to feel and how you’re going to feel. You didn’t give up on love forever after a middle school heartbreak, right? So try a little, pay attention to how you feel and have fun. I mentioned it before, and these strains might sound familiar to you because this series is an extension of our Essential Strain series, which covers the strains that every woman should have in her stash. In case you want to dive into those short and fun episodes, I’ll link to it in the show notes. What are your experiences with relaxing strains? Do you prefer them and which one is your favorite? Tell us at hi@dothepot.com or DM at us @dothepot. Stay tuned for the next episode in our What is Good Weed series, all about strains known for bringing feelings of balance.

Ellen Scanlon (19:14):

And a special thank you to Lani Dellelo for contributing your voice note. For lots more information and past episodes, visit dothepot.com, and that’s also where you can sign up for our newsletter. And if you like How to Do the Pot, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps more people find the show. Thank you to our producers, Madi Fair and Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon, and stay tuned for more of How to Do the Pot.