Why Does My Throat Feel Weird After Eating CBD Edibles?

CBD products have become enormously popular because they appear to deliver health and wellness benefits, without making people high or triggering serious side effects.

A few, however, complain that their throat feels weird after consuming CBD edibles. That’s an uncommon reaction, but it can happen for several reasons.

1. A different ingredient in the edibles is causing the sensation. That’s most likely to happen with some brands of gummies.
2. They are experiencing dry mouth, which sometimes occurs after consuming CBD edibles. If they can’t quickly eliminate the feeling, it might progress to become a sore throat.
3. They are suffering from the effects of an allergy. They might be allergic to an edible’s ingredient, CBD, or the small amount of THC that most CBD products contain. A THC allergy is most likely.
4. They may be consuming cannabis edibles rather than ones infused with CBD. The THC in marijuana is more likely to cause a sore throat.

Allergies are easy to understand. The body can react negatively to any food or substance — including CBD, THC, and other ingredients used to make edibles — and trigger unwanted, sometimes serious effects. The connection between CBD (or THC) and dry mouth isn’t as obvious.

Readers who’ve smoked marijuana probably know that it may cause dry mouth. The common assumption is that the feeling is caused directly by the smoke. But CBD and THC products of all types can cause users’ mouths to become dry because they interact with the bodily system that creates saliva.

In most cases, the two substances reduce saliva production and/or make the saliva thicker. That leads to the “dry mouth” feeling familiar to cannabis smokers, called xerostomia by medical and healthcare professionals. A severe case of xerostomia can trigger additional symptoms, including a dry or sore throat, hoarseness, and difficulty speaking and swallowing.

Dry mouth is more common among cannabis users than CBD users, it usually eases after the weed’s effects wear off, and it can be easily reversed by sipping water, or sucking some sugarless candy or lozenges. If the weird throat sensations don’t go away, however, it might be time to see the doctor.

We’ve only provided brief answers to a complicated question so far. If you want to learn more, read on.

CBD and THC

To understand the link between CBD, THC, and odd sensations in the mouth and throat, it’s first necessary to understand the substances and how they work in the body.

What are CBD and THC?

Cannabis and hemp plants contain more than 100 plant compounds called cannabinoids. CBD and THC are the most important.

Psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the dominant cannabinoid in cannabis, and it’s the compound that makes marijuana users high. Non-intoxicating CBD (cannabidiol) is dominant in hemp, and that’s why the cannabidiol used to produce CBD products is extracted from hemp. The latter plants contain only a small amount of THC, not enough to impair users in any way.

The two cannabinoids are very similar in chemical structure, and they each appear to provide a number of medical benefits once they’re inside the body. The way they deliver those effects is fascinating — and it’s the key to understanding the dry mouth that many weed users (and some CBD users) experience.

The Endocannabinoid System

About 35 years ago, researchers discovered a previously unknown but important network of receptors and transmitters in the human body. (It’s since been learned that the same network is present in all animals.)

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) extends throughout the body. It’s responsible for governing an enormous number of crucial functions including thought, memory, sleep, pain, immunity, and inflammation. Its two components are receptors that send and receive control messages, and neurotransmitters that carry messages between receptors and the body’s organs.

Those neurotransmitters are called endocannabinoids, and as their name suggests, their chemical structures are very similar to those of THC, CBD, and the other cannabinoids found in cannabis and hemp. The similarity is what allows CBD and THC to provide their effects; they’re able to interact with ECS receptors to alter messages or create their own.

There are two types of ECS receptors.

CB1 receptors are primarily located in the brain and nervous system, and THC binds easily to them. That’s how THC alters users’ senses and thought processes to make them high. CB2 receptors are mostly located elsewhere in the body, and those are the receptors that CBD generally interacts with — explaining why CBD is non-intoxicating.

If you’re wondering what all of this has to do with dry mouths and weird feelings in the throat, we’re almost there.

There are numerous CB1 receptors in the salivary glands located in the mouth and around the face — and two of the many functions they regulate are the production and consistency of saliva. When THC binds to those receptors, it’s likely to slow the glands’ saliva production and make the saliva that is released thicker. The actions combine to make users’ mouths feel dry.

THC’s effects on the receptors also slow the operation of the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which is one of the systems that determines how much saliva is needed to digest food. That leads to even less saliva production and an even dryer mouth.

So the THC-ECS interaction, not the smoke, is why weed smokers are prone to dry mouth, and it’s why cannabis edibles can cause the same effect. But what about CBD edibles?

There are three reasons why edibles containing cannabidiol might cause dry mouth.

• CBD does interact with CB1 receptors, just not as often or as strongly. The CBD in edibles may cause the same effects as THC, just to a lesser degree.
• There are small numbers of CB2 receptors in the salivary glands, and CBD can interact with those to affect the glands’ functions.

We’ll take a deeper dive on the third reason.

What’s in Extracted CBD?

Cannabidiol must be physically extracted from hemp to make CBD products. Several processes can be used, with the best (and most expensive) alternative, supercritical CO₂ extraction, used by most high-end producers.

The extracted CBD isn’t pure, however. It also contains some of hemp’s other plant compounds, including terpenes and cannabinoids — including the small amount of THC found in hemp.

That explains several of the reasons your throat might feel weird after eating CBD edibles. You could be allergic to the THC in cannabidiol, or the THC’s interaction with CB1 receptors in the salivary glands may be causing a dry mouth that can become a sore throat.

If it is the THC that’s causing issues, though, you have options. Producers can filter and process extracted CBD to remove the THC; that’s also beneficial for users who are afraid that the small amount of THC in cannabidiol might trigger a positive cannabis drug test. (That doesn’t happen often, but it is possible.)

The extra filtering produces two more types of cannabidiol to be used in the manufacture of CBD products:

• Broad-spectrum CBD contains all of the plant compounds extracted with cannabidiol, except for the THC. (Slight traces of THC may still remain, however.)
• CBD isolate is pure CBD, with all traces of all plant compounds, including THC, removed.

Why wouldn’t every user choose products made with CBD isolate? There’s a three-word answer to that question: the entourage effect.

The additional plant compounds contained in extracted cannabidiol work together in what scientists call an “entourage effect” to maximize the CBD’s performance. Removing THC to create broad-spectrum CBD, or all of the compounds to create CBD isolate, reduces the entourage effect and makes the cannabidiol less effective.

Unless a user has a specific reason to choose an alternative product, they’re best served by opting for full-spectrum CBD — so named because it contains the full spectrum of plant compounds found in hemp. A sore throat triggered by CBD edibles, though, might be one of those specific reasons calling for a switch to broad-spectrum or isolate edible products.

What Else Is in Edibles?

There’s one potential cause of a “weird feeling” in the throat we haven’t discussed yet.

The number of ingredients that can be found in various types of CBD and THC edibles is enormous. Depending on the type of edible, there could be butter, oil, milk, sugar, citric or malic acid, chocolate or cocoa, nuts, juices, spices, gelatin, or nuts, in addition to the cannabinoid — and that’s just a partial list.

Users experiencing sore throats or similar odd sensations may be allergic to one of the ingredients in their CBD or THC edible. And an ingredient often used in gummies and found in many other edible products may be a suspect to consider: soy lecithin.

This common food additive, also used in products ranging from mayonnaise to packaged baked goods, is an emulsifier. It’s used to help bind oil and water in prepared foods, improve their texture, and increase their shelf lives.

However, soy allergies are among the most common allergies in the Western world. People who are allergic to soy can suffer negative effects including diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, appetite loss, dizziness — and sore or swollen throats. A “weird” feeling in the throat after consuming an edible might well be a sign that the user is allergic to soy lecithin.

Those with allergies of any sort should always carefully check the ingredient lists on all of the foods they consume, including CBD or THC edibles. The cannabinoids may provide a wealth of potential medical benefits, but edibles containing them may not always be risk-free for some people.

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