A peer-reviewed research study entitled "The Effects of Consuming Cannabis Flower for Treatment of Fatigue" that was published in the Swiss journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids examined the effects of cannabis on fatigue.
The study involved 3,922 cannabis consumption sessions by 1,224 participants that were recorded using a mobile application. The research considered many aspects of the consumption sessions, including the phenotype (cultivar/strain), potency, consumption avenue, and any side effects (positive or negative).
The scientific investigation revealed that, overall, 92 percent of participants "experienced decreased fatigue following cannabis consumption," although the phenotype of the cannabis consumed (sativa, indica, hybrid) did not seem to influence the symptom relief delivered.
Interestingly, "people that used joints to combust the flower reported greater symptom relief than pipe or vaporizer users." A minority of study participants (under 24 percent) self-reported sometimes experiencing negative side effects that included increased fatigue and a lack of motivation. However, a larger portion of participants (37 percent) reported positive side effects that resulted in improved energy and increased activity.
"On average, users reported a starting symptom intensity level of 6.08 and an ending symptom intensity level of 2.60, suggesting an average symptom relief of 3.48," reported the study. Sixty-eight percent of participants reported a minimum of one negative side effect, while 96 percent of patients reported at least one positive effect.
The study reported that the terpenes alpha-pinene and d-limonene "are the most and the second most widely abundant terpenes, respectively, found in nature" and that both may deliver improved energy levels and decreased fatigue based on the results of previous studies of terpene-rich essential oils.
The study noted "additional terpenes and terMedicalpenoids that can be found at therapeutic levels in the cannabis plant" and that may aid in reducing fatigue in patients that include "pulegone, cineole (eucalyptol), alpha-terpineol, and p-cymene."
The study concluded that "the majority of patients experience decreased fatigue from consumption of cannabis flower" and that this positive outcome is likely due to the presence of both cannabinoids and terpenes and may involve the controversial entourage effect theory.
The study's authors emphasized the subjective efficacy delivered by cannabis consumption. "The magnitude of the effect and extent of side effects experienced...vary with individuals' metabolic states and the synergistic chemotypic (strain-specific) properties of the plant [being consumed]," concluded the researchers.
