Want to improve your high? Eat a mango

Cannabis users, both recreational and medical, are renowned for finding new, ingenious ways to improve their experience with weed.

But what if we told you that simply eating a mango before your next session could dramatically improve the intensity and duration of your high?

MARIJUANA AND MANGOES: WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

Cannabis users around the world swear by this trick; eat a mango roughly 45 minutes before blazing and you’ll experience a stronger, longer-lasting high. But is this really true?

Unfortunately there is no real scientific explanation that proves or disproves this theory. However, there are some interesting facts that suggest that there is a stronger tie between mangoes and marijuana than you’d naturally come to imagine.

The thing both mangos and cannabis have in common is a specific terpene known as myrcene. Myrcene is a complex terpene found in a wide variety of fruits and plants including bay leaves, thyme, parsley and, of course, both mangoes and cannabis. It is known to produce an earthy, fruity aroma with slightly spicy undertones.

In fact, a study by the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture in Zurich, Switzerland examined the terpene profiles of 16 different cannabis varieties.[1] It found that myrcene was the most common terpene found in each of their samples.

Myrcene is also found in hops, or Humulus lupulus, a key ingredient used to make beer. Ever crack open a particularly hoppy brew and noticed subtle hints of weed or tropical fruits in the aroma? Its likely that myrcene plays a key role in producing those aromatic similarities.

So, weed and mangoes both contain myrcene. But how exactly does that explain why so many people experience a stronger, longer lasting high when combining the two?

While scientific studies haven’t explored this particular topic in detail, findings from earlier research also suggests that myrcene might be a key player here.

Studies from the 1970s found that myrcene can increase the permeability of cells in the human body. Therefore, it could be that the extra dose of myrcene you get from eating a ripe mango may help your body absorb THC and cannabinoids more quickly.

This may explain why some users find that eating a mango before blazing produces a faster onset of the effects from cannabis, ultimately leading them to feel more “high” than usual. How this affects the actual duration of the high, however, isn’t as clear.

THE MANGO VERDICT: YAY OR NAY?

Tempted to try the old mango trick for yourself? We say go for it. While the research is far from sound on how mangoes and cannabis interact, there’s no harm in trying.

In fact, mangoes are an extremely healthy snack and serve as a great way to curb the munchies. Not only are they delicious, but they also provide a wide variety of health benefits and believe to help improve vision, lower cholesterol, and even improve memory, which is always a welcome quality for stoners.

Just remember to pick the ripest mango you can find as they tend to contain higher concentrations of myrcene.