Is the secret to more potent pot as easy as a trip to the grocery store? There’s a long standing belief out there that eating a few mangos before you smoke will increase the potency of your cannabis high. It’s not the first food to be given the sensi-superstition. You can find stories about black pepper, sweet potatoes, or cloves, and how they can affect your cannabis experience. The claim is that the mangos allow for a greater passage of THC through the blood-brain barrier, a selective and semipermeable membrane that allows for movement between your blood and the interstitium of your brain. 

To put it Fast & Furious, some people see mangos as the nitro booster to weed’s top speed, increasing onset and sending your high into overdrive but how real is this belief and is there any science behind it? Thanks to a 2024 study published by Washington State University, we now know that smoking cannabis activates parts of the hypothalamus region of the brain associated with the anticipation and consumption of food. After testing mice who had been exposed to vaporized cannabis as opposed to injected with THC, results suggest that the cannabinoid receptors are linked to key “feeding” cells contained within the brain. Interestingly, the scientists chose vaporization to more closely match the ways in which humans consume cannabis.

In this case, the culprit behind this idea seems to be the high concentration of the aromatic compound known as myrcene found in mangoes. Often referred to as a terpene, or terp, myrcene produces the earthy, fruity taste and smell we associate with this tropical stone fruit. On top of this, the dominance of myrcene across so many types of cannabis, fruits, and herbs earned it the title of a “monoterpene.” Evidence suggests that these monoterpenes can actually lower resistance across the blood brain barrier. We’ve yet to have any studies focused on this part of the relationship between cannabis and food so for now the truth to this is locked behind our own perceptions. But then, the mind is a powerful thing so who’s to say that if you believe that it isn’t working? Maybe it’s a byproduct of confusion. After all, similar to a racoon washing its hands, cannabis increases our taste bud receptors and makes sugary foods taste better. 

 

Perhaps the brain chemical effect we get from eating such a sweet treat is what first made people believe they were even more euphoric than they were before the mango slice. In the end, there are tons of benefits from consuming fruits and vegetables, including increased feelings of euphoria, but people argue that the amount you’d need to ingest to create a significant difference in your myrcene levels is more than you could eat in one sitting. Until we start to allow more scientific testing into the world of cannabis superstitions we’ll have to keep relying on the findings of our amateur sleuths. 

 

So if you feel like trying this experiment for yourself, you should remember not to eat too much and that it takes around a little while for the body to process the mango and raise your myrcene levels. Plus, make sure to pick out a ripe mango, not dehydrated, juiced, or pureed. Here are a couple CAM strains that will pair nicely with your experiment. 

• Devil Driver
• Georgia Pie x Zkittlez
• Lemon Cherry Gelato

 

Written By Matt Jackson