Where do the munchies come from?

As any smoker of weed knows a couple hours after doing the deed a case of the dreaded munchies comes on. Why? I have heard many explinations from my pothead friends, but of course most of them were made while high, and make very little sense. The two most intelligent answers so far are

  1. Weed increases you matabolism to a point where you need to eat a huge amount of food.
  2. Besides THC (the main chemcial in weed that causes the good feelings) pot also releases another mystery chemical in your brain that makes you think your hungry.

Please someone settle this one for me its been bothering me for a long time, and I need to win five bucks off my friend. I’m all for theory number two.

I’m probably wrong about this, but I think I remember this from high school. I was thinking that the THC, or something else in the pot, actually blocked certain nutrients from entering the bloodstream. Your body reactd to this “lack of nutrients” by requesting extra food. I could be way off, but it made sense at the time.

Looking back to one of my favorite childhood tomes, A Child’s Garden of Grass by Jack S. Margolis and Richard Clorfene, I remember the statement that there were THREE MAIN THINGS that were improved by the influence of marijuana: Music sounded better, Sex felt better, and Food tasted better.

I don’t think “munchies” appear because the Body craves nutrients, I think it’s because the Brain craves voluptuousness. A nice rich spoonful of Honey Vanilla ice cream, the snap and salt of a potato chip, the sear of a chicken taco, etc.

I have to agree with Ike. It isn’t that your body is “hungry”, it’s that the food tastes so good. Even when your body is full your taste buds still crave food. But not just any food! I remember seeing one of the Freak Brothers cartoons (perhaps several) and they were at a restaurant ordering meals one right after the other. It was funny. True to life in a lot of respects also (if you smoke that stuff).

Nothing to add at this point. But I love that book.

Remember the dedication line?

“We never smoked grass and we never will. But our friend Henry does, and he told us all the stuff that’s in this book.”

While I agree with IKE and “A Child’s Garden of Grass” on the three things that are improved from personal experience. I don’t think thats where the munchies come from. Though its deffinatly a factor that keeps the munchies going. You get the munchies before you eat anything, all of the sudden you just have to eat. Though I probably don’t have to be telling most of you what its feels like. Anyway back to my point you’ll eat anything no matter how bad it tastes. I remeber once I drank an enormous quantity of prune juice. Though this really isn’t a counterargument to IKE’s point. I guess I just don’t like IKE’s reason is justs not satisfying. I’m still all for my chemical in the brain reason. Someone please prove me right.

<ponders>

Nahhhhhhhh. I never ate anything that tasted crappy just to be eating something.

Of course, I don’t do that when I’m stone-cold sober either, which may have something to do with it.

I read this recently but I’ve forgotten where.

When you smoke MJ, you become intoxicated to varying degrees. As we’ve said, this affects your perceptions. But THC goes through your entire body, including the entire brain. So the brain’s appetite center gets intoxicated, too. That’s why you get the munchies. There are differences among individuals, of course.

Alcohol does this too. Sometimes it is used in moderate amounts intentionally to increase the appetite.

Yup, hence the curry craving at 11 at night (English pub shutting time), or the greasy fry up when you get back home (& the discovery of the washing up next morning… sigh)

LOL, you guys are cracking me up! Welcome to all you newbies I’m seeing in this thread too! Great thread to get started on, and one of my favorite side effects btw.

Ahhhhh, the munchies. I was told once by a nurse I knew (of course that’s not great proof) that pot affected the levels of sugar in the blood, kind of like what Aglarond was saying above. Neutron Star will probably be along soon to let us know the real deal I’m sure. :smiley:

Thanks a lot for all your posts. We must press on in the hope that one day someone with a big enough ego will tell us once and for all the true meaning behind the munchies. Or maybe the munchies just wern’t to be understood. But I’m going to have to get a copy of A Child’s Garden of Grass. Hopefully that will satisfy my craving for knowledge.

Definitely get yourself a copy, just don’t do that ‘blowing on your thumb’ thing. Man was that bizarre!

Because food tastes better, you get the munchies? No no no, it’s a result directly of some chemical stimulation. I think from the THC, which is why when you succumb to the munchies, it decreases the high (in intensity and duration) (the food and such helps wash the THC out of your system).

And if you want to know far too much about it, ask the chemists at marijuana.com. They love the stuff (obviously). Many of them, surprisintgly enough, don’t pepper their remarks with ‘dude’. :slight_smile:

With all due respect, I have to question the idea that THC intoxicates the appetite centre in the brain and therefore causes the munchies. It seems to me that this would imply that the munchies are hunger. IIRC, they’re not really related to hunger. I don’t smoke much anymore, but I recall the munchies being much more about sensualism than hunger. Eating a peach, the juice running down your chin, the flavour exploding in your mouth…also, the mixing of flavours - peanut butter and apple are delicious together, but I don’t recommend pb and marshmallow. It seemed like a good idea at the time, though.
“A Child’s Garden of Grass.” Man, I had forgotten all about that book. I had it in the seventies but lost it during one of the 20 or 30 moves since then. I also had the spoken word album - it opened up into a big pictures of a beautiful green plant (ideal for cleaning weed).
In the interests of science, I’ll run some experiments on myself this weekend and try to get to the bottom of the munchies question. I think there’s a bag of something in the freezer…

Damn you pipeliner! The last thing you said was just close enough to what I was going to say to ruin the whole thing (not that it was any big thing). But I was just going to mention that after reading this thread yesterday, with curiosity aroused, I performed some experiments last night.

I didn’t come to too many new and interesting conclusions, though I will certainly agree that it has more to do with the sensual nature of eating, than hunger itself. I did however confirm previous findings (found by myself) that Chips Ahoy cookies dipped in ice cold milk is the single best munchie treat one could have.

Way to take one for the team, Moe.

I’ll post my results here on Monday. If I remember.

And so the conversation turns…
Now, while what you have discribed is certainly a wonderfull munchie fufiller, I have to argue about it being the best. There are just so many things to pick from. Although I do find myself heavily into the research of what is the best cookie and milk combo.

Ever had Ranch Doritos and cream cheese? :smiley:

You people should try Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream
Now that is some damn good ice, and while umm gathering experimental data its a little slice of heaven.