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Dry Mouth Remedies: List of 32 Cottonmouth Cures (Instant Relief)

One of the first things that every cannabis user experiences is dry mouth.

This is what it looks like:

You smoke a joint and after some time you have an overwhelming sensation of dryness in your mouth.

You immediately start panicking and scanning the nearby area for the nearest source of water (or any other liquid of that matter).

Finally, you chug down a liter of water like it’s nobody’s business.

Job done. Well, at least for the next couple of minutes.

Even though it can be confusing at first, dry mouth is a symptom that almost everyone experiences when consuming cannabis. To explain what it is exactly (and then how to get rid of it), we’ll need to go into a Walter White mode for a little bit.

Freebie: 32 Dry Mouth Remedies PDF

I made a PDF version of this list so you can have it on you at all times. I’ll email it to you in a minute if you’re in.

Why cannabis makes your mouth dry?

When we smoke cannabis, we also take in several groups of compounds that produce a bunch of different effects in us. All of these compound are located in the small hair-like structures called trichomes.

Trichomes are small, translucent hairs located on the epidermis, the outer layer tissue of the cannabis plant. Trichomes contain two chemical substances, cannabinoids and terpenes. There are more than a 100 different cannabinoids, but the most prominent are THC, CBD, CBN and CBG.

Once we smoke (or metabolize) cannabinoids, they get transported into our bloodstream and then activate various receptors in our bodies.

These receptors are a part of our very own endocannabinoid system: A physiological factory of cellular activators and receptors which help balance many of our cellular processes, like regulation of appetite, energy metabolism, food intake, immune system response and many more. (study)

One group of these receptors is located in our salivary glands. Once stimulated by THC, they cut back on the production of saliva, therefore producing the unpleasant feeling of dry mouth.

So, the big question is this:

What is the best way to reduce dry mouth while high?

Well, let’s just say there are a few tricks that cannabis users picked up along the way. And we are going to arm you with these tricks right away.

I scoured the Internet in search of the best cures for cotton mouth. That means Reddit, Quora and more than a dozen various forums. We even found Snoop Dogg’s favorite cotton mouth remedy.

End result?

This list of 32 dry mouth remedies that you can try out right now

  1. Chew on a piece of lemon (lime works too)
  2. Sip on some chocolate milk (make sure the milk is full fat)
  3. Grab a couple of chewing gums (try both sour and minty gums)
  4. Munch on some oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits
  5. Drink a carbonated and citrusy drink (like Fresca)
  6. Sip water before, during and after consuming weed
  7. Eat a sour candy (something like Jolly Ranchers)
  8. Nibble on some Skittles (Snoop Dogg’s favorite cotton mouth cure, according to his Reddit AMA)
  9. Use a lozenge or a cough drop (Fisherman’s Friend should work great)
  10. Grab a bottle of Gatorade
  11. Brew a cup of Green Tea
  12. Eat a spoon of peanut butter
  13. Make a smoothie with mango, yogurt, banana and ice
  14. Drink a glass of apple juice (it does wonders as well)
  15. Make some DIY popsicles from fruit juice
  16. Grab a regular, commercial ice cream
  17. Drink an Arnold Palmer (ice tea and lemonade mix)
  18. Watermelon, watermelon and more watermelon
  19. Gargle with salt water (it will trigger your salivary glands)
  20. Rub a tiny bit of cayenne pepper around your tongue
  21. Down a cup of ginger juice
  22. Rinse your mouth with aloe vera
  23. Eat some canned pineapple
  24. Munch on some fennel seeds
  25. Brush your teeth and gargle with warm water
  26. Grab some AriZona Iced tea
  27. Make a strawberry-banana smoothie
  28. Squeeze a glass of fresh orange juice
  29. Try a couple of saltine crackers
  30. Drink some Mountain Dew
  31. Sip on a chocolate (or vanilla) milkshake
  32. Make a juice from water and pomegranate

Before you explore all of these cotton mouth remedies, know that everyone is unique—what works for one person may not necessarily work for another.

However, you can spot a trend here: Primarily stick to condiments that help you salivate more.

As this is subjective, there is also a large group of users that believe sugary and fatty stuff helps them out (like chocolate milk). And, as always, there are a lot of store-bought items that work just fine.

So just try as many of these as possible and you will eventually find a solution that works the best for you.

Right now, I’d like to hear from you

What is your tried and tested method for getting rid of cotton mouth?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, and if you share some ingenious dry mouth remedies I can include them in this article.

About the author
Luka Petkovic

Editor in chief at Greencamp. Researching topics related to the biochemistry of cannabinoids and interested in the latest industry happenings.

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