Belly button cannabis claims to be the ultimate in transdermal healing. Let’s see about that.
Belly button cannabis is a medical mystery that is shrouded in lore. The practice has been around for a long time, but this naval sensation has only recently gained popular attention. What’s causing the craze?
Partially, this new round of media attention is likely thanks to our affinity for click-bait news. Because, in all honesty, belly button cannabis is highly clickable. But just because people are sharing it, does that make it real? Before you start dabbing oil in your belly button, here’s some more information about the practice.
What is the Belly Button Cannabis Method?
According to a High Times report, belly button cannabis is the application of medicinal cannabis through, well, your belly button. Instead of smoking, eating, or vaping your plant-based medicine, this method is more of a topical approach.
But proponents of this method claim it’s much more than just a topical application. The reasoning behind targeting the belly button is its importance to the human body before birth. Fetuses receive all of their nutrients from their mother through the umbilical cord via the belly button. It seems as if some people feel the belly button continues to hold a significant role in medicine, even after birth.
Where Does the Tradition Come From?
The belly button theory and medicinal cannabis both have deep roots in Ayurvedic medicine. These are the ancient Indian medicinal practices “based on ancient writings that rely on a ‘natural’ and holistic approach to physical and mental health.”
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health goes into further detail, “Ayurvedic treatment combines products (mainly derived from plants, but may also include animal, metal, and mineral), diet, exercise, and lifestyle.”
According to Ayurvedic traditions, patients can apply certain natural medicinal compounds on the belly button. The navel application is called nabhi chikitsa, and comes from the story of Lord Brahma (a Hindu deity) emerging from a lotus in the navel of Lord Vishnu.
In Ayurvedic scriptures, navel applications make few appearances. Still, today nabhi chikitsa has a large following. Pooling or dabbing essential oils into the navel is thought to have medicinal benefits for a variety of ailments. Other common essential oils applied through this method include tea tree and eucalyptus.
The Pechoti Method and the Pechoti Gland
The reason why herbalists and Ayurvedic practitioners believe the belly button holds extraordinary medicinal value is because of the Pechoti Gland. In fact, belly button cannabis is also called The Pechoti Method.
Your belly button connects to over 72,000 nerves throughout your body, but modern medicine has yet to find any evidence of the Pechoti Gland. This gland remains a mystical remnant of ancient practices but has no contemporary basis.
Although the Pechoti Gland is religious lore, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any merit to the Pechoti Method. After all, there are benefits to using topical preparations of cannabis.
Belly button cannabis may have become a viral news story because it sounds so strange, but putting cannabis oil in your navel poses no risk and may have certain benefits.
How to Use the Pechoti Method
Belly button cannabis requires the patient to put a dab of potent cannabis oil in the navel. The cannabinoids slowly absorb for certain medicinal benefits. Transdermal application of cannabis may be therapeutically useful for inflammation, skin irritations, and sports recovery.
The High Times piece on the belly button cannabis method likens it to cannabis suppositories. This might be a bit of conjecture on their part, but, anecdotally, patients have confirmed its medicinal usefulness.
High Times interviewed Dr. Lakisha Jenkins, an herbalist and naturopathic doctor. She discussed how some medical conditions could possibly benefit from a belly button approach. As per Dr. Jenkins, “Your endocrine system and hormones are the cause of a lot of the common ailments that are plaguing the human existence.”
As with suppositories, there is no risk of intoxication from THC-rich oils. The lack of psychoactive effects allows for easy dosing during the day, at work, or school.
The Truth About Belly Button Cannabis
No matter how many shares this story gets, patients need to know the truth. Belly button cannabis is not as bioavailable as edibles or inhalation methods. Most of the information we have stems from religious lore, ancient traditions, and anecdotal reports. Belly button cannabis is not based on hard science.
That said, there is no reason you can’t put a dab of medicinal oil on your tummy. It’s not dangerous, not intoxicating, and will still have all the benefits you enjoy from normal topical applications.
Perhaps naval cannabis oil is closer the benefits of suppository than merely a topical cannabis cream. You’ll have to try it to find out. We are a long way from clinical trials (or even preliminary research) on the subject. Until those begin, you’ll have to experiment yourself with these ancient Ayurvedic traditions.
