10 Ways to Prevent Bong Lung

How to Know if You’ve Got the ‘Bong Lung’

Now, we all know what it’s like when you rely on your trusty bong a little too much, and many seasoned stoners get that cough. It’s similar to a smoker’s cough, but somehow even more vile — complete with black phlegm, waking yourself up in the middle of the night during a coughing fit, mouth full of mucus — you name it. None of us like the ‘bong lung’ symptoms.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were ways to minimise that bothersome cough?

1. Give Up Bongs

Putting down the bong seems like the most obvious solution.

I can hear everyone groaning — but seriously, there really isn’t much reason to resort to a bong these days — especially if you can get your hands on a vape. I’m sorry to break the news to you… but smoking out of a bong every day isn’t good for you.

One of our most recommended vapes is the Arizer Solo 2!

Vaporisers save you money in the long run; you go through less weed, and you can use the AVB (or ‘Already Vaped Bud’) for a myriad of other things.

Your bong combusts at around 230°C (if not hotter); whereas your average dry herb vaporiser is adjustable, generally heating your bud to around 190°C. That small difference in temperature happens to make a massive difference on your lungs.

I can hear all you bong-heads complaining: “But I don’t get as high from vaping!”

To be quite blunt (no pun intended), you are wrong. Suck on your vape until you finish the whole chamber yourself — and then tell me that it doesn’t get you as high as a bong hit.

2. Eat Edibles

Take your buds (or even your saved AVB!) and use them in your cooking — or even juice it up!

Cannabis, herbal medicine and health advocate Pete Evans has said that consuming your buds in a similar fashion to a wheat grass shot is a fantastic option for medicinal users. It’s especially beneficial for gut health; and those suffering from Crohn’s Disease.

Essentially: if you’re exclusively using cannabis for medicinal purposes, and not just to get super blazed, there’s no reason you should be bonging on.

3. Take Out Your Spin

Look — if you smoke cigarettes, I can kind of understand the appeal of spinning your weed. Otherwise… what’s the point of adding a harmful addiction to your smoking habit?

Legend says it makes sinking cones smoother, and the hit is more potent — but the cons far outweigh the benefits when it comes to mixing tobacco with your cannabis.

4. Add Ice to Your Bong

If you must use a bong, this may be a good option.

A lot of ice bongs are made (these days) to have little notches in the smoke chamber, so you can place ice cubes inside. Cooling down your hit with ice will make it smoother on your throat — therefore helping to prevent that persistent cough that everyone hates.

If you don’t have ice capabilities in your bong, fear not! Try adding some ice-cold water from the fridge, in place of your normal room temp water.

5. Fisherman’s Friends

Any brand of mint works, but Fisherman’s Friends are the strongest (fight me).

Chewing gum also works — though the choking hazard would be worse with gum, in comparison to a mint that dissolves. The menthol can act similar to ice, and cool things down. Menthol also promotes your mouth glands to continue producing saliva.

6. SAY NO to PGR

This one is obvious.

You’re probably sick of us going on about PGR, but there are very good reasons to avoid it. Not only is it bad for your health, and void of medicinal benefits… it’s also worse for your lungs.

7. Swap to a Smaller Cone Piece

Now, I’m not saying smoke less weed, but maybe just smoke less weed in one hit.

Especially if you’re someone like me that takes 5+ minutes per hit… it definitely helps the rotational flow during a sesh.

You can still smoke just as much as you normally would. A smaller cone piece eases up the pressure on your lungs, ultimately making it a more enjoyable experience.

8. Add a Menthol Filter to your Joint

This is something I only tried recently, because I wanted a less-than-full-strength joint to start out my day.

It managed to filter out more than your usual roach, but the menthol flavouring was still intense, more so than a cigarette. I’m not sure as to how or why the cannabis brings out that flavour, but I definitely wasn’t disappointed. It was easy on the throat — and cool on the mouth.

For the strongest flavour, try the Ventti menthol filters — they also sell them in super long slims, for those who want the grip support. Mix it up with a Raw long paper and you’re set!

9. Exercise

Excercising your our lungs is key to maintaining healthy lungs. Deep breathing exercises, even regular exercise that can stimulate your lungs, can help a lot.

Our lungs only operate at 50% when we’re sitting or relaxing; a good 20 minutes of exercise can help them in staying active. All that extra smoke and no exercise is just a recipe for disaster.

Try some breathing exercises after you smoke, to help clear your lungs of the excess fog that might be hanging around.

‘The Yogi Cleansing Breath‘

Yogis have a favourite form of breathing, often practiced when they feel the necessity of ventilating and cleansing the lungs.

This breath refreshes the entire bodily system; cleansing and stimulating the lung cells, and maintaining a general tone to the respiratory organs. It’s common to conclude many other breathing exercises with this one — which should be no less true for cannabis smokers!

1. Inhale steadily through your nose from the bottom of your stomach, expanding your chest. Let your lungs be progressively filled from the outside — from bottom, to top.
2. Retain the air for a few seconds.
3. Pucker up the lips, as if for a whistle (but do not swell out the cheeks) — then, exhale a little air through the opening, with considerable vigour.
4. Stop for a moment, retaining the air a little. Then, exhale a little more air.
5. Repeat, until the air is completely exhaled.
6. Begin a new breath cycle as needed (i.e. go back to step 1).

10. Vape Some Other Natural Herbs

A unique way to refresh your lungs.

Try vaping some not-so-illegal herbs through your dry herb vape:

Oregano
Orange Peel
Eucalyptus
Peppermint
Ginger Root
Celery
Peppercorn

Make sure to dry out your herbs completely (particularly with orange peels and celery), before compromising your dry herb vape.

Bonus: Remember to Clean Your Bong

It’s surprising how occasionally some of us clean our bongs — many people underestimate how much a shitty, clogged-up bong contributes to an unenjoyable, cough-ridden smoking experience.

Changing the water in your bong daily and cleaning your piece with Isopropyl Alcohol at least once a week will make a dramatic change to your life in the long run. Start today!

Author: Veronica

Veronica is a Jack-of-all-trades that resides in Brisbane, Australia, and usually sticks behind-the-scenes at FAB, but will occasionally contribute something useful.