Cannabis
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Cannabis Quick Fact Sheet
| Name: | Cannabis, hemp, marajuana, weed, dope, grass, Linnaean - Cannabis sativa, C. indica |
| Color: | Green to purple leaves and flowers (bud) |
| Constituents: | Cannabinoids (CBD, THC, CBC, CBG, CBN, THC-V), terepenes, resins, saccharides (mono, di, poly), alkaloids, phenols |
| Effect: | Psychedelic, narcotic, anti-inflammatory, reduces blood pressure & raises heart rate, increase appetite (the cannabinoid THC-V does the opposite), nervous system adaptogen (stimulant or relaxant) |
| Preparation: | Female cannabis flowers produce sticky cannabinoids (CBD, THC, etc) and the dried & cured bud can be smoked or dry-vaporized. Cannabinoids can also be extracted via cooking in oil or by modern chemical extraction methods. |
| Dosing: | Smoking: 0.2 - 1+ grams ground bud. Vaporization: 0.05 to 0.5 grams ground bud. Edibles: 0.5-20+ mg CBD/THC. Used at a 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC is best. |
| General Notes: | As a mild psychadelic cannabis can alter the sense of time and reality, which can make it useful as a creativity enhancer. Smoking cannabis is best avoided due to the creation of carcinogens, instead being dry-vaporized or consumed via an edible. Great care should be taken with dosing edibles as the cannabinoids take a long time to enter into the bloodstream, so only small doses should be consumed, and with at least an hour in-between dosings. It's blood pressure reducing effect can be useful if BP is high but it can raise heart rate quite signifigantly (+10-20 bpm) which can cause cardiac strain. Can be useful for headaches, migraines, general pain, and as a digestive aid because of it's anti-inflammatory effects. Should not be abused in use or consumed by anyone under the age of 25 years. Can be psychologically addictive. |
What is Cannabis?
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that contains three species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis is a nutritionally rich plant, and is known to contain more than 500 compounds, among them at least 113 cannabinoids, though most of the cannabinoids are minor and only produced in trace amounts.
There is a lot of information regarding cannabis, and this article will cover the characteristics of the plant as well as the most important uses it has in herbal practices. There are 3 different species of cannabis each with their own shape, size, cannabinoid ratios, and growing characteristics. Cannabis has many health benefits, especially bioelectrical and cognitive health benefits, but there are a few safety cautions regarding cannabis that are good to know before use. The reason cannabis can simultaneously have health benefits and also known adverse effects is because cannabis has a narrow therapeutic range. Too low a dose and nothing significant will occur, whereas if too much cannabis is used them bodily systems can be tipped out of balance and cause undesirable health effects. Cannabis is a very complex herb that much is still not known about and cannabis should only be used with great care and respect in an herbal practice.
Different Names for Cannabis
Cannabis is the Linnaean genus name for the plant, but cannabis is also known as weed, marijuana, ganja, grass, pot, bud, herb, Mary Jane, dope, green, and many more.
Cannabis in Herbalism
Cannabis has been a prized herb in herbal practices around the world for many thousands of years. In ancient China cannabis was mixed with wine to create a pre-surgery anesthetic, while Neolithic Europeans and the Celts made a pain-killing hashish with cannabis. Arab physicians from the 8 to 18th centuries used cannabis to treat fevers, digestive issues, pain and inflammation, and for seizures, while ancient Egyptians used hemp-based supositories as a way to treat pain from hemorrhoids. Ancient African’s also used cannabis to treat hemorrhoids, as well as a way to increase appetite, and around the world cannabis seeds were eaten raw to dispel parasites and worms from the digestive track.
Scythians of the Middle East were known to burn cannabis incense in their steam baths in order to enter into otherworldly states of mind, and other cultures the world over have incorporated cannabis into their religious and spiritual ceremonies and practices. It is said that long term cannabis use weakens the separation between the material and spiritual realms, and shamans, magicians, and mystics used cannabis as a way to access unseen dimensions and commune with spirits. Cannabis was used as an aphrodisiac to aid in pleasure rituals and orgies, and cannabis has had its historical narcotic uses throughout the centuries.
Historical Uses of Hemp
Hemp are specific subtypes of Cannabis sativa that have been cultivated to be low in cannabinoids but high in fiber, making it good for textiles. Hemp cultivation can be traced as far back as 8000 BC, and evidence of hemp being used to make rope goes back 25,000+ years. Hemp has a long history of being used in a multitude of ways, from a food source to the creation of strong textiles.
Hemp seeds are nutritionally dense and were eaten around the world. Hemp seed oil has various applications and was used to create ceramics, for lighting, and for religious purposes. Mountain Rose Herbs sells organic hulled hemp seeds which are a wonderful addition to any diet. Hemp pulp was used to make paper, and it was also used to create clothes and strong cordage. The natural sticky oils of help combined with its natural fibers make it a superior material for textiles.
All of the historical applications for hemp still exist today and are increasingly being pursued again as governments around the world loosen the restrictions on the cultivation and manufacturing of hemp products.
Types of Cannabis
There are three different weed strains that exist, C. sativa, C. indica, and C. ruderalis, though some botanists think the differences between them aren’t significant enough for them to be considered separate species. These three types of cannabis are quite different in their shape, size, growing, reproduction, and cannabinoid profiles though, and most agree with the classification of three distinct species within the Cannabis genus.
Cannabis sativa
Cannabis sativa is native to eastern Asia but is now found nearly worldwide due to its long history of cultivation. Cannabis sativa can grow to 3-6 meters in height depending on the strain and if grown in ideal warm outdoor conditions. Cannabis sativa grows tall with narrow leaflets and is loosely branched, with male plants typically taller than female plants but less full. It’s color is typically a lighter shade of green and its buds are long and thin. Has a grassy citrusy scent.
The psychoactive effect from Cannabis sativa cultivars tends to be cognitive and cerebral in nature. Cannabis sativa produces an energizing high and the presence of abundant citrus terpenes like limonene add to that effect.
Cannabis indica
Cannabis indica is native to India, and it is a short, conical, and dense plant, growing to heights of about 2 meters under ideal conditions. Grows well in cooler climates. Cannabis indica has broad leaflets and its color is typically a dark shade of green, with its buds being very dense. Has an earthy skunky scent.
Cannabis indica produces more of a relaxed and sedative body high. Cannabis indica possesses terpenes like myrcene and caryophyllene.
Cannabis ruderalis
Cannabis ruderalis is native to central Europe, eastern Europe, and Russia. It is characterized by a more sparse weedy growth and has survivalist traits such as disease and pest resistance, the ability to grow in disturbed soil conditions, and can survive on little water. Cannabis ruderalis grows to a height of up to 1 meter and grows well in any climate. It has smaller leaves and buds than sativa or indica varietals and typically has a light green color. Has a sweet earthy smell.
Cannabis ruderalis is more of a wild or feral cannabis than sativa or indica and typically has lower concentrations of cannabinoids than cultivated varietals. It produces more CBD than THC and is often bred with cannabis sativa to create high CBD hybrids.
Cannabis Growing Conditions and Characteristics
Each species of cannabis has different growing characteristics, and by breeding different strains of cannabis together it’s possible to create hybrids that combine the qualities of some or all of the three cannabis species.
Cannabis sativa has a 6-8 month grow time and will stay in a vegetative growth state indefinitely as long as it receives 16-18 hours of light a day. If grown outdoors under the natural influence of the sun, once light begins decreasing after the summer solstice Cannabis sativa will begin to switch from a vegetative growth state to a flowering growth state afterwhich the sex of the plant can then be determined. This switch from vegetative to flowering can also be triggered if growing under artificial conditions by switching the light schedule from 16/8 to 12/12 (on/off). Flowering time for sativa varietals is 10-12 weeks.
Cannabis indica has a 6-8 month grow time and like Cannabis sativa will stay in a vegetative growth state as long as it receives 16-18 hours of light every day. Being a smaller plant than sativa, indica typically has a slightly shorter flowering time, with its range being 6-12 weeks.
Cannabis ruderalis has a 3-4 month grow time and unlike sativa or indica it has an auto-flowering characteristic, meaning it will begin to flower after it reaches a certain level of maturity irrespective of its light conditions. Cannabis ruderalis autoflowering typically occurs after 10 weeks. Flowering time for ruderalis is 3-6 weeks.
Different Types of Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids like any other chemical bind to cellular receptors which give them different effects throughout the body. In order to understand the differences between the main cannabinoids listed below a quick primer on receptor science is needed.
Receptor: A protein within or on the surface of a cell that can take on an inactive an active shape. An agonist binding to a receptor causes it to shift from an inactive to active shape, functioning as an “on-switch” that begins a specific event or series of events within the cell, changing its biology.
Receptor Agonist: Binds to a receptor and activates it. A agonist can bind to and activate a receptor to its full extent, whereas a partial agonist can only partially active a receptor.
Receptor Antagonist: Binds to a receptor but does not activate it. Often receptor antagonists have greater binding efficiencies than receptor agonists, so if a receptor agonist and antagonist are both present the antagonist will displace the agonist or prevent it from binding to the receptor in the first place, terminating or preventing any agonist-induced biologic effect.
Most cannabinoids exist in cannabis plant matter as an acid precursor, for example cannabidiol (CBD) exists in a plant as cannabidiolic acid (CBDa). The acidic forms of cannabinoids are much less biologically active than their decarboxylated brethren. If cannabinoid acids are heated to a specific temperature (250-285 F, 120-140 C) they lose their carboxylic acid, a process known as decarboxylation.
Most if not all cannabinoids possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, so keep that in mind for the cannabinoid highlights below.
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Name: Cannabigerol
Vaporization Temperature: 126 F, 52 C
Receptor Binding: CBG has binding affinity for CB1 and CB2 receptors. CBG antagonizes CB1 receptors.
General: Cannabigerolic acid (CBGa) is the parent molecule from which other cannabinoids are synthesized. During plant growth most CBGa is converted to other cannabinoids, and CBG is made more elusive still by its incredibly low vaporization temperature. CBG is non-psychoactive.
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Name: Cannabidiol
Vaporization Temperature: 329 F, 165 C
Receptor Binding: CBD has low binding affinity for CB1 and CB2 receptors but it can still act as an antagonist for these receptors. Indirectly antagonizes the actions of other cannabinoids like THC through mechanisms not yet fully understood.
General: CBD is best known for its anti-inflammatory and neurologic effects. Has anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, and anti-spasmodic properties. CBD is non-psychoactive.
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Name: Tetrahydrocannabinol
Vaporization Temperature: 347 F, 175 C
Receptor Binding: THC is a partial agonist of CB1 receptors and overall has a relatively low cannabinoid receptor affinity.
General: THC has three main forms, delta-8-THC, delta-9-THC, and delta-10-THC. All three are psychoactive, with Delta-9-THC having the strongest psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. THC is known for its pain relieving, neurocognitive enhancing, and appetite stimulant properties.
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Name: Tetrahydrocannabivarin
Vaporization Temperature: 428 F, 220 C
Receptor Binding: THC-V binds to CB1 as an antagonistic blocker, and THC-V also binds and activates CB2 as a partial agonist. Lessens the psychoactive effects of THC as a result of its CB1 antagonism.
General: THC-V is only slightly different chemically than THC, but has different biologic effects. THC-V is a high energy cannabinoid that is a powerful focus stimulant. THC-V is an appetite suppressant unlike THC, and THC-V can be found naturally in higher concentrations in certain cannabis strains like Durban Poison. THC-V is psychoactive.
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Name: Cannabichromene
Vaporization Temperature: 428 F, 220 C
Receptor Binding: Binds poorly to CB1 receptors, but it does bind to TRPV1 and TRPA1 receptors which causes an increased release in the bodies natural endocannabinoids like anandamide.
General: CBC is the third most common cannabinoid after THC and CBD. CBC is non-psychoactive and does not affect the activity of THC. TRPV1 and TRPA1 receptors are linked to the perception of pain, and CBC’s activity on these receptors reduces feelings of pain throughout the body.
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Name: Cannabinol
Vaporization Temperature: 365 F, 185 C
Receptor Binding: Binds to both CB1 and CB2 receptors agonistically. Compared to THC CBN has a 2x lower affinity for CB1 receptors and a 3x greater affinity for CB2 receptors. Only a partial agonist of CB1.
General: As cannabis dries and ages THC is slowly converted into CBN via oxidative processes. CBN is non-psychoactive, but when paired with THC can increase its euphoric effects.
Cannabis Health Benefits
The many health benefits of cannabis can be traced back to the individual biologic properties of the various phytochemicals that exist in cannabis, from cannabinoids to terpenes to phenols. Individually these phytochemicals have health benefits, and they also work together synergistically to provide greater health benefits throughout the human body. There is likely more we don’t about cannabis than we do at this point as it is such a chemically-rich plant. We’ll examine the specific health benefits of cannabinoids, terpenes, and phenols and then summarize the total benefits cannabis can have on human health.
Cannabinoid Health Benefits
Cannabinoids exert most of their biologic effects through their interactions with the endocannabinoid system, which consists primarily of CB1 and CB2 receptors as well as endogenous cannabinoid ligands anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol. CB1 receptors are present throughout the central nervous system and are densely packed in the brain. CB1 receptors are also observed in immune cells and in the tissues of the gut, reproductive organs, adrenal glands, heart, lungs, and bladder. Whereas it is notable how densely concentrated CB1 receptors are in the brain, CB2 receptors are more evenly distributed throughout the body. Produced naturally by the body, the endocannabinoids of anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol play a regulatory role in appetite, pain-sensation, inflammation, memory, mood, insulin sensitivity, and energy metabolism.
Each cannabinoid seems to have slightly different health effects based on their varying chemical structure and differing interactions with the endocannabinoid system, but there is also a very large overlap in their health effects. All of the cannabinoids appear to be strong antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and antimicrobials.
THC has anti-cancer, muscle-relaxing, pain relieving, antispasmodic, and neuroprotective effects. CBD has anti-anxiety, anti-nausea, anti-arthritic, and immunomodulatory properties. CBD also has anti-psychotic effects and reduces the negative side effects of THC. When used together THC and CBD have a strong therapeutic effects on diseases of the central nervous system such as epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. The combined health benefits of THC and CBD also make it useful in the treatment of cancer, stimulating appetite while also assisting the bodies natural cancer-fighting process of autophagy.
CBN is interesting because of its high affinity for CB2 receptors, and CBN therefore exerts its health benefits more broadly throughout the body and on the cells of the immune system. Beta-carophyllene is another compound found in cannabis, specifically it makes up 12-35% of cannabis essential oil, and it has a binding affinity to CB2 receptors, making it non-psychoactive but able to still exert anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body.
Terpene Health Benefits
Terpenes are key pharmacological agents of many medicinal herbs, and cannabis is no exception. Terpenes are fat-soluble compounds that easily cross cellular membranes, in particular the blood-brain barrier. Cannabis depending on the strain contains many different terpenes in various ratios, and below are the health effects of the most common terpenes found in cannabis.
The terpene β-myrcene is a potent anti-inflammatory with pain-reliving and anti-anxiety properties.
D-limonene exhibits potent anti-cancer properties and stimulates the immune system.
Linalool has anticonvulsant, pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and anti-anxiety properties.
The terpene α-Pinene may improve memory as an acetylcholinesteral inhibitor.
The terpene β-caryophyllene (also notably found in black pepper) possesses anti-inflammatory and gastric cytoprotector activities. Has the ability to bind to CB2 receptors.
Pentacyclic triterpenes such as β-amyrin and cycloartenol have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antifungal, and cancer fighting properties
Phenols Health Benefits
Phenolic compounds are a large class of secondary metabolites like apigenin that plants produce for various biologic functions. It has been shown with humans that a correlation exists between dietary phenolic intake and a reduced rate of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The phenols found in cannabis overlap with terpenes and cannabinoids in their biological effects, also being anti-inflammatory, anticancer and neuroprotective.
General Cannabis Health Benefits
With the individual health benefits of cannabinoids, terpenes, and phenols illuminated its easy to see why cannabis is such a powerful healing herb. Cannabis can be used to reduce pain and inflammation in the body, calm and stabilize an overactive nervous system, reduce blood pressure, and improve digestion. Cannabis use has been linked to improvements in glaucoma (high interocular pressure which causes optic nerve damage), and in men may find the reduction in prolactin levels from cannabis use helpful for the treatment of reproductive issues like erectile dysfunction.
Because all the health benefits of cannabis are derived from the combination and synergism of its hundreds of different phytochemicals, the best way to use cannabis medicinally is to use the whole plant and alter it as little as possible before use. Cannabis bud can be dry vaporized which very efficiently extracts cannabinoids, terpenes, and some phenolics without combusting the plant material which creates 100+ carcinogenic compounds. Cannabis can also be cooked with oils like butter or coconut oil, which efficiently extracts cannabinoids and terpenes. More on how to use cannabis below, but first specific benefits cannabis has on the brain.
Cannabis Brain Benefits
Cannabis is a powerful nootropic and cognitive aid if used at the right doses. It’s a fine balance when it comes to cannabis usage, if cannabinoid concentrations are too low little effect should be expected, whereas if cannabis strains containing abundant THC are used in excess it causes neurocognitive problems. For example if cannabis is used early in life when the brain is still developing (<25 years old) cognitive developmental issues can result. Cannabis used too frequently causes memory issues and shrinks gray matter in the brain. Using cannabis with imbalanced cannabinoid ratios, such as too much THC and little to no CBD, can cause issues like anxiety and paranoia to occur. There is a more comprehensive section on the health and safety concerns of cannabis below, but I wanted to mention briefly this potential of cannabis to not be good for the brain in order to make it very clear that care and proper dosing must be taken in order to enjoy the beneficial effects of cannabis and mitigate the chance of any negative effects from occurring.
When using cannabis, especially high-THC cannabis, the general rule of thumb is to dose just a little until a beneficial effect is felt, and then the dose can be increased from there responsibly depending on the level of medication desired. So with that laid out let’s jump into the brain benefits of cannabis!
Cannabis is an anti-inflammatory and possess mild antioxidant activity which has been found to be able to protect neurons against oxidative stress. In areas that experience damage after an injury cannabis activates autophagy (cellular cleanup) and improves the mitochondrial efficiency of brain cells in general. Cannabis increases connectivity within the brain, specifically between the left and right hemispheres, which increases creativity and can help with ADHD.
Cannabis Brain Cell Regeneration
When present in the body before a traumatic brain injury, THC has a neuroprotective effect, providing impairment protection to the brain. Regular cannabis users show decreased cell mortality in the brain. Cannabinoid receptors when stimulated cause neuron progenitor cells to grow and divide, after which they migrate to different parts of the brain in a process called differentiation, changing into the type of brain cell needed at that time and location.
Cannabis and BDNF
Cannabis has the potential to prevent the negative health response from a stressful event. Stress-induced alterations that cannabis can prevent are anxiety, fear retrieval, alterations to locomotion, changes to social recognition memory, and decreases in BDNF levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) is a protein that helps maintain the process of neurogenesis, and it is necessary for normal neural development. Cannabis prevents the depressive and PTSD-like symptoms that follow the alterations in BDNF levels in the brain after a severe stressor occurs.
Cannabis Health and Safety Concerns
When cannabis is used too early in life and/or in chronic excess use it can cause health problems that are entirely avoidable. Cannabis has strong interactions with the nervous system, hormone system, brain, and heart, so care must be taken in using cannabis.
Too much high-THC cannabis used in a single setting can cause hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, disorientation, and an increase in pain sensitivity. Impaired motor coordination, memory issues, and psychosis are also possible.
Chronic overuse of cannabis can be immunosuppressive, cause cholinergic defects, alters the hormone system causing dopamine deregulation, increases brain inflammation, and causes cognitive impairments in short and long term memory in addition to decreases in motivation and impairing decision making.
Cannabis used early in adolescence alters brain development and increases the risk of chronic psychosis disorders like schizophrenia.
Cannabis lowers blood pressure and increases heart rate, so cannabis should not be used if blood pressure levels are already low and if it will be too stressful on the heart to be elevated in heart rate for extended periods of time. Cannabis can increase heart rate by 5-20 beats per minute.
Cannabis Addiction
Cannabis isn’t addictive in the same way a chemical like nicotine is, but as a mild narcotic cannabis addiction can occur depending on an individual’s environment, lifestyle, personality traits, and brain development. With cannabinoids acting on so many different systems of the body, downregulation of various receptors, hormones, and neurotransmitters can occur which can be difficult to overcome, causing withdrawal symptoms that will need to be overcome if cannabis use is stopped cold turkey.
Cannabis Induced Psychosis
High doses of cannabis, specifically high doses of cannabis used across a long term, can induce psychosis, which is typically defined as some loss of contact with reality. People with psychosis have trouble determining what is real and what isn’t, and often hallucinate and/or are privy to strange delusions.
If you’re experiencing any of these effects from cannabis you should stop use immediately and seek the help of a medical professional.
How to Use Cannabis
There are so many ways cannabis can be used, and each method has its own particular strengths and weaknesses. Combining multiple methods together, say vaporizing cannabis while also taking a cannabis edible and applying a cannabis cream to parts of the body, is a powerful way to experience the full-body systemic effects of cannabis.
Cannabis Vaporization
Cannabinoids and terpenes reach their boiling point and vaporize into gases below the temperature of combustion of plant matter which is about 455 F (235 C). With a device that can very accurately heat up to specific sub-combustion temperatures, cannabinoids and terpenes can be efficiently vaporized out of dried cannabis flower along with some water vapor and absorbed quickly by the body upon inhalation.
By avoiding combustion and the 100+ carcinogens produced during combustion, dry vaporization of cannabis flower is a much healthier way to use cannabis and also more efficient, as the high temperatures of combustion destroy a high percentage of cannabinoids that are vaporized by the high temperatures. Dry vaporization of cannabis is my preferred way to use cannabis as it can be dosed very precisely, it’s easy on the lungs, and the effects are felt rapidly.
Healthy Rips sells a few different high-quality electronic vaporizer models that utilize heat convection and conduction to thoroughly extract all the cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis flower, I recommend their Fury Edge vaporizer to anyone interested in incorperating cannabis into their herbal practice, or simply for those who wish to have a better high, save money, and avoid the health complications from the inhalation of smoke.
Cannabis Tea
Brewing a cannabis tea simply involves taking dried cannabis flower and steeping it in boiling water for 5-15 minutes. Since the water temperature won’t be hot enough to extract THC and other cannabinoids efficiently, cannabis tea is most often brewed with cheaper CBD-dominant hemp flower.
Cannabis tea has a sweet earthy and grassy taste, it’s a pleasant drink especially when mixed with a sweetener like honey and drinking cannabis tea promotes a general sense of ease and calm. Combine with other herbs as desired!
Cannabis Oil
Being fat-soluble lipids, cannabinoids and terpenes can be extracted quite easily from cannabis and turned into a condensed oil. Depending on the level of extraction, this can be a full-spectrum cannabis oil extract, or certain cannabinoids can be selected for, creating a CBD oil or a THC oil for example.
It is possible to extract cannabis oils oneself, but typically this is done in a laboratory setting and the cannabis oils are sold commercially. High-quality cannabis oils are CO2 extracted and are very highly concentrated, whereas low-quality cannabis oils use additives like propylene glycol and/or vitamin E acetate. If using cannabis oil for vaporization, only the highest quality extracts should be used in order to best avoid lung health problems, though I believe dry vaporization of cannabis flower is best and superior in effect due to the entourage effect.
Mountain Rose Herbs sells an organic hemp seed oil as well as an organic hemp essential oil, neither of which contain traceable quantities of THC or CBD but contain all the other health-promoting phytochemicals cannabis has to offer.
Cannabis Edibles
Homemade weed edibles are infamous for their varying strength and for their ability to blast an unsuspecting consumer off into another dimension. Following a strict scientific protocol when making a cannabis edible is the best way to ensure accurate milligram dosing of cannabinoids per serving and to avoid regrettable situations from happening in the first place.
Commercially available cannabis edibles often take the form of little cookies, brownies, or fruit gummies, with each unit clearly listing the amount of cannabinoids per serving. These edibles are made with extract cannabis oil, whereas a homemade cannabis edibles can be made using the whole bud, cannabis butter, or cannabis coconut oil.
Absorption of cannabinoids by the digestive track stands at about 6% and takes a much greater duration of time than if cannabis is smoked or vaporized. Great care should always be taken with cannabis edibles because it can take at least an hour before any effect is felt, and typically the full effect is felt by the two hour mark. Start with a low dose and only after 60-90 minutes should the dose be increased again slightly if desired.
Cannabis Combustion
The smoking of cannabis herb is the age old method of consuming the plant recreationally, medicinally, and spiritually.
One thing that a lot of people don’t realize when smoking cannabis rolled up into a joint or blunt is that the high-temperature smoke that is being generated from the end of the roll when drawn on passes through all the as-of-yet unburnt herb, vaporizing the cannabinoids and terpenes present there before final inhalation into the lungs. So even those who are combusting are actually vaporizing too, and it’s the vaporized cannabinoids that provide the greatest effect because they remain undamaged from the heat of combustion unlike the unfortunate cannabinoids present where the burning is occurring. This process also explains why the final few puffs of a joint is always so harsh, because most of the cannabinoids from the remaining herb have already been extracted and what’s left is mostly singed plant matter that easily burns but doesn’t have much more in the way of terpenes or cannabinoids to give.
If consuming cannabis via combustion it’s best to always use a filter and I also recommend having a throat soothing beverage handy like a herbal tea.
Cannabis Creams and Lotions
Cannabinoids are efficiently absorbed through the skin, and this makes cannabis-containing creams and lotions an excellent way to use cannabis for localized inflammation and pain-relief, for a generalized relaxing effect, for headaches, to sooth the gut, muscle aches and generalized fatigue, and so much more.
Cannabis creams and lotions are typically made with cannabis oil extracts and like edibles it takes longer to feel the effects of a cannabis lotion than it does when cannabis is smoked or vaporized, so when using apply a small responsible amount and wait 20-30 minutes before applying more for a stronger effect if desired.
Cannabinoid receptors are located in the sex organs, and high-THC cannabis creams applied to those areas are one way to stimulate arousal and increase pleasure during sexual activities.
References:
Malcom Stuart, et al. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Crescent Books, New York.
Andre CM, Hausman JF, Guerriero G. Cannabis sativa: the plant of the thousand and one molecules. Front Plant Sci. 2016;7.
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