The following text contains information regarding the methods of preventing illness and selfcare while coping with it. It is to be used responsibly. The following procedures cannot supplement professional medical treatment and healing in case of health issues.

The text is not to be reproduced in any way without the written consent of the authors.

FOREWORD

With the beginning of the new millennium, mankind has entered a realm ruled by stress, anxiety and other similar issues yet unknown to the human mind. These issues, often tied to the overwhelming amount of information we tend to receive daily, leave consequences both on our nervous and immune systems. Despite the amazing medical breakthroughs of the past century, we simply cannot function without nature. Nature is the only constant presence in our lives and since we are born from it, it is only fair to at least try to acquire a certain amount of knowledge about its secrets.

Cannabis is perhaps the most perfect example of man’s dependence on nature; throughout history (leaving out the last two unfortunate centuries, when the prohibition of cannabis creates an ever-greater gap between man and nature), it has provided him with just about everything – it was the key ingredient of clothes, ropes, food, medicine, paper and other necessities of everyday life.

Due to the massive amount of unreliable information on cannabis circling the wide web, we wish to gather some key facts on its effect on human life, which can become more centered and relaxed with its prudent use.

SOME BASICS

Cannabis grows all around the globe, mostly on areas with mild to moderate climates. It is an upright, longitudinal, one-year plant that can grow up to several meters high in just six months, providing it grows in suitable circumstances. Its longitudinal, sharp edged leaves, numbering 3 to 11 per branch, do remind us of wild chestnut leaves, yet it belongs to a family of its own, the cannabaceae. During its growth, male and female plants begin to show their key characteristics, the latter growing more into its width than the former. It is the buds on the female plants that extrude a sticky substance we tend to extract for personal use, since it is richly potent with cannabinoids – CBG (cannabigerol), CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) to name only a few. The latter cannabinoid is present at much lower levels in industrial hemp grown for its other properties (under 1%, 10 times lower from the average cannabis plant).

Q&A

WHAT IS A CANNABINOID SPECTRUM?

When shopping for cannabis products, we often come across the term ‘spectrum’, used primarily to demonstrate the chemical structure of cannabis. It all might sound a bit complicated, but it is only a table, list or other graphical representation of the share of certain cannabinoids in the structure of cannabis. The cannabinoid spectrum is something we must pay attention to since it contains vital information on the product’s quality. As we know, cannabis contains certain substances that affect our endocannabinoid system, called cannabinoids. There are many more than the well-known THC and CBD, each of which eases certain medical issues we are seeking treatment for. Products of quality provide the so called ‘full spectrum’ of cannabis, enabling us to ingest a variety of other cannabinoids beside the pair. Less reliable products most often contain the so called ‘mono spectrum’, usually providing us with only one cannabinoid. Let us look at the full spectrum of a quality product; 20% CBD Full pectrum contains:

CBD

20,00%       

Main

cannabinoid

∆9THC

0,18%

Minor

cannabinoid

∆8THC

0,25%

Minor

cannabinoid

CBG

0,3%         

Minor

cannabinoid

CBC

0,3%         

Minor

cannabinoid

CBN

0,3%          

Minor

cannabinoid

Next to each cannabinoid, its share is provided, the knowing of which being important when we desire to emphasize the efficiency of the treatment. When informed on the most efficient cannabinoid of the spectrum for treating our medical condition, additional cannabinoids may be added to the treatment, multiplying instead of just adding the desired effect. It is important to follow the rules on dosing when engaging in such treatment; many use less than the dose required, not allowing the healing to take place entirely.

CANNABIS AND HEMP – WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

Both derive from the same plant, the cannabis sativa, but differences occur in its cultivation, chemical structure and use. Medicinal cannabis usually carries about 10% of THC and is known commonly as marijuana. Its use causes sedative effects that are of much use in treating certain medical conditions. The plant’s growth is generally width-oriented, growing mostly in warm, moist areas.

Hemp produces only minimal quantities of THC and is instead richly potent with the cannabinoid CBD. Due to the nature of its cultivation, hemp’s growth is mostly height-oriented, its main product being the fibers of the stem. It grows in almost any climate.

WHAT IS THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM?

Between all the body’s systems (respiratory system, digestive system, …) known to mammals, there is an everlasting intercellar communication taking place. Its medium are various sorts of signals, being distributed thanks to a web of cellular transmitters and receivers, known as the endocannabinoid system. It is the key coordination system of the human brain, forming the largest web of neurotransmitters, which are responsible for the communication between the brain and the immune system. In it, we find some cannabinoid molecules, present in the human body before the ingestion of cannabis; they are our natural tie to cannabis and the reason we respond to it on so many different levels.

When weakened, the endocannabinoid system produces an imbalance that often results in disease. Luckily, the cannabinoid molecules found in the brain and the ones found in the cannabis plant have an incredible capacity to merge, which allows for treating many medical issues being treated with cannabis. Newer studies show numerous health issues, such as migraines, are to be associated with an imbalance in the endocannabinoid system. Cannabis treatment has proved efficient even with rodents suffering from an imbalance in the system.

There are known links between the endocannabinoid system and the human appetite, which cannabis tends to increase. This discovery has proven to be crucial, since some of the medication for losing weight was exploiting the decrease of appetite caused by the system’s imbalance. The latter was so severe, depression, anxiety and insomnia were beginning to form, while rodents exposed to long-term endocannabinoid system imbalance were beginning to develop cancer cells.

What is interesting is the system’s role in the mental wellbeing. Many studies are only beginning to discover these incredible connections. It plays a vital role in the brain’s capability to forget the data it does not find useful. Its effect on the mental health is positive, perhaps due to the system’s complex way of so-called retrograde communicating between cells, which allows for the brain’s constant stream of thoughts being paused for a few moments, causing feelings of mental relief. Some of the positive effects are possible due to a significant number of cannabinoid receptors being in the part of the brain known as the hypothalamus, where crucial processes regarding thinking take form. These receptors tend to connect with plant-based cannabinoids on a larger scale than those found in the human body.

IS IT SAFE TO USE CANNABIS?

Studies prove cannabis use to be very safe, overdosing with it being practically impossible. It is almost the only psychoactive substance known to man that does not cause death when ingested in extreme quantities. Possible death would occur only after ingesting about 40 000 times the regular dose, which is practically impossible due to the quantities alone.