April 24, 2023 by Margie Navarro
Ingredient Spotlight: Cannabis
Tracing the Medicinal Roots of Cannabis
The use of cannabis flowers and extracts, particularly those containing CBD, has been widespread worldwide over the past decade. Cannabis seeds, female flowers, leaf, and root, as well as the cortex of the stalk and the water used to process the stalk into fiber, have been continuously used in Chinese medicine for at least 1800 years. The Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica (from the 1st or 2nd century AD) sums up its use as:
“Flavor: acrid; balanced. Governs the five taxations and seven damages, benefits the five viscera, and descends blood and cold qi; excessive consumption causes one to see ghosts and run about frenetically. Prolonged consumption frees the spirit light and lightens the body.”
Not only is cannabis lauded for a wide range of medicinal effects, but there are also use suggestions for spiritual benefits as well as a caution on what you may notice if you overuse it. Interestingly, there is little evidence that cannabis was either abused or prohibited in China prior to the first documented seizures of imported cannabis products in 1936 [1]. This may be due to the way that cannabis plants have evolved over the centuries through cultivation and hybridization changing the medicinal properties as well as cultural factors that impact their use.
Research reveals that what are viewed as the active ingredients in cannabis, phytocannabinoids (pCBs), enact a wide range of therapeutic benefits via the endocannabinoid system (ECS) which is involved in homeostatic regulation. In the last decade, the most abundant pCB in Cannabis sativa, CBD, has been heavily studied for a variety of pain and nervous system conditions. In contrast to Δ9-THC, another pCB, CBD does not induce psychotropic effects [2]. While this lack of perception alteration may be preferable in some cases, whole herb preparations with synergistic effects from multiple pCBs, referred to as the “entourage effect,” likely contribute to improvement in the overall quality of life for people in one study [3]. This use of medical cannabis led to the reduction of prescription drugs with a host of adverse effects including opioids and other pain medications, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs and benzodiazepines.
It is really shocking that this herb is or was prohibited in so many places and so many people are still serving sentences for possession. Have you wanted to explore the therapeutic effects of cannabis, but are not sure where to start? Have you taken some cannabis products, but didn’t get the effect you were looking for or it stopped working for you? You can book a consultation to have a custom formula developed for you.
Growing Conditions: Cannabis is not legal to grow in all locations, so check your local regulations first. Native to Asia, Cannabis can grow up to 20 feet tall in the wild. Many plants also fare well in indoor containers with direct sunlight for at least 6 hours.
Harvest Recommendations: In natural conditions, October is often an ideal harvest time. Indoors, harvest time tends to be about 6-12 weeks from initial growth, when the primary leaves have fallen off and the young lieaves are mid-maturity and about half of the white pistils (hairlike flower parts) have turned to an amber color.
– Margie Navarro, certified herbalist & acupuncturist
References:
[1] Brand, E. J., & Zhao, Z. (2017). Cannabis in Chinese Medicine: Are Some Traditional Indications Referenced in Ancient Literature Related to Cannabinoids?. Frontiers in pharmacology, 8, 108. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00108
[2] Schmiedhofer, P., Vogel, F. D., Koniuszewski, F., & Ernst, M. (2022). Cys-loop receptors on cannabinoids: All high?. Frontiers in physiology, 13, 1044575. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.1044575
[3] Lucas P., Boyd S., Milloy M. J., Walsh Z. (2021). Cannabis significantly reduces the use of prescription opioids and improves quality of life in authorized patients: Results of a large prospective study. Pain Med. 22, 727–739. 10.1093/pm/pnaa396