Did you know that cannabis can be juiced into a cup for health benefits? As a matter of fact, raw cannabis can be consumed just like any other leafy green!
Raw cannabis may help the body
regulate the immune system
prevent inflammatory conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and COPD
trigger antioxidants to remove damaged cells
improve the efficiency and health of cells and the regulatory system
relieve nausea and pain (in HIV/AIDs patients or cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy)
reduce spasticity and seizures
“According to Courtney (Dr. William Courtney, physician, researchers and one of the leading experts in raw dietary cannabis), one of the biggest benefits is the positive effect cannabis has on the body’s endogenous cannabinoid system, which is made up of endocannabinoids, or chemical compounds found throughout the body that perform different processes.
“I believe this plant, having evolved over millions of years, is put together to support that system,” he said.
“Why raw? Raw cannabis can provide more complete benefits than the heated forms of cannabis such as smoking, vaping, cannabis oil prepared with low heat, or cooked or baked edibles. When heat is applied, the majority of cannabis benefits – tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) and cannabidiolic Acid (CBD-A) will be activated, or decarboxylated, into THC and CBD, respectively. Because it does not contain the psychoactive component THC, raw cannabis does have alter mood or perception. Cannabis leaves in raw form are great for patients who want the medicinal benefits of marijuana without its other effects. An excellent choice for those who have a low tolerance to THC, raw cannabis is the ultimate botanical booster in greens drinks. Adding sweeter and more watery vegetables and fruits such as cucumber, green apples, romaine, and avocado can mitigate the bitterness of raw cannabis leaves. You can create the ultimate detoxifying smoothie by combining cannabis with lemon, arugula, dandelion, or parsley. Try freezing the raw cannabis juice in ice cube trays or as ice pops for a novel way to enjoy the natural benefits of cannabis in drinks!
“But what has generated the renewed interest and excitement are the anecdotal reports that some children with otherwise untreatable severe epilepsies respond well to CBD extracts and oils (please see Porter & Jacobson 2013; Hussain et al. 2015).”
CBD is one of the main therapeutic agents that help treat one of the many symptoms/ diseases, like epilepsy, that are traditionally harder to treat with any current medicines. The other symptoms/ diseases also includes rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, PTSD, schizophrenia, neuropathic pain, seizures, convulsions and the list goes on.
In previous blogs we talked about some benefits of cannabis (find previous blogs cannabis green juice, cannabis-brain, cannabis-sleep), we briefly mentioned about chemicals in cannabis such as cannabidiol or CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. In truth, most of the medicinal value we find in cannabis is greatly related to CBD.
CBD is non-addictive and has great neuro-regulating properties. It can bind to our receptors (such as some G-protein receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS/ PNS), 5-HT serotonin receptors and adenosine receptors) on cells of our body to instruct it to carry out different tasks. Anti-inflammatory, spasticity and epilepsy reduction, neuropathic pain-relieving, anti-depressant and neuro-regulatory functions can all contribute to the CBD medical value. It works also as an antagonist to THC’s exhibitory or anxiety effects on your CNS that helps regulates a lot of unwanted side effects from THC. Although CBD still have some psychoactive effects but it is more a relief type which mainly acts in the body unlike THC.
“Several drug companies have recently developed CBD-based medications, and one of these, called Epidiolex, is now being tested in clinical trials. Epidiolex was developed by GW Pharmaceuticals and has been given to more than 400 children under the FDA’s expanded access (“compassionate use”) program.”
Unfortunately, CBD rich strains are rare. The reason is because of the cross-breeding for the recreational cannabis which has high THC level and low CBD level. Also, with the reason that cannabis use is still prohibited in some of the states (currently only 23 states legalized medical cannabis). It is very hard for people to obtain quality medicinal CBD. Legalizing medical cannabis would help to open up more funding opportunities for cannabis research. And hopefully in the very near future, we will be able to see more people getting medical relief or even a cure by CBD and medical cannabis.
Bones frame our bodies, providing protection to our organs. Bone density and strength decrease as we grow older, frequently resulting in broken bones. Cannabis to the rescue — at least in rats!
Bones are made up of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, other minerals, and collagen found In a According to a May 2015 study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, cannabidiol (CBD) can help to accelerate the healing process of fractured bones. Dr Yankel Gabet of Tel Aviv University and Itai Bab of Hebrew University co-led researchers to test the theory on two sets of rats. One set of rats was given CBD alone and another set was given a mixture of CBD and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD was found to stimulate the reproduction of bone cells by an enzyme to speed up collagen maturation (crosslinking as well as stabilizing). This, in turn, enables broken bones to heal faster and stronger.
“We found that CBD alone makes bones stronger during healing, enhancing the maturation of the collagenous matrix, which provides the basis for new mineralization of bone tissue. After being treated with CBD, the healed bone will be harder to break in the future.”
This is exciting news for patients who have osteoporosis and other bone conditions. Many current medicines have adverse effects (including severe bone, joint, and muscle pain and gastrointestinal problems), while CBD from cannabis does not. Because of the safety profile of CDB, clinical trials would help to ascertain the complete medical value of CBD to improve human bone health and fracture healing.
