Tag: medical marijuana

Posted on by — Leave a comment

A beginner’s guide to CBD extracts

With the growing awareness about the therapeutic values of cannabis, the consumption of cannabidiol or CBD across the globe is rising rapidly. People are using them to alleviate different physical and psychological conditions, stress, sleep issues or simply as a health supplement that makes life a little better. According to a recent report published in the New York Times, the CBD industry in the United States is fast growing and will hit $16 billion by 2025. Its fast-growing popularity ensures that CBD extract is available in a range of products including capsules, gummies, tinctures, breath sprays, pet foods, human food supplements, vape fluids, or just good old CBD oils.

There are also different methods of CBD extraction from the plant in practice as well as various types of extracts available in the market. Given this, buying the perfect CBD extract for you may seem a bit confusing for the first time. This post will give you a guide to the CBD extracts so that you can make a wise decision while selecting the perfect product for yourself.

What is CBD extract?

CBD or cannabidiol is a nonpsychoactive natural compound in cannabis and industrial hemp plants that has amazing therapeutic potentials. As a nonpsychoactive component, it counteracts the effect of the psychoactive compound THC or tetrahydrocannabinol in cannabis. By binding with the Serotonin, Adenosine, Vanilloid and other receptors in our brains, cannabidiol works on the human endocannabinoid system to produce relief from pain, stress, inflammations, anxiety and other health benefits. Being such a valuable natural compound, CBD is extracted from cannabis or hemp plants separating it from other cannabinoids and terpenes and sold as a variety of products in the market.

Uses of CBD extracts

CBD extract can be consumed in a variety of ways, including smoking, eating or inhaling it by other means. Among various CBD products, CBD oil is undoubtedly the most popular. People use CBD extracts including CBD oil for a variety of health benefits. Though clinical researches on the effects of CBD extracts are still scanty, anecdotal evidence and popular belief are hard to be ignored.

Anti-seizure

Studies have shown that CBD extracts can have great anti-epileptic seizure properties. The FDA approved CBD prescription solution Epidiolex is said to be highly effective in treating two rare and severe forms of epilepsy – the Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Anti-inflammation and relief from pains

Many people use CBD oils to manage chronic neuropathic pains and muscle spasms. It is not surprising that CBD oils are becoming increasingly popular among arthritis patients. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, CBD extracts are very effective in reducing or managing chronic inflammation.

Alleviating different mental conditions

Different studies claim that CBD extracts have great anti-oxidant properties and are very good at stress-relieving. People take CBD oil to fight anxiety and depression too.

Treating neurological disorders

As it works on those parts of the brain which are responsible for memory, cognition, and sense of direction, CBD extract is extremely helpful in treating patients of Alzheimer’s disease or schizophrenia. It can also help people with ADD/ADHD to focus better.

Methods of CBD extraction

There are at least four recognized methods of extracting CBD from cannabis or hemp plants. The way in which it is extracted determines the purity and quality of the CBD extract and its overall effect on the user.

The Rick Simpson method:

The cheapest and the simplest technique of CBD extraction, this method leaves behind a lot of harmful residues in the final product. For that and a lot of other reasons, this is certainly not a method to be recommended.

Carrier Oil extraction:

In this method, oil, generally olive, is used as a solvent to extract CBD from the decarboxylated plants. Though it produces no harmful contaminants, this method is not very productive and yields only low potency extracts.

Alcohol extraction:

This process uses ethanol or ethyl alcohol as a solvent. Being a highly tedious and lengthy procedure, this technique is becoming less popular day by day.

CO2 extraction:

The most popular and effective method of CBD extraction uses CO2 or carbon dioxide. It is capable of producing full-spectrum CBD extracts and leaves very little waste or harmful contaminants.

Different types of CBD extracts

There are different types of CBD extracts available in the market which differ from each other in terms of their potency and effects.

Full Spectrum and Broad Spectrum CBD extracts

Full Spectrum means an extract that has the full range of cannabinoid and terpene profile in it. A complete profile ensures a high level of entourage effect which is very essential in treating various health symptoms. The only difference between this type of CBD extracts with Broad Spectrum ones is that while the former has trace amounts of THC in it (always less than 0.3%), the latter is absolutely THC-free.

CBD Isolate

CBD Isolate is basically a high concentration (about 99%) CBD extracted in white, odorless powder form. It is used in some CBD oils or consumed as additives to foods or drinks. Being completely free of the other cannabinoids and terpenes found in cannabis or hemp, CBD Isolates has less potency than the Full Spectrum and Broad Spectrum extracts.

CBD extract from hemp and CBD extract from cannabis

On a molecular level, CBD extracted from cannabis is the same as the one extracted from industrial hemp plants. That being said, there are certain significant distinctions between the two products that need to be taken into account. The hemp-derived CBD extracts have much more low THC content than the marijuana-derived CBD oil. This makes the former legal in USA whereas the latter is not. If you don’t want to get high, you’d probably go for the hemp-derived CBD oils. However, for this very reason, the entourage effect is also less than that of the marijuana-derived extracts. The hemp-CBD extracts have much lower resin contents than their counterparts.

If you’re looking for CBD extracts to improve your health, do your research first and check out the varied cannabinoid and terpene profiles of the different products available in the market. Not all CBD extracts are favorable for your particular medical condition. Like all other medicines, CBD extract is only beneficial when you use it judiciously and in a regulated manner.

Categories

Our team curates new experiences for cannabis tastemakers throughout Canada. We hand-craft each Pink Pack from a wide spectrum of flowers, edibles, concentrates, topicals, and handcrafted accessories.

Choose from our selection of tailored experiences…

Read More

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Medical marijuana and the condition it treats

Medical marijuana is one of those few topics capable of provoking a fiery debate among scientists, researches, doctors, policymakers and the general citizens. People are divided in opinion regarding the safety, benefits and the legality of cannabis. Should it be decriminalized and legal? Has it got proven benefits? Is it really the ‘wonder drug’ people are making it out to be? Keep reading to find out more.

What is medical marijuana?

To put it simply, medical marijuana makes use of the natural compounds in plants of the cannabis genus to treat a variety of conditions and diseases. The cannabis plants consist of over a hundred natural compounds called cannabinoids, each of which produces a distinct effect on the human body. However, there are two kinds of cannabinoids that are extensively used in medical cannabis namely tetrahydrocannabinol commonly known as THC and cannabidiol or CBD.

The difference between THC and CBD

While THC comes with a psychoactive effect, CBD offers anti-inflammatory effects. This is why THC is more associated with a mind and body high while CBD is generally meant for therapeutic uses. Marijuana strains or products that have a high percentage of THC are more suited for recreational use but those with a high percentage of CBD are meant for therapeutic uses. Although the therapeutic values of THC aren’t much talked about, recent researches have proved its efficacy in treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. According to these studies, THC is also capable of pain alleviation and can help improve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Which conditions can be treated by medical marijuana?

1. Prevents the cancer cells from spreading

As per a study published in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal, medical cannabis can stop the cancer cells by neutralizing a gene called Id-1. Researchers of California Pacific Medical Centre in San Francisco have concluded that CBD might help in checking the spread of the cancer cells. Furthermore, the American Association for Cancer Research reported that cannabis can help in slackening the growth of brain tumor, lungs tumor and breast tumor.

2. Treats arthritis

The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis make it a staple for patients of arthritis around the world. Sativex a cannabinoid-based pain killer and CBD oil works wonder on patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are known to have experienced a considerable reduction in pain as well as improved sleep.

3. Used on patients of epilepsy

Medical marijuana can greatly help in controlling and abating epilepsy seizures. THC helps to control seizures by binding the cells in the brain responsible for managing excitability and thereby promoting relaxation. More recent studies show that CBD can even help to curb the symptoms of treatment-resistant epilepsy. The use of cannabis for an epilepsy medication called Epidiolex is presently awaiting approval by FDA and once approved the billion-dollar cannabis industry will surely garner massive investment potential.

4. Dravet’s Syndrome

Medical marijuana is a very potent medication for reducing the symptoms of Dravet’s Syndrome- a severe seizure disorder. Marijuana-based experimental therapies particularly the medication Epidiolex has shown promising effects on patients of Dravet’s Syndrome. Presently there are over 40 children in the state of Florida who are undergoing cannabis-based therapies to keep the severe seizures at bay.

5. Prevent Alzheimer’s

As reported by researchers of the Scripps Research Institute, the THC present in medical marijuana can be used to delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It blocks the enzyme in the brain cells thus slowing down the formation of amyloid plaques. These amyloid plaques destroy the brain cells which generally result in Alzheimer’s.

6. Parkinson’s Disease

Researches from Israel conducted extensive studies and experiments to prove that smoking cannabis can remarkably help in reducing the tremors and pains associated with Parkinson’s disease. The best part about cannabis medicine is that it improves fine motor skills and promotes deep sleep among Parkinson patients.

7. Multiple sclerosis

Researches by the Canadian Medical Association indicate that medical cannabis can be helpful in relieving the pain associated with multiple sclerosis. It controls the muscle spasms and negative neurological effects caused by MS.

8. Crohn’s disease

Medical marijuana is known to have cured Crohn’s disease which is basically a bowel disorder resulting in nausea, vomiting, pain, diarrhea, weight loss etc. A study by Israeli scientists came to the conclusion that smoking a joint every day can lower the symptoms of this disease in

10 out of 11 patients!

9. Hepatitis C

The treatment for Hepatitis C comes with plenty of excruciating side effects like fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, depression and muscle aches. A study published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology suggested that a whopping 86% of patients using medical marijuana successfully completed the treatment. This is definitely due to the fact that cannabis intake results in lessening the side effects of the treatment.

10. Anxiety and depression

The non-psychoactive nature of CBD allows it to treat a range of anxiety and stress-related problems such as post traumatic stress disorder, panic issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and substance abuse disorder. It acts as a sedative in low doses but a high dose of THC heavy strains can make one feel anxious and paranoid. This is why people with anxiety disorders often go for CBD medication.

11. Lowers the side-effects of chemotherapy

Patients undergoing chemotherapy have immensely benefited from the intake of medical marijuana which considerably lessens the painful side-effects like nausea, loss of appetite, severe pains and vomiting. In fact, there are various FDA approved high THC drugs which are meant to combat the side effects of chemotherapy.

12. Effective on patients with Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where the body tends to attack itself for reasons which still aren’t clear to scientists. Medical marijuana helps to calm the immune system and helps the body to deal better with the symptoms of Lupus.
Our advice for patients is to be totally honest with your physician and tell them about your interest in cannabis therapy and the fact that you want to be educated about this alternative form of medication. Once you have found the right doctor, there are numerous Canadian weed stores to help you with choosing the perfect strain or cannabis product.

Categories

Our team curates new experiences for cannabis tastemakers throughout Canada. We hand-craft each Pink Pack from a wide spectrum of flowers, edibles, concentrates, topicals, and handcrafted accessories.

Choose from our selection of tailored experiences…

Read More