Tag: hemp

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Cannabinoids- What They Are and How They Effect You

Cannabinoids. The new up and coming word that you have probably heard when looking into the new Hemp laws the United States has approved December 2018, called the 2018 Farm Bill. Find my previous article about Marijuana & Hemp where I discuss this in a little more detail. One of the biggest discoveries, I believe, is the fact that our body naturally produces cannabinoids via our cannabinoid receptors in our EndoCannabinoid System (ECS)! Yes, you have Cannabinoids in your body. “We have them (ECS receptors) in our brains, eyes, reproductive systems, immune systems, but we likely have them in other places, as well,” (Rosad0, 2019). The only way you can even receive cannabinoids into your body is via the Cannabis plant, and most people today are cannabinoid deficient.

“So, Morgan, why do I need cannabinoids in my body? I lived this long without them. What is the big deal?” You may ask. Well, let’s get into it. What are cannabinoids, what are they responsible for, and what do they do?

Cannabinoids are the compounds that make up the Cannabis plants; Hemp and Marijuana. They come in many different names, and scientists believe we still have many yet to discover. Every plant strain, the decarboxylation process it is put through via manufacturer, and extraction methods will produce different quantities of different cannabinoids and terpene profiles. That is also why I tell people using CBD and cannabis, in general, is a very personal experience. Everyone has different body chemistry, different cannabinoids they are deficient in, and different way our bodies are wired. So not all CBD is created equal. Also if the company has higher levels of heavy metals, microbials, pesticides, or residual solvents; that can also effect people in different ways (article on that coming soon!)

Cannabinoids have been proven to have these following properties and what they each have been shown to help with:

*CBGA (Cannabigerolic Acid)– Antibiotic

*CBG (Cannabigerol) – Antibiotic, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic

***CBGV (Cannabigerivarin)– Anti-inflammatory, Helps Combata Dry Skin, observe to be cytostatic in leukemic cells (Robbins,2019).

*CBDA (Cannabidiolic Acid)– Antibiotic

***CBDV (Cannabidivarin)– Reduces frequency and Severity of Seizures; reduces/eliminates nausea; Anti-inflammatory; beneficial in the treatment of pain and mood disorders; Provides symptom relief for Crohn’s, seizures, HIV/AIDS, and Multiple Sclerosis (CRESCOLabs, 2010).

*CBC (Cannabichromene)– Antibiotic, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, (weak) Analgesic

**CBCV (Cannabichromevarin)- Assuming it has similar properties to CBC Possible Appetite Suppressant, Anandamide (AEA) reuptake inhibitor, Anti-inflammatory, Antidepressant, Antibiotic, Analgesic, Antifungal (Rosado, 2019).

*CBD (Cannabidiol)– Anxiolytic, Antipsychotic, Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Anti-emetic, Antifungal, Anticonvulsant, Antidepressant, and more we are still discovering.

*CBN (cannbinol)– Sedative Antibiotic, Anticonvulsant, Anti-inflammatory, and more.

***THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid)– Non psychoactive compound in raw form, Once decarboxylated (applied heat via smoking or vaping) it turns to THC, shows promise in treating epilepsy, anti-inflammatory, reduce Nausea, and more (Devitt-Lee, 2017).

*THC (Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol)- Psychoactive compound from decarboxylation of THCA, Euphoriant, Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Antiemetic, Antipruritic, Bronchodilator, Sedative/Energy Increase (depends on strain), Appetite enhancer/Suppressant (depends on strain) and more.

*THCV (Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabivarin)- Analgesic, Euphoriant, Anti-convulsant

So let’s talk about the most common word seen throughout all of these different cannabinoids, Anti-inflammatory is one major one that stands out. According to many recent studies, Inflammation causes a number of medical problems that could be easily treated with some nature’s own cannibinoids, instead of a pleathra of pills to keep track of for multiple issues that all may be linked right back to inflammation. Crazy right? Well, how does inflammation effect our bodies?

Amanda MacMillan with Health.com wrote “13 Ways Inflammation Can Affect Your Health” this January (https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20898778,00.html) and explains it this way, “In a healthy situation, inflammation serves as a good friend to our body,” says Mansour Mohamadzadeh, PhD, director of the Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology at the University of Florida.” “But if immune cells start to overreact, that inflammation can be totally directed against us.” This type of harmful, chronic inflammation can have a number of causes, including a virus or bacteria, an autoimmune disorder, sugary and fatty foods, or the way you handle stress. Here are a few ways it can affect your health, both short-term and long.”

When your body isn’t fighting a wound or a virus or anything else harmful to you, it should shut the anti-inflammation off. But, in some people, this is not always the case. Some people experience Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including Ulcerative Colitis and Chron’s disease, when the immune cells attack the digestive tract, so having help with anti-inflammation could help in this instance. Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis experience problems with inflammation of the joints with painful and stiff joints as symptoms. Inflammation is also linked to heart disease in people with chronic inflammation. (MacMillan, 2019).

 So you can see how inflammation is interconnected to many different symptoms that many experience everyday. If the entire Cannabis plant, basically, is an anti-inflammatory and we can only receive that nutrient from cannabis, then it seems to be a no brainer as to why including cannabis products in your daily diet would be a good strategy for long term and overall health.

It has been a common theme to want a CBD only product in terms of drug testing for employers. This is why Hemp CBD is making such a name for itself because it naturally only has .03% of THC or less. You need at least 7% THC to feel any psychoactive effects and is the least likely to appear in urine. Most employment agencies have a “second hand smoke” level of THC they set for their standards, and I believe that is why Hemp CBD companies can claim that it is safe for people who need to take drug tests. But check with your employer’s standards of levels allowed if you are worried. Remember, Always do your own research. Don’t trust anything anyone writes, including me! Just read all you can and make your own educated guess and decision on the matter. That is what I do!

However, the real benefits will be seen from a full spectrum oil. That is a tincture or oil that has all of the cannabinoids that strain has in it. Including different Terpenes (the science-y word for a compound that gives fruits and flowers their smells and tastes) and those even have medicinal benefits, much like essential oils are used for today. That will be another article though! There are also products called RSO/RSHO that is a very concentrated form of cannabis oil and is an ENTIRE PLANT extract. Many say this is the best way to get the most out of a cannabis plant because you get all of the cannabinoids from the stalk, leaves, and flowers. You also only start dosing with the size of a grain of rice. So small amounts and work up to larger doses. I usually would get people coming to buy from the dispensary I worked at (when we visited Washington a few months I got to dive right into the industry!) who had cancer or other chronic illnesses who would use this. But people with common colds and who just wanted a boost of cannabinoids would purchase this, much like taking a high dose of vitamin C or something comparable because of all of the antibiotic properties. A Full spectrum oil or tincture will be a lot of cannabinoids, just not as concentrated like it’s syrupy counterpart RSO/RSHO.

Although we are still studying the benefits and effects Cannabis has our bodies, having as many cannabinoids in one vial is better than just the CBD. But having JUST CBD is still more beneficial than many of the pills prescribed today, with no reported negative side effects, if dosed correctly. Because we are all different, the more we learn about the different cannabinoids the more we will be able to distinctively tell people which strain/product is best for their specific body and cannabinoid receptors.

Stay Tuned for another article on CB1 and CB2 receptors in your body!

References

*Substance. (2014 July 27). “Cannabinoid Breakdown”. https://www.substancemarket.com/cannabinoid-breakdown/

**Jikomes, Nick. (No Date). Leafly. “List of Major Cannabinoids in Cannabis and Their Effects”. https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/list-major-cannabinoids-cannabis-effects.

*** Robbins, Curt. (2019 February 6). Cannabis Aficionado. “CBGV: The Cannabinoid that Increases the Effects of Medical Marijuana. https://cannabisaficionado.com/cbgv/.

*** CRESCOLabs. (2010). “CBDV”. https://www.crescolabs.com/cannabinoids/cbdv/.

***Rosado, Joseph, M.D. (2019 January 30). Marijuana Doctors. “Cannabichromevarin (CBCV)”. https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/resources/cannabinoids/cannabichromevarin-cbcv/

*** Devitt-Lee, Adrain. (2017 May 31). Project CBD. “Dosing THCA: Less is More”. https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/dosing-thca-less-more.

MacMilan, Amanda. (2019 January 28). Health. “13 Ways Inflammation Can Affect Your Health. https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20898778,00.html

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CANNABA RX- Medella Sciences

First Company Exposed! As of 03/27/2019 This information is up to date.

SOLD BY:

Medella Science- No Phone/ 6930 Signat Dr. Houston, TX 77041 – https://medellasciences.com/contact/

Cliffprice & Company- (800) 560-4438

Perry Pharmacy– tracy@perrypharmacy.com

CLAIMED Product contents: 500 ml Full Spectrum, 100% pure

Cost: $80

Lab Tested:

Pro Verde Labs- http://www.proverdelabs.com 420 Fortune Blvd, Milford, PA 01751

Maine Lab- 220 Industrial Way, Portland, ME 04103/ Phone- (617) 221-3356 Info@proverdelabs.com

Christopher Hudalla | Chris.Hudalla@ProVerdeLabs.com Ph.D., Founder, Chief Scientific Officer

Dorian A. Des Lauriers | DD@ProVerdeLabs.com Founder, CEO

Certificate of Analysis Sent is for Medella Sciences for their Concentrates/Extracts- ISOLATE, not their tincture I requested and States:

CBD 3.53 wt% h/ 33.41 mg/ml

CBG .05 wt%/ .43 mg/ml

No other Cannabinoids listed. Does not state how the CBD is extracted.

My Notes:

*Contacted Cliffprice & Company and woman stated she did not know what a Certificate Of Analysis was and said they do NOT test ANY of their products.

*Email reply from a person from Medella Science, and they also CCed a person at Perry Pharmacy in the email: Sent me a COA on the CBD potency, but do NOT have FULL PANELS right now!!

I did not like how long it took the company to get back with me or the way they state their product is 100% pure, yet their testing shows less CBD contained than any other company I looked at thus far. They have NO testing on anything other than the cannabinoid potency. Overall, I would NOT use this company. They charge too much for the little amounts of watered down CBD it offers. Definitely Stay Away!

Do you know of a CBD product or Company that you want more information on? By sending that information to me, you will help me in the search for a REAL HIGH QUALITY product at a good price! Help me expose the frauds! Not all CBD is created equally! Contact me in comments or send me an email @ thecrabshomestead@yahoo.com or message me on any of our Social Media Channels, preferably CANNAB.A.B.E.

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A Rant about CBD- Know What’s In IT!

Today I went Live on Youtube to kind of rant about CBD companies that are popping up all over the place but most of the people either don’t know what is actually in the CBD or that they even have choices! I am on the search for a CBD company that is 100% pesticide free, 100% GMO Free, HEAVY METAL FREE, and TRIPLE TESTED for Mold, mildew and other crap that could harm me if I take it. People do no switch to CBD from their regular medicine just to get more crap and chemical in their body. They do it because it is a more natural alternative. But no body should be paying an arm and a leg for their products either. There are a TON of growers and manufacturers out there, but if it does not clearly say PESTICIDE/GMO/Heavy Metal Free…it is not! I am on the search. Send me companies you know of and want me to research. Send me products you may have used. Let me find out what is in those products and maybe together we can find a good and inexpensive company to purchase CBD products from!

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What is the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?

What is the difference between Marijuana and Hemp?

This is a classic common misconception when it comes to the topic of Cannabis. People do not know the difference and commonly misuse the words causing even more confusion and unintelligent conversations to happen.

Marijuana….hemp…..isn’t it all the same? Well, no…it isn’t.

The classification for Cannabis is actually still unclear! Cannabaceae has been said to be the FAMILY and Cannabis being the Genus. It is unclear on if the species is only Sativa and then broken into subspecies of Sativa, Indica, and Ruderalis and then Hemp and Marijuana are subspecies of those:

Or if the species itself is All three Sativa, Indica, and Ruderalis; and Hemp and Marijuana are the subspecies (1):

Wow. That was a lot of info, right? Regardless of how we decided to scientifically classify the species and subspecies of Cannabis, one thing remains true; Marijuana and Hemp are two totally different Sub-Species of the Cannabis Plant. We will get into the species break downs in another article, for now, let’s just talk basics.

For over 10,000 years Cannabis was farmed and used in medicine and religious practices in a majority of the world. They knew the differences between Hemp and Marijuana. Although the plants look very similar, Hemp has a tall and skinny stature, even with skinny leaves, compared to its sibling Marijuana, with a more Short and bushy appearance, and big wide leaves and buds. It was actually illegal not to grow Hemp in the 1600s because it was so versatile in textiles and medicine!

Hemp (5)

Marijuana (4)

Not only are the looks different, but the uses are different as well, from ingesting to creating everyday products. Inside of a Cannabis plant contains over 100 of what scientists call Cannabinoids. The reason you want cannabinoids in your body is because you already have cannabinoid receptors all over your body and in your brain! This “biochemical communication system” is called the Endocannibinoid System, and it plays a vital role in regulating our physiology, mood, and overall every day experience(2). This is a scientific FACT! These cannibinoids are attracted to those receptors and can build bridges and help someone live a healthier life in many different ways depending on the receptors effected. This all is a very personal experience and depending on your individual body chemistry determines which strain of Marijuana and Hemp you will have different reactions to.

Many of the cannibinoids found in cannabis have not been found in any other plants! The two most prominent and mostly studied of the 100s of cannabinoids found in Cannabis are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannibidiol).  THC is the psychoactive component that is found in Cannabis, but Hemp only contains .3% while Marijuana contains 30%+. A person would need to ingest at least 7% of THC to FEEL any type of reaction. Your body still absorbs all of the nutritional benefits of THC even though you can not feel the effect. This is why people prefer to purchase Marijuana’s Buds/Flower to get the “high” feeling, and not Hemp. THC also includes many medicinal benefits, other than a euphoric feeling. It is the better of the two cannibinoids in relieving pain since this gives a head high, and will help block the pain receptors causing people with seizures, epilepsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and spasms, and many other medical issues get some relief in a way that is more organic than other forms of traditional medicine today. The THC cannibinoids will bind to the brain cells responsible for controlling excitement and regulating relaxation. The flowers are not the only part of the plant that has benefits either. The stalk and leaves all contain amazing components of CBD and other cannibinoids that give nutrients and healing properties to the human body that has been recognized for centuries, and it grows right out of the ground!

CBD is completely non-psychoactive and found in high concentrations in both the Hemp and the Marijuana Plants. CBD has been known to treat anti-inflamatory, pain, anxiety, side effects of chemo therapy in patients like nausea, and many more. I like to refer to it as more of a nutritional supplement like any other vitamin you would take every day. It has also been used to help stimulate and protect the immune system in patients with low immune systems. People who suffer from PTSD have claimed it helps with their anxiety. It even works in our furry friends that can get anxiety during fireworks or separation…bacon flavored! Like Marijuana, the entire Hemp Plant contains nutritional cannibinoids, stalk, leaves, and very high concentrates in the flowers, especially.  You can’t physically feel anything happening, but a whole plant extract is high quality and is a great shot of vitamins whether you drink it, eat it, or swallow it in pill form.

Now that you know the basic differences between HEMP and Marijuana when it comes to the effects of the THC and CBD cannibinoids if you inhale or ingest either plant, what about other uses?

Hemp is an amazing agricultural crop that could and has been used to treat over farmed or contaminated soils, and even everyday items like paper, building materials, fuel, beauty products, clothes, textiles, plastic substitutes, and nutrition. Before 1883, 75-90% of paper was hemp based and hemp was used in 80% of the world’s textiles. The seeds alone contain Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids, Protein, Vitamin E, and can be eaten raw, made into an oil, of ground into flour. Farmers could use Hemp as a rotational crop to plant between seasons because of its decontamination properties and ability to add nutrients back into the soil. It does not require pesticides to keep alive either! It does such a great job of decontaminating soil that it has been used for over 20 years to help rid the soil of toxins in and around Chernobyl.

All of these amazing benefits, and the government is finally getting on board. In 1970 Cannabis was listed as a SCHEDULE I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Back then, there was no separation of the Cannabis plant. It was assumed the entire Species was “Bad” because Marijuana was claimed to have caused “Reefer Madness”, but now people are realizing that was all a sham, and the only “madness” caused by smoking or ingesting too much THC is fear of time travel and an overkill of the munchies and sleep. Finally, over 30 years later, President Obama signed the 2014 Farm Bill which legally gave a difference between Marijuana and Hemp, thus legalizing Hemp to be cultivated for RESEARCH and COMMERCIAL Purposes. This opened the door to the newest bill, 2018 Farm Bill, signed by President Trump December 2017 to allow industrialized Hemp to be grown and sold to consumers without the farmers losing any government benefits (3). The bill is not perfect. Neither was the last one or the one before that. There was a lot more in the Farm Bill than just legalizing Industrialized Hemp, and they still have a lot of work to do, but at least we are getting there.

To the people who say the US government doesn’t make progress, BOO YAH! Yeah, it’s slow…but a little at a time! We didn’t earn our independence in a day, and we didn’t become the most amazing country overnight. I have faith we will continue to make progress toward the full legalization of CANNABIS and finally will be able to make good choices about our overall health. Keep sharing the education, that is the only way we will win. Knowledge is power!

My Warning:

Now that America can grow and produce Hemp products, there are a lot of companies popping up all over wanting you to buy. DO YOUR RESEARCH!! Any company you buy from should not be using pesiticides or GMO products. They will have this clearly labeled on their site or product. Many companies also offer heavy metals testing, mildew/mold, E. Coli, etc testing. Also, just because it is cheap, does not mean it is good! But if it is expensive, that does not mean it is the best! So buy your Hemp oil, CBD oil, etc from a company that doesn’t take the cheap and easy way out, but also is not charging a ridiculous amount. I am currently working with a grower and manufacturer and will hopefully be offering GMO free, pesticide free, triple lab tested CBD oil for the whole family, including your pets. Stay tuned for more related articles!

References: