Healing Benefits of Cannabis

The Basics

WHAT: Review of scientifically confirm medical benefits and use of the cannabis plant.

SOURCE: Research done by the Truth About Cancer organisation

GREAT FOR: Health, Natural Medicine, Cancer Treatment, Pain Treatment, Epilepsy, Physical Well-being

About

Cannabis is a group of three plants with psychoactive properties: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.

Cannabis is made up of more than 120 components, known as cannabinoids. While science is still discovering each of them, experts understand well the cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC):

• CBD is a psychoactive cannabinoid but it is non-intoxicating and non-euphoric. It is used to help reduce inflammation and pain. It may also ease nausea, migraine, seizures, and anxiety.
• THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, responsible for the “high” that most people know cannabis for.

Use of Cannabis as Medicine

For over 5,000 years, cannabis has been used for natural and holistic healing. The foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese emperor Shen Nung – considered the father of Chinese Medicine – discovered in theory studies that the healing benefits of the sacred plant once formed the backbone of medical practice.

The main job of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain balance (known as homeostasis) within the body as a whole in response to an ever-changing environment such as eating habits, level of stress, air quality, and much more. In addition to being a modulator, its secondary responsibilities are to protect and repair cells. 

Besides the nervous system and the brain, the state of a person’s endocannabinoid system can influence almost all of the body’s organ systems, including the immune system, the gut, the respiratory system, and the endocrine system. Cannabinoid receptors have been found in immune system cells, in the liver, in skeletal muscle tissue and skin, in blood vessels and heart muscle, in the eyes, in the kidneys, in bone and fat.

Maintaining Wellness with Cannabis

Our bodies contain many complex systems, including the cardiovascular system, neurological system, and endocrine system. But the endocannabinoid system may be the most powerful of them all. When it comes to brain function, these chemicals and receptors have the ability to help prevent and heal many of the neurological issues that we encounter.

Disease Treatment

Here are just a few of the conditions that can be helped by proper use of cannabis:

Pain

A growing body of clinical research and a history of anecdotal evidence supports the use of cannabis for the relief of some types of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain, and spasticity (ie, stiffness or tightness)  

Cancer

There are many ways cannabis can help a person dealing with cancer. First, research continues to prove: cannabis kills cancer cells, shrinks tumors, and helps immune systems recalibrate. In most cases, when patients use cannabis in treatment, neuropathy fades, pain greatly reduces or diminishes completely.

Brain Health

Your brain is arguably the most intricate and powerful organ in your body. It regulates everything from breathing and hunger to memory and motor skills. When we experience injury or dysfunction in the brain, these systems can begin to fail, resulting in a multitude of issues.

Using the whole plant or a whole plant extract is the only way to get the synergistic benefits that come along with the other “minor phytocannabinoids” in cannabis (which may also contribute to relevant activity). Cannabichromene (CBC) is the third most prevalent cannabinoid in cannabis and is anti-inflammatory, as well as analgesic. 

Cannabinoid Ratios

The two main cannabinoids, CBD and THC, contain valuable and distinct medicinal properties and depending on if you take them either together or individually, they have different effects on your body. Since CBD and THC are the cannabis plant’s two most prominent cannabinoids, most of the research as of today focuses on the ratio of each.

Dosage

The difference between a proper dose and a bad dose could mean a safe experience versus discomfort and/or a dangerous one. A proper dose means safe medicine, a bad dose means discomfort that could lead to a dangerous situation. Fortunately, cannabis is remarkably safe; so, patients can find their perfect dose by ingesting it in small increments starting in ranges of 1- 2 mg or ml of whole plant applications. Our recommendation is to meet with a medical professional knowledgeable in cannabis dosing and your ailment.

Conclusion

Even though cannabis has been used as medicine for thousands of years, we are only at the very beginning of our journey to truly understanding and unlocking its full potential. Political and socio-economic prejudice has resulted in a world where the use of cannabis can still be a challenge for patients.

Though we have had tremendous insights into the value that this plant has in our health and wellness, we have only just scratched the surface of our understanding as the research is still in its infancy. Doctors and scientists are required to jump through many hoops to conduct their research, and many are required to travel to distant countries to study cannabis.

That being said, the data we’ve collected so far is astounding: there may be no other plant in the world with such powerful and wide-reaching benefits to our health. From maintaining homeostasis to treating conditions like pain, epilepsy, or cancer, our greatest hope likely resides in a natural plant that’s been right under our noses this whole time.