About Cannabis

About Cannabis

Whether you are a new or experienced medicinal marijuana patient, you probably have questions about the proper administration, effectiveness, and safety of therapeutic cannabis products. Although the world is woefully behind in research covering the medicinal value of cannabis, numerous studies indicate that many patients can benefit from the use of cannabis to treat a variety of medical conditions.

How Cannabis Works

Selectively bred cannabis plants can yield potent high-performance medical marijuana that scientists believe contains over 480 natural components, including (by some estimates) over 100 cannabinoids and 200 terpenoids.

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are a class of diverse chemical compounds that act on cannabinoid receptors found in all living beings except insects. The body naturally produces endocannabinoids, neuromodulators that are involved in a number of physiological processes. Cannabis and some other plants produce phytocannabinoids. Some pharmaceuticals are manufactured with synthetic cannabinoids.

The cannabis plant produces more than 100 phytocannabinoids, including THC, CBD, and many others that exist in trace amounts and have not been thoroughly investigated. THC is a powerful psychoactive agent, analgesic, muscle relaxant, antispasmodic, neuroprotective antioxidant that delivers 20 times the anti-inflammatory power of aspirin and twice the power of hydrocortisone. CBD helps us fight microbial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), while helping our bodies moderate some of the adverse effects of THC like anxiety, tachycardia, sedation, and hunger pangs.

Terpenoids

are a large and diverse class of organic compounds produced by a variety of plants and some insects, including termites or swallowtail butterflies. Various plant terpenoids are believed to possess antibacterial, antineoplastic, and other medicinal functions, and are an important ingredient in many pharmaceutical and herbal remedies. In fact, vitamin A is a terpenoid.

The Entourage Effect

Isolated or combined in various amounts or combinations, cannabinoids and terpenoids are useful in the treatment of a wide range of patient conditions. Therapeutic synergies are what scientists refer to as the cannabis entourage effect. Researchers have discovered that THC and other cannabinoid and terpenoid agents can be combined to produce therapeutic synergies that offer:

• Bronchodilator effects for relieving asthma and other respiratory conditions
• Analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents to treat arthritis and reduce joint pain
• Nerve-receptor-blocking actions that ease discomfort of patients who suffer from connective tissue disorders such as fibromyalgia, systemic lupus, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Release of mood-altering chemicals to treat depression and ease anxieties

Cannabis strains can vary widely in the quantity of cannabinoids and terpenoids that they produce, which is apparent in differences in color, smell, and taste. These medicinal compounds can affect the body differently, which makes having a basic understanding of their effects critical to patient care.

Disclaimer

The information on this website, which is not intended to provide medical or dosage advice, is meant to help you make informed choices when selecting cannabis strains, formats, and methods of administration. Due the process of consolidating and simplifying a large amount of data, information, and expert opinion, the information might contain errors or omissions. We encourage your feedback in bringing inaccuracies to our attention so that we can update the website if necessary.