CAN CANANBIS CURE LIVER DISEASE?
FUNCTIONS
OF THE LIVER
- Bile Production
The
liver regulates most chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called
bile. Bile helps to break down fats in the small intestine, preparing them for
further digestion and absorption and also aides in waste removal.
- Production of certain
proteins for blood plasma
- Production of cholesterol
and special proteins to help carry fats through the body
- Store and release glucose as needed
All
of the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The
liver processes this blood and breaks down, balances, and creates nutrients for
the body to use. It also metabolized drugs in the blood into forms that are
easier for the body to use.
- Processing of hemoglobin
for use of its iron content (the liver stores iron)
- Conversion of harmful
ammonia to urea (urea is one of the end products of protein metabolism
that is excreted in the urine)
- Clearing the blood of
drugs and other harmful substances
- Regulating blood clotting
- Resisting infections by
producing immune factors and removing bacteria from the bloodstream
- Clearance of bilirubin
(if there is a buildup of bilirubin, the skin and eyes turn yellow known
as jaundice)
LIVER DISORDERS
Fatty Liver Disease
Fatty Liver Disease
It has been discovered that
certain Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
are similar in structure to natural sex hormones such as estrogen. By mimicking
natural hormones, they can have a number of adverse effects on humans as well
as animals, including developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune
system damage. The research presented at the Endocrine Society's 2015 annual meeting in San Diego, California,
revealed that these chemicals, and especially bisphenol-A (BPA), could contribute to fatty liver disease later in
life when exposures in fact occur shortly after birth.
An animal study
was carried out at Texas A&M Health
Science Centre's Institute of Biosciences and Technology and it was
discovered that even just brief exposures to low doses of this chemical altered
gene expression in the liver in a way that could contribute to fatty liver
disease.
"'Even a
short exposure to these endocrine disruptors at the wrong time of development
has a life-long effect on the individual."
This chemical is found in
soda cans and other tins, plastic and food packaging, some tooth sealants, most
foods, in the soil, water and air, some types of cash register receipts and
vouchers, cleaning products, scented candles and most fragranced products as
well as intimate feminine products.
NAFLD
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as an excessive buildup of fats, often accompanied by elevated enzyme levels, in your liver in the absence of significant alcohol consumption. While it's normal for your liver to contain some fat, buildups of more than 5 to 10 percent of your liver's weight can become a problem.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as an excessive buildup of fats, often accompanied by elevated enzyme levels, in your liver in the absence of significant alcohol consumption. While it's normal for your liver to contain some fat, buildups of more than 5 to 10 percent of your liver's weight can become a problem.
Alcohol consumption is a
leading cause of fatty liver, but in the case of NAFLD, it occurs in people who
are overweight or obese, have high cholesterol, or high triglycerides, and who
consume little or no alcohol. So this condition is directly related to dietary
consumption of foods high in non-saturated fats and sugars which have flooded
markets and society.
NAFLD often may cause
fatigue, jaundice, swelling in the legs and abdomen, mental confusion, depression
and if left untreated, it can cause the liver to swell-up this is called non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH), a
more severe form of NAFLD, and even contribute to liver cancer or failure.
The best way to
deal with this condition is to take a careful look at what you are eating and
specifically your sugars and fats, both actually are a lot like alcohol in the
damage they can do to the liver. So just like alcohol, sugar is metabolized
directly into fat. Also look at how you are exercising as these two factors can
very often prevent this condition and can even reverse it still in its early
stages. The liver
metabolizes sugar in a similar way as it processes alcohol because they both
convert dietary carbohydrates into fat which causes abnormal fat levels in the
bloodstream and fatty liver disease. Sugar undergoes a reaction with proteins
which leads to the formation of free radicals which can result in liver
inflammation and disease.
HCC
HCC is also known as Hepatocellular Carcinoma and is one of the most common forms of
liver cancer affecting mostly men over the age of 50. Long considered to be one
of the more lethal cancer-related illnesses, HCC accounts for roughly 75% of
all liver cancers. HCC, unlike metastatic liver cancer, starts and
remains in the liver, and is caused by scarring within this vital organ. While
there may be many root sources of this deadly scarring within the liver (cirrhosis
of the liver), the primary players are; alcohol abuse, autoimmune diseases of the liver, and the
hepatitis B or C virus.
Liver fibrosis
Liver fibrosis is one of the most common forms of liver disease and affects
more than 400,000 patients in the United States and is the tenth leading cause
of death in America.
It occurs when the liver, experiences “excessive accumulation of scar tissue” that results from chronic inflammation
and the death of liver cells. Dying cells are replaced by those that are
regenerating, a process that produces abnormal areas of tough, fibrous
tissue called nodules. As more nodules form, the liver begins to
literally harden.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a condition where the liver does not function
properly, typically because of long-term damage. This damage is often due to
alcohol abuse. Cirrhosis is a progressive disease and reveals itself
very slowly, over months or even years. Personally ii watched my own father
develop this disease over a period of twenty years and being a sailor he did
not see fair to part with the holy water and his liver did end up failing
leading to his passing.
It may result in patients being weak and tired and experiencing swelling
of the calves and feet. They may also exhibit yellow skin and bruise easily.
One of the most dangerous symptoms of cirrhosis is the accumulation of
abdominal fluid, which may become very rapidly infected. Cirrhosis can also to
lead to liver cancer.
THE CANNABIS COCONUT CONNECTION
In my 2014
dissertation ii presented the idea of the Cannabis
Coconut Connection after almost ten years of studying this link and you can
read more about it in my paper of the same title. So let us look specifically at
how Cannabis and Coconut both can help the liver. The most important similarity between Cannabis and
Coconut is that no one has ever died from consuming either. There are however reports of people dying
from coconuts falling on their heads and even these are far and few between.
For almost 60 years we have believed that coconut oil is
a ‘bad fat’ and blocks our arteries leading to cardiovascular disease and worse
heart attacks and even heart failure.One never seems to hear about the miracle healing power of
Cannabis on television. Is it really
possible that not even the cure for cancer can supersede news of murders and
robberies? One also never sees an advert for coconut oil or honey for that
matter. Since the advent of the internet educating ourselves has
become easier and by now most people do know of the healing abilities of
Cannabis especially in respect of cancer and now there is also an explosion of
information available on the health benefits of coconut oil.
CANNABIS
|
COCONUT
|
Anti-tumor (anti-cancer)
|
Anti-tumor (anti-cancer)
|
Immune Boosting
|
Immune Boosting
|
Anti-fungal
|
Anti-fungal
|
Anti-bacterial
|
Anti-bacterial
|
Anti-microbial
|
Anti-microbial
|
Regulation of metabolism (weight control)
|
Regulation of metabolism (weight control)
|
Anti-oxidant
|
Anti-oxidant
|
Skin care
|
Skin care
|
Osteoporosis treatment
|
Osteoporosis treatment
|
Fat soluble
|
Over 90% Saturated fat
|
No negative side effects no deaths
|
No negative side effects no deaths
|
Components found in human breast milk
|
Components found in human breast milk
|
Regulate circulation
|
Regulate circulation
|
Used for over 5000 years as medicine
|
Used for over 5000 years as medicine
|
At the forefront of medical research and breakthroughs
|
At the forefront of medical research and breakthroughs
|
Criminalized since 1930’s
|
Condemned for over 60 years
|
Controls regulation of fat
|
Controls regulation of fat
|
Raw plant has no psychedelic high
|
Raw plant has no psychedelic high
|
Aides nutrient absorption
|
Aides nutrient absorption
|
MEDICAL
BENEFITS OF CANNABIS AND COCONUT
Contrary to popular belief coconut oil actually promotes
a healthy cardiovascular system because medium chain fatty acids do not
contribute to arterial plague and this is because of the way they are absorbed
by the body. It also regulates metabolism and controls appetite and therefore
weight gain, making coconut oil a valuable remedy in the fight against diabetes
and obesity.
The medium chain fatty acids cause the body to store fat
as an expendable energy in the liver instead of as fatty cells in the tissues
which is exactly what long chain fatty acids do. Coconut oil is also known to
support proper functioning of the thyroid gland which makes it a suitable
natural anti-obesity remedy. Cannabis has already proven to play an important
role in metabolic regulation and there are many studies underway around the
world investigating the role of Cannabis in obesity and diabetes.
Coconut oil is a very important immune system booster because of its anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and we now know that Cannabis shares the exact same properties. Numerous studies have proven that coconut oil is proving helpful in preventing and curing liver disease, kidney disease, Crohn’s disease, cancer and many infectious illness such as the flu, herpes, bladder infections, candida and even ringworm and aluminium poisoning. Scientists are starting to realise the powerful combination of Cannabis and Coconut oil and this is because of the similarity in healing properties and the ability of both plants to fight free radicals. Because coconut oil is directly absorbed by the liver it is the perfect delivery system allowing easy access of Cannabinoids into the liver.
Coconut oil is a very important immune system booster because of its anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and we now know that Cannabis shares the exact same properties. Numerous studies have proven that coconut oil is proving helpful in preventing and curing liver disease, kidney disease, Crohn’s disease, cancer and many infectious illness such as the flu, herpes, bladder infections, candida and even ringworm and aluminium poisoning. Scientists are starting to realise the powerful combination of Cannabis and Coconut oil and this is because of the similarity in healing properties and the ability of both plants to fight free radicals. Because coconut oil is directly absorbed by the liver it is the perfect delivery system allowing easy access of Cannabinoids into the liver.
THE
IMPORTANCE OF FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Vitamins interact
with other nutrients in processes such as metabolism, digestion and developing
blood cells and some vitamins slow down the ageing process, prevent cancerous
cells attacking the body and strengthen the immune system. Vitamins
A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins which are absorbed from fats in the
intestine and are then stored in the liver until needed which means that they
do not have to be consumed every day.
Vitamin A is important for bones, teeth, skin and mucous membranes and
is also a powerful antioxidant with serious immune boosting properties.
Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium to strengthen bones and teeth and is
therefore important for the treatment of osteoporosis. As ii have written many
times before ii do believe that all disease including mental disease stems from
the gut and further ii do believe that Vitamin D is the number one factor in
point because Vitamin D breaks down fat in the small intestine, so again
overall health has a lot to do with fats and sunshine the natural source of
Vitamin D and ii do believe that one of the reasons we see so many sick people
in the northern hemisphere is directly related to the fact that there is not
enough sun and therefore most of these people are actually Vitamin D deficient.
Vitamin E is also
a potent antioxidant which protects the cells and tissues from harmful
substances and free radicals. Vitamin E also has anti-cancer properties and is
known to play an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular and heart
disease. Further it has
been discovered that Vitamin E may help relieve the majority of symptoms
associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the more severe form of
NAFLD. Low levels of Vitamin E are linked to liver disease, fat deposition and
other signs of liver injury like scarring.
Vitamin K is
essential for blood clotting which is also one of the functions of the liver.
Since the body produces Vitamin K which it gets from green leafy vegetables,
deficiency is rare in healthy people but bleeding and bruising is a sign of
deficiency. Coconut
oil has the ability to help the body increase absorption of some of the B
vitamins and the fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K.
Another interesting similarity between Cannabis and
Coconut is that neither have any serious side effects and no recorded deaths
with only a few cases of coconut allergies have ever been reported, and these
have been scarce, and each are actually believed to be peanut related
allergies, and it is also true that most people who are allergic to peanuts can
tolerate coconut as an alternative.
Both Cannabis and Coconut are made up of unique
combinations of chemical compounds which cannot be found anywhere else in
nature and these chemical compounds do not work in isolation and the fact that
these unique components have such similar healing properties should have us all
convinced that truly this is one of the many secret natural herbal combinations
provided by Mother Nature to heal a variety of medical disorders.
GOOD HEALTH IS
ALL ABOUT GOOD FATS!
The importance of the ability of coconut oil to increase
absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, together with the fact
that Cannabinoids are fat soluble gives clear evidence to the fact that coconut
oil has the ability to maximize Cannabinoid extraction, because it is a highly saturated
fat and Cannabinoids have a natural affinity with coconut oil providing the
best type of fat for the Cannabinoids to bond to. Yes Cannabinoids need fats to
bond onto in order to do their work in the healing process.
All research results are pointing towards total
Cannabinoid extraction when using coconut oil for extraction and this is also
true in the case of Cannabis edibles. This all means that when you use coconut
oil to extract Cannabinoids you will be producing a pure and potent medicine.
Everyone knows that the human body is around 60% water
but did you know that our brain is 60% fat?
This is a very interesting link when you start studying the effect of
Cannabis and Coconut on the human brain.
In medical matters some repetition is necessary, so again we must take
note that Cannabinoids are fat soluble and coconut oil is a highly saturated
fat and the brain is mostly fat, so it does make a lot of sense that this
combination has all the essentials to go a long way to assisting us to maintain
optimum health and longevity.
Cannabis oil extracted with coconut oil is lighter in
colour than oil extracted with alcohol or butane gas which is dark and thick
like treacle or tar. This is because the
alcohol strips all the water soluble parts of the plants as well, including the
chlorophyll giving it this dark colour. Coconut infused Cannabis oil when
solidified at room temperature is amber/avocado in colour, because it only
extracts the fat soluble components of Cannabis so you can be sure that you are
getting pure Cannabinoid extraction without all the water soluble parts like
the chlorophyll concentrate. This is not to say that chlorophyll is bad for you
because chlorophyll also has highly beneficial medicinal properties in other
applications.
Chlorophyll concentrate in Cannabis oil has produced some
cases of diarrhoea and upset gastric systems which are common side effects of
chlorophyll. In less vulnerable patients they might feel brief spells of
queasiness which is the action of the chlorophyll. This does not happen when
using coconut oil because the chlorophyll is not stripped in the extraction
process and second coconut oil is not readily absorbed into the gastric tract,
it is absorbed straight to the liver.
This is what the oil looks like when melted.
Coconut oil is the perfect pure and natural extraction
and delivery method for Cannabis medicine especially for people who do not care
for smoking.
Coconut oil has a smoke point of 171 degrees
Celsius so at 100 degrees and less it cannot produce any dangerous fumes
because it will not create smoke at this temperature. You can experiment with
this by frying two eggs one in normal yellow oil and one in coconut oil and you
will notice that coconut oil does not produce the brown grease rim around the
egg which is the ‘bad fat’ part of the egg.
Above is the egg fried in coconut oil and below are eggs
fried in normal sunflower oil.
A NOTE ON SOLVENTS
Personally I have the utmost respect for anyone who
successfully manages to produce pure and potent Cannabis oil for medicinal
purposes as I personally know exactly how hard it is to do so. I am however extremely concerned with the solvent of
choice, and this is expressed with no disrespect to Mr Rick Simpson, or any other
healers using these methods. Over the years I have become increasingly concerned
with the poisoness content of solvents like alcohol, naphtha (also known as
Benzene) which is also used as paint thinner, ether and even butane gas.
Not only are these solvents poisoness but are also highly
flammable and incredibly dangerous to work with due to the dangerous fumes
which are present during this process of extraction. Some solvent components
like hexane and benzene may also be neurotoxic.
According to many manufacturers, naphtha and
petroleum-ether are considered potential carcinogenic, and some products which
are sold as naphtha may contain added impurities for example those of Coleman ®
fuel, which may have harmful properties of their own.Cannabis oil which is produced with an alcohol extraction
is usually concentrated by evaporating the solvents that were used in the
extraction process. The more concentrated the extract becomes, the more
difficult it is to remove the residual solvent and in this case, applying more
heat will increase solvent evaporation, but at the same time valuable
components like the Cannabinoids and terpenes may also be damaged or lost
resulting in a lower quality of oil. My advice is to keep your medicine as
natural as possible.
HOW DOES CANNABIS CURE?
HOMEOSTASIS
Personally ii feel that the most important function of The
Endocannabinoid System (EC System) is that of Homeostasis and ii believe this
is the number one factor in the biology of all living things and is best
described as the ability to maintain a stable and balanced internal environment
despite the constant fluctuations in the external environment. The ability to
maintain homeostasis is necessary for survival and medical disorders and
disease are the direct result of the body’s inability to maintain homeostasis.
So we now know that Cannabinoids are responsible for
promoting homeostasis at every level of biological life, right from the
sub-cellular to the organism, and perhaps even to the community and beyond. Over and
above regulating our internal and cellular homeostasis, Cannanbinoids also
influence a person’s relationship with the external environment. On a social
level, the consumption of Cannabinoids clearly changes human behaviour, and
often promotes feelings of sharing, humour, positive vibrations and creativity.
AUTOPHAGY
The EC system controls the process of autophagy, a
process involving cellular destruction of unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular
components for example cancer cells and ‘free radicals’. So this process breaks down damaged organelles, cell
membranes and proteins, but does not damage or alter healthy cells at all,
unlike many cancer fighting drugs which kill off healthy cells as well as
damaged cells. The failure of the process of autophagy is largely believed
to be the main reason for on-going cell damage and the aging process.
This makes a lot of sense and we all know about the role
of free radicals they quickly multiply and become uncontrollable in the absence
of antioxidants to flush them out of the body.
Besides causing cancer and other diseases, free radicals also cause
inflammation throughout the body thus intensifying other conditions commonly
connected with the aging process such as arthritis.
The Cannabinoids CBD
(Cannabidiol) and CBC
(Cannabichromene) are known to relieve inflammation and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and
CBN (Cannbinol) are known to act as antioxidants. These are two very important factors in
maintaining homeostasis and overall health. The death of cancer cells, in turn,
promotes homeostasis and survival at the level of the entire entity in both
humans and animals alike.
CANNABIS AND THE LIVER
Over the past few decades there has been a lot media
attention surrounding the issue of alcohol versus Cannabis for recreational
use. Not only does Cannabis offer a healthier euphoriant than say whiskey or
vodka but it can also help repair the damage which alcohol imposes on the body
especially the liver. The
anti-inflammatory properties of Cannabis, makes this medicine appealing for a
variety of diseases including cancer and liver disease.
It turns
out that patient’s with active cirrhosis of the liver feature CB2 receptors in
their liver cells, whereas those not suffering from the disease lack these
receptors. This is a very interesting medical expression and many researchers
believe that this is the diseased liver’s way of preparing to accept
Cannabinoids with the goal of restoring health and balance via the EC system
and its control over the immune system. So in other words the EC system
displays a protective role in a variety of liver diseases and overall immune
system function.
A 2005 study
conducted at Hebrew University Medical
School concluded that Endocannabinoids — the body’s own internally-produced
Cannabinoids that are intimately involved in regulation of the immune system
and nervous system actually help control things like vascular changes and the
modulation of inflammation. In addition, it found these Endocannabinoids to be
critical to proper neurological function and helpful for those suffering from
liver diseases like fibrosis and cirrhosis.
“Endocannabinoids appear to be involved in several aspects of acute and
chronic liver disease.”
Earlier ii referred to the function of Autophagy and in a 2011 study at the Hebrew
University’s Medical School which was published in the journal Cell
Death and Disease revealed that CBD causes
malignant cells in liver fibrosis to appear to literally commit suicide.” The
study concluded:
“Collectively, these results, coupled with the
excellent safety and tolerability profile of Cannabidiol in humans, strongly
suggest that it may have great therapeutic potential to treat a variety of
liver conditions”
A further study released in 2013 in the journal Clinical
Infectious Disease revealed that regular Cannabis consumption does not
accelerate the progression of liver disease, specifically fibrosis. This was a
comprehensive human study involving 2000 participants. The scientists at Hebrew University discovered that even man-made
Cannabinoids inhibited the growth of HCC leading to a healthier liver.
It
has been determined that Cannabis roots contain a substance known as Friedelin
which is considered to be an antioxidant, with hepato-protective
(liver-protecting) properties. Cannabis
roots contain a rich source of medicinal properties and may be far more
valuable than we ever imagined and it is very true that we have hardly
scratched the surface when it comes to understanding the consciousness of the
Cannabis plant as a whole. But
it’s high time for this to change and we need to explore this plant to its full
potential, roots and all.
So, what do YOU
think, can Cannabis cure?
In Cannabis we have a truly extraordinary healing plant and evidence now shows that
Cannabis is actually an amazingly tranquil substance that in fact poses no risk
of overdose and only a slight risk of addiction, alike to that of craving coffee
or chocolate or a walk in the park. Through the teachings of my elders and the numerous healings ii
have personally witnessed truly ii do believe that in Cannabis we have the
single most useful herbal remedy for the treatment of the widest range of health
care issues mental, physical and spiritual problems. Many experts also now believe that the
psychoactive properties of Cannabis are most likely to only be short lived and
in fact do not pose any risk of long term brain damage.
More and more doctors are beginning to realise the truth about Cannabis,
however, they lack the scientific research to adequately administer this
medication and as such so much more research is required on the part of the
medical world. It seems certain that pretty soon medical practitioners will be
forced to learn about the healing powers of Cannabis from their own patients.
WHAT MAKES CANNABIS SO SPECIAL?
When a neuron or cell is under attack, the cell in
front of it is activated and is known as the pre-synaptic neuron, and the
neuron behind the stressed cell is known as the post-synaptic neuron. The EC system communicates its messages in a unique
way because it essentially works in reverse, where other neurotransmitters are
released and attach themselves to receptors on the post synaptic neuron forward
to the presynaptic neuron. Cannabinoids are now deemed to be among the
most common and the most important of all neurotransmitters.
When a neuron is activated, the chemical messengers
(neurotransmitters) of the EC System, Cannabinoids, are produced on demand from
the fat cells already present in the neuron. Cannabinoids are then released from that cell and
travel in reverse to the presynaptic neuron and attach to the Cannabinoid
receptors of that cell. The importance of this is
that Cannabinoids can actually act on presynaptic cells and therefore they can
control what happens next when these cells are activated. This is very exciting
medical technology.
So Cannabinoids then work like a “dimmer switch”
for presynaptic neurons by limiting the amount of various different
neurotransmitters that gets released and this affects how messages and hormones
are sent and received and processed by the cell. The sole purpose of this function is to protect the
cells from homeostatic imbalances which, is essential to sustaining life and
optimum health as well as adjusting to environmental changes which are
constantly changing and sadly not positively. All evidence indicates that Cannabinoids can act as
both stimulants and inhibitors of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, and this is
particularly evident in the research we have already seen on how Cannabinoids
affect appetite control, metabolic regulation as well as auto immune functions,
and it seems clear that whatever stress the body is under from external
sources, where there are Cannabinoids present they will rectify the situation
and avoid any medical disorder.
The medical world and government enjoy saying that there is insufficient
evidence in support of Cannabis medicine when in reality this is absurd because
there are hundreds of thousands of case studies which have been presented since
the discovery of the EC system in the early 1990’s. But for mainstream medicine which is dominated by the pharmaceutical
industry, the only real evidence is the double blind placebo controlled drug
trial, typically required for most drug approvals and as long as Cannabis is
illegal we will never have any of these tests but there is a lot of activity
right now in the field of testing Cannabinoids. It is my personal feeling that it is wrong to believe that the
only form of “medical evidence” consists of a double blind placebo
controlled drug trial, and all else is “not evidence” , because honestly
these tests simply mean they are comparing a drug to... well...nothing at all in fact. In my opinion the art of clinical observation in the field of medicine has been lost and the pharmaceutical
industry has just become more and more consumed with criminal mischief.
Be Blessed Be
Healthy!
SOURCES
Endocrine Society's 2015 annual meeting
in San Diego,
Texas A&M Health Science Centre's Institute of Biosciences and
Technology
Mercola.com
Hebrew University Medical School
Tel Aviv University
Xhosatyles.blogspot.com
National Geographic
High Times
