The Human Vaccination Plant

 

Cannabis is The Human Vaccination Plant: The Therapeutic Potential of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) in the treatment of corona-virus

In 2019 on my blog Xhosa Styles! and in chapter 6 of my book Cannabis is The Human Companion Plant I wrote about the antiviral and antibacterial properties of Cannabis.

The purpose of this paper is not to highlight the proven corruption and fraud of scientists that is far worse than the corona-virus that they delivered to the world. Instead I would like to once again glorify Cannabis as The Human Vaccination Plant.

There is a great need today to find alternative natural medicine to protect human beings from disease and from the known dangers of various vaccines.

There is currently no shortage of scientific peer-reviewed papers highlighting Cannabinoid treatment for the protection and overcoming of corona virus symptoms. Most of these papers have been cited over 25 times. Some papers even have up to 80 references to support their findings. Since 2020 I have reviewed almost 200 scientific papers concerning the medical potential of Cannabis in the prevention and treatment of corona-virus. It is interesting to note that none of the authors disclosed any conflict of interest, financial or other. This means that these studies were not paid for by the pharmaceutical industry. Another interesting observation from Forbes Magazine is that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer recently invested $6.7billion into the medical Cannabis industry.

Cannabis is a powerful pain killer, anti-inflammatory and anti viral treatment

Cannabis has always presented itself as an impressive immune stimulator especially in the treatment of HIV Aids. In 1987 I was in the team that nursed the first full-blown AIDS patient admitted to Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town. We were introduced to the idea of “barrier nursing” and since then I have been helping HIV patients to access Cannabis medicine. 

In 1993 Dronabinol (Marinol) (man-made THC) became available in South Africa to treat HIV positive patients. Over three decades I discovered that patients who smoke Cannabis show an average 20% increase in CD4/8 T-cells. This is compared with oral synthetic Dronabinol where patients only showed a 10% increase and all patients were on ARV’s. In my opinion Cannabis can absolutely replace vaccines as well as synthetic man-made medicines. It is known that Cannabis can heal almost 700 medical conditions including corona-virus.

 Cannabis helps ease respiratory conditions 

Since the 1980’s we have been using raw and smoked Cannabis to treat asthma and other lung conditions. It is well documented that Cannabis is a bronchodilator. As a young herbalist I remember my Elders always using aged plant material to make medicine for asthma patients. Today we know that CBN (Cannabinol) is the molecule that has been helping people suffering with lung conditions for centuries. Cannabis also contains a terpene named Pinene that also functions as a bronchodilator and an expectorant. Asthma patients report that their lungs literally feel as though they have just taken a stroll in a pine forest and are automatically able to breathe easier. 

We know that CBN-rich medications have high efficacy in the treatment of lung cancers. [1] (Maurizio Bifulco, 2006 ) This is also why CBN presents us with such good results in treating asthma patients. As an expectorant, CBN also helps to prevent overproduction of mucus on the lungs. This is precisely why smoking Cannabis makes some people cough. Cannabis has been found to be an effective treatment for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ), which includes conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. [2] (Fassa, 2014 )

Today we know that the cannabinoid-acids within the plant have the exact same healing properties as when heated. This means that patients now have more options of how to get Cannabis into their system e.g. raw Cannabis is known to heal in the same way as smoke cannabinoids, without any psychedelic effects.

One of the biggest problems with corona-virus is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

ARDS is responsible for almost 50% mortality in human beings and is very challenging to treat. According to scientists ARDS is a massive trigger of mortality in patients suffering with corona-virus.

In mice studies the treatment of ARDS with THC resulted in a 100% survival. Not only that, scientists also observed decreased lung-inflammation and the calming of the so-called “cytokine storm”. These studies prove that the ECS is a vital therapeutic tool in the treatment of ARDS associated with corona-virus.  [3] (Mohammed et al 2020)

Cannabis can inhibit the development of pulmonary fibrosis and improve lung function in patients recovering from corona-virus. [4] Vuolo, F. et al 24 November 2018)

Cannabis can reduce body temperature in times of fever

Cannabis controls human body temperature and is able to induce perspiration and body cooling in the event of pyrexia. With 4 grandchildren and loads of god-children, I can’t tell you how many times I have administered my medicine and reduced high fevers within 7 minutes. Cannabis can do this because the ECS controls our hormone system. THC and CBD can influence the hormones in the hypothalamus that induce sweating and body-cooling. In 2016 a study of 7 pediatric patients confirmed the use of CBD as a treatment for “Febrile Infection-related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES) [5] (Cannabis Reports 2016)

Cannabis calms the effects of cytokines

In 2020 scientists already realized that the role of the ECS on the immune system involves many different biological pathways that are all concerned with the release of cytokines. [6] (Onaivi & Sharma 2020)

Dr’s Onaivi and Sharma wrote the following in the Future Science Journal:

“Phytocannabinoids, such as Δ⁹-THC and cannabidiol have been demonstrated to reduce inflammatory cytokine storms [7, 8, 9]

Scientists report confidently that the vital role of the ECS in human immunity and inflammatory disorders is essential in the treatment of corona virus, AIDS and any other immune-related conditions. [10]

More and more scientists are now actively researching natural remedies like Cannabis in the prevention and treatment of corona virus. Cannabis offers powerful antimicrobial and antiviral properties that no medical body can ignore. No one can ignore the mountains of evidence of the therapeutic efficacy of Cannabis in the treatment of corona virus symptoms.

In November 2020 an important article was published in the British Journal of Pharmarcology reporting on the healing abilities of CBD (Cannabidiol) in preventing and treating corona virus. [11] (Esposito et.al 2021)

CBD can down-regulate the 2 key-receptors for SARS-CoV2

In their paper Esposito et.al report that high CBD extracts are able to down-regulate the expression of the SARS-CoV2 receptors in human beings. Cannabis does this through the biological process known as ‘Retrograde transmission or inhibition”.

It is because of the fact that cannabinoids from the Cannabis plant as well as our natural endocannabinoids both transmit their signals in reverse. In this way cannabinoids like CBD and THC are able to send signals in reverse from pre-synaptic cells to post-synaptic cells. All other neurotransmitters transmit in the opposite direction, from post-synaptic to the pre-synaptic. This means that the ECS can control what happens in the future at cellular level. This is one of the reasons why Cannabis can heal so many medical conditions so quickly, including corona-virus. 

“CBD exerts a wide range of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and it can mitigate the uncontrolled cytokine production responsible for acute lung injury.” [12] (Khalid et.al 2021)

Even in modern times it is so refreshing to see scientists and doctors embracing Mother Nature by actively studying and reporting on herbal medicine.  As viral infections are an increasing threat to human societies, the need for new therapeutic strategies is becoming even more obvious. In nature we can access a massive reserve of anti-viral molecules that can heal and prevent any infectious disease. [13] Hensel et al, 2020)

It is unbelievable how many peer-reviewed scientific articles have been published in the past 2 years proving that Cannabis can help people suffering with the awful symptoms of corona-virus. It might be too early to draw conclusions but certainly there are some very promising medical facts that have now been revealed on this topic.

The paper everyone is speaking about 

Of all the papers I have studied the one that stood out the most was sent to me this week by Jeremy Acton, leader of The Dagga Party. Jeremy healed himself from the symptoms of corona-virus. The paper that he sent me is entitled “Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants.” This paper even got a mention on Radio 5 FM national radio on Sunday afternoon 16 January by the beautiful presenter Ms Kea Boya. The last time I was so excited about a medical paper was when science announced that THC can remove the toxic amyloid beta-protein in the brain that is known to cause Alzheimer’s disease!

In my opinion Dr van Breemen and his team have created the holy-grail of scientific Cannabis medicine literature. Dr Richard B. van Breemen is Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at Oregan State University. He is a professor in the field of studying plants as possible sources of medical drugs.

 

“Our infection inhibition assay results clearly indicate that CBDA and CBGA are both able to block cell entry by SARS-CoV-2. The concentrations needed to block infection by 50% of viruses is high but might be clinically achievable.”  [14] (Richard B. van Breemen et al, 2022)

It is interesting to note that the research was carried out using Cannabinoid acids. As mentioned earlier this means that patients can reap the benefits of Cannabis by consuming raw plant and not having to actually smoke and deal with any psychedelic effects if they don’t want to.

The study notes that CBGA (Cannabigerolic acid) and CBDA (Cannabidiolic acid) prevented infection of human epithelial cells by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and also completely blocked “live SARS-CoV-2” from gaining entry into the cells. Cannabinoids can block viral entry through a biological process referred to as spike-binding. This study also highlights the fact that both CBGA and CBDA showed equal efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351 and that CBC (Cannabichromenes) was also part of this study. These results emphasize the anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties of whole herbal Cannabis medicine.

No other medicine can make these claims

In Cannabis, we have a natural medicine that helps to prevent, reduce, treat and manage any of the corona-virus symptoms.

Humans are naturally healthy and tend to remain so if they have nutritious non-modified foods, fresh air and clean water. Honestly I don’t even know how we came to the point of embracing the idea of injecting toxins into our bodies for immunity?

In future we must all be very careful of accepting that our government owns our bodies and that of our children. We must remember that we are all truly blessed! We’re blessed with superior immune functioning and plants that most certainly heal. There are many plants in the creation that offer immunity to human beings, but without doubt only one is worthy to become known as the human vaccination plant.

CITATIONS:

[1] (Maurizio Bifulco, 2006) “Cannabinoids and cancer: pros and cons of an anti tumour strategy”. British Journal of Pharmacology Volume 148 Issue 2 (123-135) PMC1617062 PMID: 16501583 27 February 2006

[2] (Fassa, 2014) “Cannabis oil from marijuana is having success treating COPD” www.naturalnews.com 10 April 2014

[3 ] (Mohammed et al 2020) “Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol Prevents Mortality from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome through the Induction of Apoptosis in Immune Cells, Leading to Cytokine Storm Suppression.” International Journal of Molecular Science Volume 21 Issue 17 page 6244. PMID: 32872332 PMCID: PMC7503745

[4] Vuolo, F. et al 24 November 2018) “Cannabidiol reduces airway inflammation and fibrosis in experimental allergic asthma.” European Journal of Pharmacology, Volume 843 pages 251–259 PMID: 30481497

[5] (Cannabis Reports 2016) “Cannabidiol As A Potential Treatment For Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES) In The Acute and Chronic Phases.” www.cannabisreports.com

 [6] (Onaivi & Sharma 2020) “Cannabis for COVID-19: can cannabinoids quell the cytokine storm?” Future Science Journal Volume 6 Issue 8 13 August 2020 PMID: 3294048 PMCID: PMC7451410

[7] Rizzo MD, Henriquez JE, Blevins LK, Bach A, Crawford RB, Kaminski NE. Targeting cannabinoid receptor 2 on peripheral leukocytes to attenuate inflammatory mechanisms implicated in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. J. Neuroimmune Pharmacol. (2020) (Epub ahead of print). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

 [8] Costiniuk CT, Jenabian MA. Acute inflammation and pathogenesis of SAR-CoV-2 infection: cannabidiol as a potential anti-inflammatory treatment. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 53, 63–65 (2020). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

 [9] Rossi F, Tortora C, Argenziano M, Di Paola A, Punzo F. Cannabinoid receptor type 2: a possible target in SAR-CoV-2 (CoV-19) infection? Int. J. Mol. Sci. 21(11), E3809 (2020) (Epub ahead of print). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 

[10] Shiau S, Krause KD, Valera P, Swaminathan S, Halkitis PN. The burden of COVID-19 in people living with HIV: a syndemic perspective. AIDS Behav. 18, 1–6 (2020). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 

[11] (Esposito et.al 2021) “The potential of cannabidiol in the COVID-19 pandemic.” Br J Pharmacol Volume 177 Issue 21 pages 4967-4970 November 2021 PMID: 32519753 PMCID: PMC7300643

[12] (Khalid et.al 2021) “Medicinal Applications of Cannabinoids Extracted from Cannabis sativa (L.): A New Route in the Fight Against COVID-19?” Current Pharmaceutical Design Journal Volume 27 Issue 13 pages 1564-1578 Published 2 December 2020 PMID: 33267756

[13] Hensel et al, 2020) “Challenges at the Time of COVID-19: Opportunities and Innovations in Antivirals from Nature.” Current Pharmaceutical Design Journal Volume 27 Issue 13 pages 1564-1578 and Volume 86 Issue 10 pages 659-664 PMID: 32434254 PMCID: PMC 7356065

[14] (Richard B. van Breemen et al, 2022) “Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV‐2 and the Emerging Variants”.  Journal of Natural Products 10 January 2022 PMID: 35007072

The Magnificent Male Cannabis Plant: Exploring the medicinal properties of the male Cannabis plant.

 

In my book Cannabis is The Human Companion plant I discuss the uses and potency of the male Cannabis plant.

There are not many people who have or would grow the male plant to maturity so research is hard to come by. In 1998 I was arrested for cultivation of 98 male Cannabis plants in Port Elizabeth. Each and every male Cannabis plant was ripped out of its soil and tossed in the police-van. It was a big landscaping project for SAPS at that time and in their excitement they actually left the only 2 female plants behind in the garden!

For decades now I have been fascinated by the botanical and medical abilities of the male Cannabis plant. Many people believe that the male Cannabis plant does not produce THC or CBD. This is a myth and the truth is that male Cannabis plants contain more THC in their flowers than in the leaves of female plants. However, just like female flowers, the strain of the plant is equally important for male Cannabis plants.

Here’s a story about “Harvey” the 80 kg male Great Dane who knows all about the potency of the male Cannabis plant. Harvey is my son’s beloved dog and therefore my grandson.

After extracting 100 grams of the male Cannabis “White Rhino” strain into 1.2 liters of organic virgin coconut oil, I very carefully disposed of the left-over plant material. Unfortunately Harvey could not control himself and sought out and consumed about half the remaining biomass.

He was literally down for 3 days and I stayed with him the whole time. In this time he could neither stand up off the couch he lay on, nor could he drink water by himself. Despite my anxiety I knew that he would not die. And he was certainly not crying or showing any signs that he might need to go the vet. This was the ‘highest’ I have ever seen a dog or any other animal, including cows and goats. After the third day he rose off the couch and carried on as if nothing had happened, but I swear he did wink at me once or twice!

The female White-Rhino Cannabis plant tests on average between 18 to 20% THC and in the absence of analytics I would guess the male plant to be at least 50% less at around 8 to 9% THC. If you consider that in the 1960’s THC content of 6% was considered high then you can believe how one 80 kg dog had to lay down for 3 days due to consuming a male Cannabis plant.

What’s the buzz with male Cannabis plants?

In my heart I have always believed that the future of my medicine is to produce Cannabis honey that comes straight out the bum of the bees. I believe that everything that passes through the body of a bee is basically perfect! And I would do this by working with the male Cannabis plant that produces a unique type of pollen.

As a Cannabis lecturer I’m bound by textbooks that state what all scientists are saying; that insects don’t have cannabinoid receptors. However, I do prefer to give my students the full story. It was around 2015 when I received groundbreaking research from Hebrew University. The veterinarian’s findings established that the only creature on earth without cannabinoid receptors was in fact the bee. And I have always believed this and wondered why science would not report this fact instead of claiming that the entire insect kingdom doesn’t enjoy endocannabinoid system? This also leads to other questions about bees like where do they come from?

My research reveals that other insects either have these receptors e.g. fruit flies. Or they express Arachidonic acid which is the biological precursor to endocannabinoids in humans and animals. So far I have looked at scientific reports concerning crickets, locusts, fruit flies, mosquitoes, fire-flies, house-flies, ants (I have set traps to prove that they do eat ganja seeds!) and of course honeybees.

There are some interesting Cannabis research programs using fruit flies in the study of epilepsy. Did you know that fruit flies can have seizures? Not only that but they also share around 85% of human disease-causing genes. This is why they are so valuable in medical research.

There are even entomology studies going back to 1979 about insects having endocannabinoid systems. And recent studies confirm that Arachidonic acid ensures the synthesis of 2-AG and Anandamide in flies. So just like the human endocannabinoid system this is not new information.

Scientists have observed that honey-bees that were fed Arachidonic acid displayed improved growth, survival, health, appetite and immune functions. It is very interesting that supplementation of Arachidonic acid is proving to be important for the overall health of honeybees even though they can’t manufacture this substance themselves.

If you consider how long it took scientists to identify the human ECS then I feel that it might take much longer to locate the tiny little receptors in the brains of insect genomes. It is also extraordinary that even the jelly fish that does not have a brain, in fact has endocannabinoid receptors within. Of course more meaningful research is required in this field of study.

Bees are naturally attracted to the male Cannabis plant because of the pollen and this is my idea of pure organic Cannabis honey. The Frenchman, Nicolas Trainer-Bees uses sugar-water to entice bees to female flowers where they work with the resin. After years of watching his work I am convinced that there is absolutely no stress on the bees and they produce a beautiful avocado-green honey that I would love to get my hands on. I recognize that particular shade of green in plant medicine. You can tell that it is real because neither honey nor organic virgin coconut oil will strip the plant chlorophyll, only the fat soluble components of the plant. In comparison, you can see that smoothies for example are much darker in color because it contains more plant cholorophyll. But still I am adamant that my medicinal honey will be sourced from the pollen of the male Cannabis plant.

There are many pictures circulating the internet like this one below that shows bees buzzing around female plants. Many believe that sugar-water is used to entice bees to the females and to make the females appear more potent in pictures.

Be that as it may, I have it on good authority from trusted bee-keepers who are also Cannabis growers. They all confirm that female Cannabis plants don’t produce nectar because they are wind-pollinated and also the plant produces buds and not blooms. Instead the female Cannabis plant produces a resin.

Bees collect wax and resin from female Cannabis plants and use these to create propolis to seal the hive and for the medicinal value to the whole colony. This is another clue to the possibility of Endocannabinoid activity within the order of bees.

And while I would never really recommend that anyone smokes male Cannabis plant flowers they can be used for example in edibles, various oils and even hash. There are so many uses for the male Cannabis plant. Besides being good daddy’s they also make excellent juicing buddies.

We have learnt that the male Cannabis plant contains the same cannabinoid-acids as the females do and in the same concentration. For example THCA, CBDA, CBCA, CBGA and many more cannabinoid-acids are also present in the male Cannabis plant. Various terpenes and terpenoids as well as flavinoids have also been identified in the male Cannabis plant.

We also know that the acid-versions of cannabinoids have the same healing properties as smoked cannabinoids. If this were not true then how do we explain hundreds of thousands of health-conscious people benefiting from raw-juicing without any ‘high’?

Why is Cannabis pollen unique?

In the 1970’s scientists already identified CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa pollen as well as their acid versions of these cannabinoids. Ten years ago they discovered a completely new cannabinoid now known as THCC (Delta9-Tetrahydrocannaborcol). It is non-psychoactive and structurally almost alike to THC. The only real difference is the number of carbon-atoms attached to its functional side-chain. THC has 5 carbons and THCC only has 1. Originally I believed this cannabinoid to be THC Delta-1 on the THC analogue list.

According to a 2005 PubMed study THCC is one of at least 12 cannabinoids found in Cannabis pollen with more being discovered on a regular basis.

Some people believe that Cannabis pollen has no medicinal value. But according to scientists THCC could have stronger pain-killer properties than CBD.

It’s interesting to note that even though THCC is so similar in structure to THC it does not actually bind with the endocannabinoid receptors. This is why it is not psychoactive like Delta-9 THC. So like CBD, this new cannabinoid now known as THCC is able to interact with the pain-receptors known as the Vannilloid receptors. These receptors are the gateway to the pathway of pain in humans and animals.

THCC is already being investigated in the treatment of chronic nerve pain in people suffering with diabetes and fibromyalgia and other neuropathic pain conditions. Studies are also being conducted in respect THCC’s potential in the treatment of osteoarthritis pain and the pain caused by many chemotherapy treatments.

Migraine pains are also being studied. From personal experience I can confirm that male cannabinoids that I extract with organic virgin coconut oil has high efficacy as a topical treatment for migraine headaches for many of my patients. There is not much scientific literature at this time, but we do know that THCC is unique to male Cannabis plants. The future of the male Cannabis plant is secured because of his own exclusive healing properties.

REFERENCES:

1.    Cannabis is The Human Companion plant by Sista Vee Nohombile

2.    Xhosa Styles!: WHAT ABOUT THE MALE CANNABIS PLANT?

3.    The Constituents of Cannabis sativa Pollen (M. Paris, F. Boucher, L. Cosson) Economic Botany, Vol. 29, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1975), pp. 245-253 http://www.jstor.org/stable/4253616