Is it safe to use Cannabis during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding?

 

No western doctor today will stand up and advocate the use of Cannabis during pregnancy by ensuring that the mother maintains a fully functional Endocannabinoid System (ECS). I am sure that it is because of State and Federal laws that doctors are prevented from giving us the biological reassurance that the world is still looking for today. I have seen doctors in my own country who campaign for Cannabis Medicine yet their product leaflets clearly state that this medicine must not be used during pregnancy and lactation.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommend that pregnant mothers should avoid Cannabis during pregnancy. They reference research that suggests that babies are born with lower birth weight and brain development problems to make their point. None of this is true and you should be aware that none of these studies have actually found any link between Cannabis and adverse outcomes.

And none of these studies have followed the babies over several years to study potential long-term developmental problems caused by the plant.

As a licensed Traditional Doctor having worked with Cannabis Medicine for over 40 years, it is very easy for me to be confident in telling you that in the majority of the population it is 100% safe to consume Cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding for the greater benefit of your baby and yourself. I have also very often used Cannabis to help people to fall pregnant and this is why I have so many ‘god children’ today!

The purpose of this paper is to give you the scientific evidence of the importance of a fully functioning ECS during the prime of life when you are creating and nurturing new life.

There are still places in the world today where pregnant and breastfeeding women are being arrested for consuming the herb

So we do give thanks for the 31 March 2022 Arizona Ruling that states that it is no longer a crime to consume Cannabis while pregnant as it no longer constitutes child neglect or abuse associated with seeking herbal relief for morning sickness.

This case should set the worldwide precedent to ensure that Cannabis use during pregnancy is no longer treated as a “legal form of child neglect”.

In Arizona, their Medical Marijuana Act states that “Cannabis use must be considered the equivalent of the use of any other medication under the direction of a physician.”

In countries like South Africa where we fought for privacy rights to consume Cannabis, the basis of the Arizona ruling should be included in our Cannabis for Personal use Bill.

It should not be a crime to use Cannabis for morning sickness or any other condition during pregnancy and breastfeeding. And these laws should also state that Cannabis Medicine should be equal to any other medicine prescribed by a licensed and practicing doctor.

Is it safe to consume Cannabis while pregnant?

To this day there is no research proving that displacing endocannabinoids is problematic to the fetus.

 

Elana Frankel is the author of the book “Women and Weed” published by Simon and Schuster in the 2020. She is also the Chief Growth Officer at Medical Cannabis Mentor where she teaches about Cannabis Medicine.

 

She informs us of a study that implies that additional cannabinoids appear to protect neural functioning that is damaged in some children with abnormal brain development, for example autism and fetal alcohol syndrome. 

 

The author also cites the studies of Professor Ester Fride emphasizing the fact that cannabinoids are essential to a baby’s ability to thrive.

 

In the 1990’s another doctor Dr Melanie Dreher who was the Dean of Nursing at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, travelled to Jamaica to study a group of Rastafari women and their babies.

 

Dr Dreher followed 30 women and their babies for 5 years until the children went to school. Her findings confirmed that children of mother’s who consumed Cannabis during pregnancy socialized more quickly, were able to maintain eye contact and were much more comfortable to engage than babies of non-smokers.

 

Dr Dreher found no developmental differences and in fact, her tests for verbal ability, motor, perceptual and quantitative skills, memory and mood, proved that children who received cannabinoids scored higher. This proves that there are no demonstrable detrimental effects of Cannabis consumption to the fetus during pregnancy. It is also important to note that there were no differences in the baby’s Apgar test scores just after birth.

 

Do babies of “Cannabis mom’s” have more health problems?

 

In America, new Cannabis laws are still not associated with any changes in newborn health. These statistics are not available in South Africa.

 

According to the Journal of Health Economics published 25 September 2021, the study implied “modest or no adverse effects of peri-natal outcomes. 

The truth is that there is ECS activity in the womb where scientists have identified our natural endocannabinoid Anandamide as well as ECS receptors in the uterine wall.

It is now well established that Anandamide is not only responsible for the production of human sperm, but is also responsible for the implantation process that happens on the 6^th day after conception.

ECS receptors are present in the pre-implanted embryo and this means that ECS activity starts at the moment of conception

In Chapter 5 of my book The Human Companion Plant I explain the question of why the female body does not expel the fetus that is 50% foreign. Through Cannabis research we now know that Anandamide is responsible for preventing miscarriage that occurs in women who have underdeveloped EC systems.

Anandamide also biologically controls the genes that are required for the onset of labor contractions and the placenta is also abundant in Endocannabinoids and ECS receptors.

It is also a scientific fact that endocannabinoids can be altered when the pregnant mom is under stress, regardless of whether she consumes Cannabis or not. The reason for this is that all life-stresses do block the ECS receptors leading to Endocannabinoid Deficiency that is also an official medical diagnosis now.

What about the risks in the developing brain?

In my book I explain the science that I learnt from Professor Fride, that proves that ECS receptors are present in the white matter regions of the pre and post natal brain. The white matter regions of the human brain are the very deep tissues of the brain and this proves that there is a specific role for the ECS in early human brain development.

So if you are nauseous or in pain or are tired and irritable or feeling ‘hormonal’, I would advise you to consider Cannabis long before any over the counter treatments that can cause far more harm than the plant ever could.

Is it safe to smoke Cannabis while breast feeding?

Scientists report that the highest concentration of endocannabinoids is in human breast milk that contains 12 different endocannabinoids.

Endocannabinoids are present in human breast milk regardless of whether the mother consumes Cannabis or not

The majority of the content is made up of 2-AG that is the human version of CBD.

The reason why there are endocannabinoids in human breast milk is because they play a crucial role in establishing the suckling response in newborn babies.

“Growth Failure” due to the inability to suckle is now scientifically attributed to an under developed Endocannabinoid System.

Professor Ester Fride’s research proves that the ECS is crucial to the suckling response and therefore to the survival of new born babies.

The official diagnosis “Infant Failure to Thrive” is known to be caused by blocked ECS receptors because of the failure to stimulate the suckling response.

Twelve natural endocannabinoids made by the female human body have been detected in human milk. The most abundant endocannabinoid in human milk is 2-AG also known as the human version of CBD.

Professor Fride was the pioneer in neonatal Cannabis studies and modern scientists continue to cite her research that still proves that endocannabinoids play a role in establishing the suckling response of the newborn by activating the oral-motor musculature needed for milk suckling.

Can an unborn baby get high?

Human babies do not experience the psychedelic effects of Cannabis in the womb in the same way as unborn babies can become drunk in the womb from alcohol as we know from our studies of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Children born with this condition are sadly already predisposed to alcoholism.

The reason why unborn babies, newborn babies and small children up to the age of around 12 years, do not easily experience any kind of ‘high’ from Cannabis is because of what Professor Fride referred to as Delayed Receptor Expression.

Because of Professor Fride’s work we now know that ECS receptor expression is different in children because the ECS develops very slowly in the pre and post natal stages.

Her research also proved that this gradual increase in receptor expression is also accompanied by a gradual maturing in the response to THC.

You can clearly see that this is a biologically adaptive defense mechanism delicately designed by the Creator to protect unborn babies and small children and this is why it appears that THC has almost no effect on small children.

I really feel that as a society we need to break this ongoing stigma that Cannabis causes any harm to unborn babies. Today Cannabis is implicated in 678 medical conditions including pediatric conditions like child epilepsy.

Based on the mountains of scientific evidence that we have available today we now know that the ECS plays a critical role in the health of the developing human baby.

Endocannabinoids play an important role in appetite stimulation, the suckling response, the baby’s immunity as well as early brain development.

It is when the mother has an under developed ECS that problems start occurring in the womb and after delivery.

The fact that human babies produce their own endocannabinoids and that these same molecules are present in the human breast milk, even if the mother does not use Cannabis, says a lot about the safety of Cannabis Medicine during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

If anyone would like to speak to me privately please send me your email to vee.bush@gmail.com

 

 

Is Cannabis really safe for Children ~ Update November 2023

I have always been a huge fan of Dr Dustin Sulak and I often use his teachings to inspire my medical students. He has been working with the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and Cannabis Medicine in the clinical setting since 2009 and he runs a very busy practice in America.

In my opinion, besides Dr Sharon Price of Carol’s Oils, he is the world’s leading authority when it comes to practicing experts on the clinical applications of Cannabis Medicine and especially in respect of children. Dr Dustin is also a huge fan of herbal whole-plant medicine as opposed to synthetic versions. He also appreciates the immense benefits of raw plant healing using the cannabinoid acids to achieve healing in children and adults.

His unique comprehension of the diversity of the human ECS and of how Cannabis Medicine works in a clinical setting has always impressed me. I am even more impressed that he supports and cites the works of the Late Prof Ester Fride.

The purpose of this post is to bring in younger doctors who are successfully treating children with Cannabis Medicine today based on the same science that I am teaching and in this way to freshen up the research and to give added peace of mind to parents, doctors and caregivers who are wondering if Cannabis Medicine might help their children or patients.

In his October 2022 paper Dr Dustin confirms my research and understanding of child safety with Cannabis Medicine as presented in my last paper where I shared my talk at the Cape Town Cannabis Expo in March this year.

You can find the paper and links to my rumble account to see the video presentation.

https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2023/03/cannabis-expo-2023-cape-town-sista-vee.html

https://rumble.com/v2zfrny-is-cannabis-medicine-safe-for-children.html

Dr Dustin published his “Cannabis for Children with Cancer” paper in the Cannabis Patient Care Journal Volume 3 Issue 3 on pages 11 to 13 in October 2022.

In this paper he addresses the efficiency and safety of THC in children.

He says that

“On the basis of my clinical experience, nearly anyone with cancer can benefit from appropriately-dosed cannabis, regardless of their age. It’s invaluable in treating cancer-related symptoms like pain, mitigating the adverse effects of conventional treatments, supporting emotional and spiritual adjustment to the challenging diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical course, and, when needed, as a tool in end-of-life care.”

These days I have found that a lot of oncologists are quite comfortable to recommend Cannabis for cancer patients and this is mostly because they have observed the benefits in clinical trials. And many doctors are starting to accept the fact that CBD can help a lot of children, but when it comes to THC many doctors still consider this taboo. The biggest problem for these doctors is dosing so it is very important to work with someone who understands how the ECS works.

Dr Dustin says that it is important that as doctors and health care practitioners we should put our fears of medical myths aside and rather consider the therapeutic and palliative potential of Cannabis Medicine without unfair judgment.

Do children get high from THC? 

According to Dr Sulak, in his clinical experience and that of many of his fellow doctors, they have found that children are less prone than adults to experience any adverse psychoactive effects from THC.

And here he references the work of my forever main- mentor in Pediatric Cannabis Medicine, the late Professor Ester Fride to whom I dedicated chapters 5 and 6 of my book for her outstanding works.

In his October 2022 paper Dr Sulak states:

“The late Ester Fride, PhD, who pioneered exploration of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in early development, reported that the gradual postnatal increase of CB1 receptors and anandamide is accompanied by a gradual maturing response to the psychoactive potential of THC in postnatal mice between birth and weaning [1].

This observation in rodent studies is supported by frequent mentions in the 19th-century literature that children often tolerated heroic doses of cannabis medicines that would produce incapacitation in an adult [2].

Examples are also found in the modern literature: in a pediatric clinical trial with sublingual Δ⁸-THC for chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting, up to 0.64 mg/kg/dose was virtually totally effective and free of side effects. This is a dose that would produce pronounced impairment in most non-cannabis tolerant adults.[3]

In my practice, the most common and often only adverse effects of THC-dominant cannabis in children are giggling, bloodshot eyes, and sleepiness; when these occur, a minor dosage reduction usually resolves them all.”

What about the risks in the developing brain?

In my book I explain the science that I learnt from Professor Fride, that proves that ECS receptors are present in the white matter regions of the pre and post natal brain. The white matter regions of the human brain are the very deep tissues of the brain and this proves that there is a specific role for the ECS in early human brain development.

This is what Doctor Dustin has to say:

“A recent review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies that evaluated frequent or dependent cannabis use in young people did indeed find a decrease in intelligence quotient (IQ) over time, but that decrease was just under 2 points (5).

The authors thought this decrease was not clinically significant and “alone is unlikely to completely explain a range of psychosocial problems linked to cannabis use in this cohort.” In other words, even under the worst circumstances (heavy adolescent use, not medically-supervised), the negative impact on cognition is minimal.

In controlled pediatric trials, THC most commonly led to side effects of drowsiness and dizziness, with severity associated with higher doses; no major side effects were reported after dose reduction. The most common side effects with high-dose CBD are somnolence, diarrhea, and decreased appetite (6).

In comparison with the adverse effect profiles of most treatments being considered for pediatric patients with cancer, cannabis is almost always the safest.

Most pediatric patients with cancer will not remain on cannabis indefinitely, but some may require ongoing treatment for cancers that don’t resolve or for symptoms that persist after treatment, such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)."

In my own practice my experience is that a medicine made with just a tiny amount of THC is much more effective in the treatment of nausea, cancer-pain, neuropathic pain and appetite stimulation than just CBD alone. In American studies 2 “randomized, double blind trials including child cancer patients proved that THC was far more effective in treating nausea and vomiting than the placebo they tested against. [7.8]

Dr Dustin Sulak gives some more insight into his clinical practice:

“In my pediatric patients with cancer, I typically observe pain relief, appetite increase, nausea reduction, improvements in sleep, and excellent palliative effects at the end of life.

Low oral doses of THC are often the most effective for these purposes, often starting around 0.05 mg THC per kg body weight per dose and gradually working up from there.

My patients usually use the lowest effective dose of THC, to prevent building tolerance and losing the therapeutic benefits, and liberal doses of the other cannabinoids.

CIPN is an adverse effect experienced by 40–80% of patients with cancer 3–6 months into their chemotherapeutic treatment. It usually presents as a loss of sensation, increased sensitivity to pain, or allodynia (pain that’s caused by a stimulus that does not normally elicit pain).

Symptoms of CIPN may not stop after discontinuing chemotherapy, with 30–40% of patients experiencing symptoms 6 months or longer after treatment, sometimes leading to debilitating chronic pain. In all patients with cancer, but especially in children, I want to do anything I can to prevent the survivors from having to live with debilitating nerve pain.

Several animal studies have shown that targeting the ECS can do just that—prevent CIPN" [10]

Dr Sulak also tells us about a recent retrospective analysis of 513 cancer patients. The study revealed that Cannabis users were half as likely to develop CPIN than non-users (15.3% versus 27.9%). This study also proved that the best healing results occurred in patients who started Cannabis treatment before the “neuro-toxic” chemotherapy. [11]

When it comes to ‘chemo-care’ this is where I always see the plant shining. It is no secret now that the compounds found within the Cannabis plant can activate apoptosis, autophagy and prevent tumors from spreading. The plant can also cut off the blood vessels that supply tumors. [12]

There is no doubt that there is a synergistic and protective effect against dangerous conventional treatments when Cannabis is added to the healing program because of the low toxicity of Cannabis Medicine. [13]

In his conclusion Dr Dustin offers parents reassurance in using Cannabis Medicine to treat children for cancer:

“Children with cancer can safely use cannabis with a low risk of adverse effects and high likelihood of benefit.

This medicine can drastically improve resilience to stress, emotional and spiritual well-being, and quality of life, while also improving prognosis by increasing the likelihood of completing a full course of conventional therapy and preventing some of the devastating long-term adverse effects of cancer treatment, such as neuropathy.

Furthermore, cannabis may also help directly fight the cancer on its own or in combination with conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation”

If anyone out there needs assistance to help heal their child please do not hesitate to contact me on my email: vee.bush@gmail.com 

CITATIONS:

1. E. Fride, Neuroendocrinology Letters 25(1/2), 24–30 (2004).

2. E.B. Russo, in Handbook of Cannabis, R. Pertwee, Ed. (Oxford University Press, 2014) pp. 23–43.

3. A. Abrahamov, A. Abrahamov, and R. Mechoulam, Life Sciences, 56(23–24), 2097–2102 (1995).

5.  E. Power, et al., Psychological Medicine 51.2, 194-200 (2021).

6.. S.S. Wong and T.E. Wilens, Pediatrics 140(5), Article e20171818 (2017).

7. A.E. Chang, et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 91.6, 819-824 (1979).

8. . S.E. Sallan, N.E. Zinberg, and E. Frei III, New England Journal of Medicine 293(16), 795-797 (1975).

11. B. Waissengrin, et al., Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology 13, 1758835921990203 (2021).

12. D.A. Ladin, E. Soliman, L. Griffin, and R. Van Dross, Frontiers in Pharmacology 7, 361 (2016).

13. J. Kander, Cannabis for the Treatment of Cancer: The Anticancer Activity of Phytocannabinoids and Endocannabinoids (6th ed, 2020).

 

The Power of Umhlonyane (Wilde als, Wormwood, Artermesia afra)

 

What is Umhlonyane used for in Traditional Medicine?

In July 2016 I wrote about Umhlonyane in my malaria paper as this is the plant that was known worldwide to cure malara and many other medical conditions.

Since ancient times our ancestors have used this plant to heal a wide variety of symptoms including the common cold, influenza, bronchitis (all lung and respiratory conditions) fever, coughs, blood diseases, diabetes, bladder and kidney disorders, gut disorders, bacterial and viral infections, inflammation including cardiaditis, rhemautism and of course malaria.

Since my youth I have always loved this plant for its incredible silver gray foliage that one can spot a mile away when walking in the hills. Such an amazing medicine! It is also fascinating to me that this plant grows from South Africa all the way up to Ethiopia. 

Our ancestors also used this plant to rid humans and animals from parasites and worms and most gut complaints and even earache and headaches. It is without doubt one of the most widely used medicinal herbs in South Africa today.

In traditional medicine some of the common ways that I have learnt to use Umhlonyane is to insert fresh leaves directly into the nostrils to clear nasal passages and it works like a bomb! [1] (Van Wyk et al, 1997) Since 1962 scientists have known that our ancestors used to put the leaves into their socks to prevent sweaty feet! [2]

The entire plant, roots stems and leaves can be used in so many different ways and the best way to take most medicine is as a tea. But this is not your average sweet tasting tea! It is incredibly bitter and this is precisely why it works so well! But the good news is that you can add raw honey in to taste and still reap the benefits.

 Afrikaans people I have met call this plant “Wilde als” and sometimes they say “Wilde Alles” because it does help for alles! They also love brandy and today Wilde als brandy is so famous that even the late Margaret Roberts used to write about it in her books. [3]

In the July 2019 Issue of The Korean Journal of Pain, Dr Jong tells a story of a female pharmacist who won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on this plant. Camagu Queen we respect your works since 1969! 

In this paper Dr Jong also confirms that the medicinal benefits extend far beyond colds and flu right down to cancer, chronic pain and autoimmune conditions. This plant is always standard in my herbal blood cleansing remedy. [4] 

Umhlonyana and ‘corona virus’ 

During lockdown I was struggling to find this plant in the wild because it was in such high demand to treat the symptoms of the virus and the injuries due to the vaccine. 

But I am also not saying that we think we have the cure to every disease including corona but I am saying that it is important that traditional healers and western doctors do make an effort to come together for the good of the patient. 

Imagine the improvement in public health if we can all offer the patient the best of both worlds for maximum healing. When I was younger and after I left the hospital system, as traditional healers we used to often visit the hospitals and throw our mats down and help people with herbs for many conditions like blood pressure and diabetes for instance. We used to help to take the load off of the doctors but since around 2014 they have been chasing us away for some reason. I’ve spoken to many healers about this and it seems to have happened around the country where other healers also used to sit at the hospitals. 

This is why I like to do a lot of research so that I can offer you a point of reference to do your own research as every healer should do. And I think that our patients and the public deserve to have some scientific evidence these days that is what people need but most are too tired to do it themselves.

In the scientific journal called Molecules, you will find a 2022 paper that basically explains how Umhlonyane protects human beings from corona virus and I am just copying the “Conclusion” of this paper down for easy reference [5]

“In summary, extensive in vitro and in vivo data have revealed that A. annua, artemisinin, arteannuin B, and/or its derived products “artemisinins” (dihydroartemisinin, artemether, artesunate, etc.) have a broad spectrum of biological abilities (including antiparastic, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, anticancer, and antiasthmatic) and antiviral properties. The anti-COVID-19 effects and mechanisms of Artemisia and its constituents include, but are not limited to:

 (1) inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 invasion and replication by targeting the key proteins of spike, ACE2, spike–ACE2 interaction, TMPRSS2, and NSPS, including M^pro, PL^pro, and RdRp;

(2) regulating immune and inflammatory responses by targeting inflammatory cytokines and chemokines;

(3) protecting against ARDS (Acute Respiratory Dysfunction Syndrome) and MODS (Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome) by suppressing the crosstalk of viral toxicity, endothelial damage, and cytokine storm. Artemisinin and its derivatives are already known for their powerful bioactivity, tolerability, and relative affordability. The in vitro findings have led researchers to suggest that one or more compounds in A. annua, either not yet identified or acting in synergism, may point to a safe, low-cost therapeutic treatment for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, Artemisia-based formulations may be either new, safe and cost-effective therapies or even be used as antiviral nutraceuticals in boosting immunity and providing tolerance to virus infections. However, further studies need to be undertaken to determine in vivo efficacy.”

There is a lot a science that has already been written about this herb and all of this proves that Umhlonyane has potent healing properties for a number of conditions just like Cannabis sativa L and many other herbs.

But don’t rush out there and try to over consume this plant because like all medicine you have to be careful with the dose and how you consume it, and you need to know how the plant can work with different conditions and different patients because everyone is different and some people can have side effects to herbal medicine.

My best advice is to consult with a herbalist or a Sangoma or a Rastafari traditional healer because these are the true doctors of traditional medicine and they can really help you with your overall health.

Next time you are in town look out for the herbalists and ask for it by name Umhlonyane!

Do all plants produce Cannabinoids?

 

Originally scientists thought that cannabinoids were only found in Cannabis. Today we know as the ancients have always known, that Phytocannabinoids (plant cannabinoids) are present in many plants, for example Echinacea, Clove, Pepper, cocoa, broccoli, carrots, ginseng, legumes, liverwort, Magnolia, truffles, Maca, turmeric, ginger, flax, lavender, rosemary, cinnamon to name a few and even fungi.

I personally believe that all plants contain versions of cannabinoids that are essential for protecting plants again UV rays and cannabinoids are known to form part of plant’s internal defense mechanism.

Cannabinoids are really bioavailable terpenoids!

We must remember that plant cannabinoids have their genetic and botanical origins in the plants’ terpenes because terpenes and terpenoids do share a precursor with plant cannabinoids known as Olivetolic acid.

Here is a quote from the Metabolites Journal where you can do more research.

“In this context, it is interesting that cannabinoids and terpenoids share a common biosynthetic origin.”

You can read the full paper here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6670104/

This is why we know that terpenes (all classifications) are cannabimimetic meaning that they interact with the Endocannabinoid System because they have the same healing properties as cannabinoids. 

This also means that most plants can interact with the Endocannabinoid System and this naturally highlights the importance of plant medicine today.

To highlight my point I recently did a study of 3 South African plants that can offer healing for diabetic conditions. Cannabis sativa L, Sutherlandia frutescens and Protea repens aka Sugar Bush.

The common denominator in these 3 plants is a terpene known as Linalool that is known to modulate blood sugar levels. 

Linalool can also assist with pain, insomnia, memory, cognition, depression, cancer, bacterial infections, inflammation and is also very useful for heart health.

You can read my paper on diabetes on this link:

https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2022/05/healing-diabetes-with-herbal-tea.html