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

Cannabis is Your New Breast Friend Forever!

 

October is breast cancer awareness month in my country and I originally wrote this paper for Grow One Africa's Monthly Newsletter, and I thought I could share more information here.

You can view the Grow One Africa October newsletter here:

https://cdn.sanity.io/files/0v6g0xig/production/cd73c8390f10aa319f7f0cd16ab0089bda22b007.pdf

Breast cancer is the 2nd most common cause of death from cancer in women in USA and UK. These stats aren’t available for SA but I can say that I’m still seeing way too much breast-cancer in my practice.

Today we notice an increase in men’s breast cancer and I blame the fact that so many men carry their cell phones in their top pocket right there at the breast tissue. I often see women hiding their phones in their bras and I’m saddened because this is an important part of breast cancer awareness today.

There’s absolutely no time to waste because in general breast cancers can double in size every six months

One of the biggest problems with breast cancer is that there is often no pain to indicate that something is wrong and this is in my opinion why so many women are diagnosed with stage IV at such young ages. This really highlights the importance of prevention and early detection.

I urge people not to consider Cannabis medicine only as a last resort when it should be the first port-of-call, from the moment of diagnosis and indeed sooner for prevention

Cannabis destroys cancer through more than one mechanism and the very first thing it does is reduce inflammation. Then the plants antitumor properties kick in, namely the process of Apoptosis and Autophagy.

Through the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) Cannabis is able to force mutant cells into a state of “cellular suicide” and this is how the plant can destroy tumors. Autophagy is the process of cleaning up these damaged cell membranes, organelles and free-radicals and ridding the body of them.

Please take a look on YouTube for Dr Christina Sanchez where she describes from a doctors perspective but in very easy to understand words exactly how apoptosis and autophagy work in the presence of the plant’s chemical components.

Cannabis also has the ability to cut off the blood supply to tumors and this is how the plant is able to shrink tumors, as well as by blocking the growth factors that can trigger mutant cells to divide and grow.

"I found Sista Vee's medicine to be profoundly effective in reducing the bleeding of active and aggressive tumors and keeping wounds relatively clean where most certainly it would be much worse without THC on board." ~ Dr John Wulz, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa 

Today we are successfully treating triple-negative-metastic breast cancer (TNBC). In the March 2023 publication of Journal “Anticancer Research” the paper titled “Phytocannabinoids in triple negative breast cancer treatment: Current Knowledge and Future Insights”

Dr Bimonte and her team explain how CBD causes the death of TNBC cells proving that Cannabis is a vitally important immune regulatory agent because cancer is a condition of failed immunity. Cannabis does this with absolutely no damage to healthy cells or unpleasant side-effects.

A word of caution when dealing with hormonal cancers:

Many cancers are driven by hormones for example breast, endometrium, ovary, vaginal, cervical, prostate, testicular, scrotum, thyroid and osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and others.

It is important to be aware of the biphasic effect of medicine and this means that high and low doses can have opposite effects for example high THC can cause anxiety instead of calming the patient down and a lower THC higher CBD dose is required.

Cannabis also drives the Endocrine (hormone) System and this means that patients healing from hormonal cancers will have better efficacy and will recover better with plants that have high CBD and low THC levels. CBD can also induce Apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

In people with healthy EC Systems, cells with damaged DNA, like cancer cells, will either repair themselves or die off in the process of apoptosis.

The reason why I say that Cannabis is the plant whisperer of human DNA is because as human beings we share more than 40% of our DNA with Cannabis sativa L.

In my opinion, this is the number one biological reason why Cannabis is so effective in curing every cancer that it has been tested against to this day.

I will never try to influence a patient that they shouldn’t agree or accept their oncologists’ recommendations to chemo or radiation treatment, but for patients who do decide to take the chemo and radiation route, this is where I really see the plant shining in the way that it can offer real nurturing during this incredibly aggressive treatment physically, mentally, spiritually and most important on a cellular level.

Many people are starting to realize the benefits of Cannabis Medicine to help protect them against the harsh side effects of these treatments like nausea, loss of appetite, pain and depression.

Over the past 40 years I have seen hundreds of women, myself included, successfully treat stage-IV breast-cancer, metastic breast-cancer and even flesh-eating breast cancers, and go on to live perfectly normal and healthy lives simply by inviting Cannabis into their lives.

A Tribute to The Hempress of Hogsback

 

After a six and half hour drive, on a cold and rainy Friday the 13^th October we arrived in the beautiful and majestic Hogsback for the purpose of catching the last weekend of the annual Open Gardens to view the immaculately landscaped gardens in the village.

For me personally, the honour and privilege was to present a talk to the community and visitors about the most medicinal flower on Earth.

Usually I would only speak about one specific topic but my amazing hostess Joanne Campbell who runs her CBD shop called Cannacopia, in Hogsback, asked me to speak on 4 topics over the 2 days and I felt moved to record my talk for the benefit of those who could not attend to listen to how Cannabis can heal cancer, fybromyalgia, pain and depression.

I had the privilege of meeting Joanne Campbell, owner of Cannacopia, “the quaint little shop in Hogsback” in 2021 and since then she has been asking me to do a book-signing in Hogsback and finally thanks to the amazing support of my beautiful friends at The Canna Club in Plettenberg Bay this occasion became a reality. Without the kindness of Heidi and Herman and Esther this trip would not have been possible.

I was completely overjoyed to witness the amazing healing work that Joanne is achieving from her quaint shop in her small community by bringing the plant closer to the people and I wish her every success in expanding her business in Hogsback and beyond.

Come to Hogsback and meet Joanne “The Hempress of Hogsback”

When I speak about Cannabis Medicine I always like to inform people that the Endocannabinoid System is not a new therapeutic target. Today we have archaeological evidence going back 350 million years where Endocannabinoid receptors were identified in sea squirts. Some search engines and even ChatGPT indicate that the evidence is more likely 500 million years!

Before 1937 CBD was always in the food chain because it was known that human beings have a set of receptors that require to be supplemented with components found in the Cannabis plant.

So today we are on our 8^th/9^th generation of Endocannabinoid deficiency and statistics reveal that 1 in 4 people worldwide are now ill

The Endocannabinoid System is the body’s “Super-Computer” because it controls all of our physiological systems

Everyone has an Endocannabinoid System and everyone’s brain produces Endocannabinoids, and when you become ill, your system needs to be supplemented with the Cannabis plant. Endocannabinoids are known by scientists to be the most abundant neurotransmitters in the body because of the fact that this system controls all of our other physiological systems.

Cannabis is now implicated in 678 medical conditions including corona, yet this information is still not taught in medical schools.

At least once a week, I am asked by a medical doctor how it is possible that they studied the body for seven years but they have never heard of this system. I suspect that the reason for this is that there are 8 billion different Endocannabinoid systems and this means that this medicine is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ type of treatment. In my own practice I tailor make each patient’s medicine to suit their specific needs.

My hostess Joanne has asked me to speak about cancer, pain, fibromyalgia and depression. I am happy to speak on each of these as I have personal and clinical experience in these conditions.

Let us start with cancer because I am also a cancer-survivor, all praises to the plant! In my opinion cancer is a condition of failed immunity because once your body starts manifesting tumours then you realise that you have very little immunity left.

In my book, Cannabis is the human companion plant, I make a statement saying that Cannabis is the plant whisperer of human DNA and the reason why I say this is because as human beings we do share over 40% of our genome with Cannabis sativa L. And I believe that this is the very reason why Cannabis has to date been able to cure every type of cancer that it has been tested against.

When I think about cancer I am reminded of the words of one of my mentors Dr Henry Ealy of the Energetic Health Institute. This is the only medical school to be banned from YouTube because of Dr Ealy’s stance on the corona vaccine.

Dr Henry says that we should give thanks for cancer because if there was no cancer then people would be dying from their tumours. So with cancer we are given a period of grace where we can take action and reverse our condition through self-healing. Modern history has revealed that this is very achievable with plant medicine.

Cannabis destroys cancer through more than one mechanism

The very first thing that the plant does is to reduce inflammation and from there the anti-tumour properties kick in.

In my book in chapter 3 I explain the process of Apoptosis and Autophagy. Apoptosis is the process whereby the mutant cancer cells are forced into a “cellular suicide”. You can also take a look at the videos by Dr Christina Sanchez who explains this process very nicely.

Autophagy is the process of cleaning up these damaged cells, membranes and organelles and ridding the body of these. Autophagy happens at the moment you start to experience “the munchies” this is when we need to not eat and let the hunger pangs pursue as this is the exact moment when the body is preparing to clean out damaged cells. Cannabis is the only botanical that can induce autophagy but you can also achieve this state through intermittent fasting which is why fasting is so effective in healing cancer patients.

Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System are able to literally cut of the blood supply to tumours through the process of Anti-angiogenesis which means that the blood vessels supplying tumours are destroyed. Cannabis is also able to destroy Triple-negative breast cancer cells.

"I found Sista Vee's medicine to be profoundly effective in reducing the bleeding of active and aggressive tumors and keeping wounds relatively clean where most certainly it would be much worse without THC on board." ~ Dr John Wulz, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa 

And it is not only the cannabinoids of the plant that can assist with cancer healing. The terpenes also have the same healing properties as the cannabinoids and are also able to induce apoptosis and autophagy. Terpenes like Humulene and Limonene are part of the cancer-fighting artillery of the Cannabis plant.

The leaves contain a substance called Cannaprene and this molecule is also able to induce apoptosis and autophagy

In the roots you will find a substance called Friedlin that specifically targets liver disease and liver cancer. This is why it is known that the very best Cannabis medicine is only really possible through using the entire plant, roots and all.

Other benefits include relief for pain, insomnia, appetite, nausea, depression, hormone regulation, homeostasis, gene repair and nutrient absorption.

It is during chemo-care that I really see the plant shining as you can clearly see in the chemo room which patients are taking CBD. The plant literally changes nausea to the munchies and sadness to gladness. I often receive messages like this 

Today smoking is the probably the least popular form of getting cannabinoids into your system. You can try tinctures, oils, edibles, suppositories as well as topical treatment.

I would really like to urge people to not consider Cannabis only as a last resort, when in fact it should be the first port of call. Cancer is pretty easy to prevent and now that we know exactly how Cannabis cures cancer, we must surely realise that supplementation of the Endocannabinoid System is essential.

Next up is the condition of Fybromyalgia, one of the most misunderstood syndrome of symptoms of the hyper-pain conditions

Previously known as Fibrositis, meaning inflammation of the connective tissues but today we know that this inflammation extends to the nerve fibres as well.

I always like to look for the root causes of each patient’s condition and I have now learnt through decades of research that stress is a 95% catalyst of this condition. And this is precisely where fibromyalgia becomes ‘misunderstood’. Many people cannot sympathise with people who are in severe pain unless they can see the hole that you are bleeding out of! So a lot of people including doctors do not really believe that patients can have so much pain without any physical evidence of this pain being possible. Patients suffering from fibromyalgia are too often labelled as hypochondriacs, lazy people, attention seeking and so many other negative connotations for people simply suffering with an unseen pain

There is a perfectly explainable reason why some people’s bodies simply cannot endure any stress and in these cases this stress manifests as severe and ‘unexplained’ pain

The common denominator in patients with this condition is a Hypothalamus dysfunction. The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain concerned with the stress response, anxiety, emotions, and memory and also controls the Pituitary gland that is the main centre of hormone production in the body. When there is a dysfunction of the hypothalamus the patient has very low serotonin and when serotonin is low this does not only manifest as depression. Low serotonin amplifies stress and magnifies pain and this is why people suffering from fibromyalgia have super low stress thresholds and there is nothing that conventional medicine can do about it without severe side effects of their medicines. .

Some other root causes include the Epstein-Barr virus that many patients also present with. It is generally very difficult to get rid of, but you can also try Essiac tea and colloidal silver. Cannabis is also a powerful antiviral medicine.

Other pathogens include bacterial infections, parasites and also heavy metal toxicity is a big one in people suffering with hyper-pain conditions like fibromyalgia and even rheumatoid arthritis.

Dehydration is a common problem in most of the population, but the reason why it is a root cause in this condition is because dehydration drastically depletes our Tryptophan that is the building block for our serotonin and melatonin, and this bears repetition, that when serotonin is low, stress is amplified and pain is magnified. The correct amount of water to consume per day is 35ml per kg body weight.

Photo courtesy of Legacy Grower, Zungu Xolile,

How can Cannabis help with fibromyalgia?

1.    Pain and Inflammation

Cannabis works via the opioids and vanilloid receptors that is the pathway to pain healing in the body.

2.    Nervous system calming

CBD calms the entire nervous system and here you can treat spasms, spasticity, seizures, cramps and Restless Legs Syndrome

3.    Neurogenesis and Neuro-protection

Cannabis assists the body to generate new brain cells while CBD offers protection against damage to brain cells. With this healing property we can treat brain fog, chronic fatigue syndrome, memory loss and neuropathy. Cannabis also offers neuro protection specifically for the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

4.    Hormone regulation

It is amazing how often this is overlooked by doctors. Since the Endocannabinoid system regulates the endocrine system, Cannabis is extremely helpful in regulating our hormones in times of illness. Cannabis can increase serotonin and melatonin and increase our ability to absorb Vitamin D. Cannabis can reduce the harmful effects of the stress hormones and also regulates our thyroid hormones. Just to remind you what I mentioned earlier that when the body is low on serotonin then stress is amplified and pain is magnified.

5.    Gut brain repair

Everyone suffering with fibromyalgia is also suffering from dysbiosis and most often these patients also have a leaky gut. We must remember that 80% of our serotonin is found in our gut and that 80% of our nervous and immune system is also found in our gut. Cannabis is able to heal the delicate gut lining and stimulate the correct bacterial growth required for optimal health.

I would also go so far as to say that everyone with fybromyalgia also has unbalanced vagus nerves and you look at my previous paper on how Cannabis helps to offer vagal nerve stimulation.

https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2023/02/how-does-cannabis-stimulate-vagus-nerves.html

6.    Hemp Seed Oil

It is a scientific fact that stress not only blocks the Endocannabinoid receptors but also vampirically feasts on our Vitamin B supplies. Many people are walking around with pins and needles in their hands and feet, suffering from terrible neuropathic pain in their feet, this is a sure sign of Vitamin B deficiency and you need to take action.

Vitamin B is responsible for the production of our red blood cells and this is why people who have fibromyalgia also suffer with chronic fatigue syndrome, brain fog and loss of memory. This is because there is a lack of oxygen in circulation due to the lack of the vital vitamin B.

It is known that hemp seed oil is the perfect form of nutrition for human beings as it is packed with all the vitamin B’s and other essential nutrients that we require and that are pretty hard to get from the modern diet that has no nutrient-density.

Hemp seed is also the perfect formulation of Omega fats 3, 6, and 9. Many people falsely believe that because our body produces omega 9 that it is not necessary to supplement. Well, I am here to tell you that this is not true because the body does not produce enough omega 9 to protect us from illness and environmental toxins. Omega 3, 6, and 9 protects us against oxidative stress that leads to cancer by increasing the reactive oxygen species that in turn increases anti-oxidant activity to destroy free-radicals.

In combination, omega 3, 6 and 9 also offer brain protection in particular for the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. This is an excellent alternative for brain health for people who are allergic to fish oil.

I highly recommend that everyone who is suffering with any chronic illness add hemp seed oil to their daily regimen. I also recommend the teachings of Dr Roger Murphree author of The Murphree Method as I consider him a specialist in the condition of fibromyalgia. The only aspect we differ on is that Dr Murphree says that we have to tackle the insomnia first where I am more geared to go straight to the gut.

Every illness is also accompanied by severe depression

In my opinion clinical depression is when the patient no longer feels hopeful about their future, and most people feel like this at least once a day, so you can imagine that a person who can find no relief for chronic round-the-clock excruciating pain might easily become as depressed as the patient facing cancer.

We must remember that serotonin is not only about our mood and feeling happy. This hormone is also responsible for our memory, hunger signals, body temperature, sexual behaviour, sleep as well as our pain response.

It is interesting to note that the name given to our main Endocannabinoid produced by everyone’s brain is Anandamide that is a Sanskrit word meaning “Internal Bliss” in other words “happiness”.

When a patient becomes ill and depressed their Anandamide is also severely depleted and this again not only affects the mood but also all of our vital bodily functions. There is only one plant that can give us any form of Anandamide supplement and that is the Cannabis plant because Anandamide is the human version of THC.

Anandamide controls our hormone production and release by balancing our serotonin, melatonin, sex hormones as well as the stress hormones, adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. Anandamide also assists the body to take up more Vitamin D which is essential for so many functions but in particular for inflammation.

Anandamide is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the human body and when we are ill it is essential to supplement with Cannabis medicine

Cannabis calms the entire nervous system and interacts with our GABA receptors, the limbic and para-limbic systems as well as the vital HPA axis.

One of the main functions of the Endocannabinoid System is Neurogenesis and Neuro-Protection, but it also offers “Neuro-Diversity” that means that the Endocannabinoid System and the plant, takes into account that every human being has a completely unique constitution and that each system is beyond comparison  just like the fingerprints and iris of the eyes.

And ask yourself why does Cannabis make people laugh? In my book I end off with this question since scientists claim that they still do not know why humans laugh, so I thought to help them out!

Anandamide tickles the brain in a way that produces amusement, and just by virtue of the fact that Cannabis always makes you feel better, people would be then be far more inclined to enjoy a laugh. Cannabis eases any form of suffering and makes any illness easier to bear.

Be sure to visit Joanne at Cannacopia when you next visit Hogsback to discover how Cannabis can make a difference in your life. Good bye beautiful Hogsback...until next time!

Photo by Esther Nel, The Canna Club, Plettenberg Bay

 

How to get a grip on Anxiety and Stress

 

If you are like me and suffer from severe anxiety then please know that this means that you have a super sensitive nervous system.

Some psychiatrists and even psychologists will tell you that anxiety happens when we think negative thoughts that stem from fear. Yes this is true, anxiety affects our thoughts and our thoughts affect our anxiety. Both feed upon each other in ways that make it really hard to control negative thought patterns, over thinking, OCD, triggers, panic attacks and manic behaviour.

Be that as it may, I always like to look at the root causes in each patient dependent on their symptoms and I have found that genetics only accounts for about 5% of mental and physical medical conditions.

Let’s take a look at the some of the root causes of anxiety and how the human companion plant can help us to overcome this new pandemic of modern society.

1.1.   TRAUMA AND ADDICTIONS

     So many people have suffered such tremendous childhood trauma that has followed most of us into adulthood. Loss of loved ones and the entire grieving process is utterly traumatic for humans and many never recover.

I believe that everyone has the right to be happy and I’v always been super passionate about human health and happiness. Truly I’v said this many times but somewhere in the sinister prohibition parade I have always believed that it is illegal to be happy in this manic matrix we all live in.

Regardless of my opinion, the truth is that good health cannot live in an unhappy body and this is not my truth because I learnt this from a very young age from my Bible and later found a similar teaching in the Holy Quran.

In the book of Proverbs chapter 17 we learn that “A broken Spirit dries the bones” and I have always understood this based on my teachings to mean that in order to be healthy one has to be happy. When a human being’s Spirit becomes so broken that their bones begin to dry then we know that they no longer have healthy bone-marrow. And bone-marrow is the epicenter of our immune system. In my opinion a “broken Spirit” is the root cause of so-called autoimmune conditions.

In the Holy Quran the Scripture speaks of “a piece of flesh that when not well, the whole body is not well and when well, the whole body is well, and this piece of flesh is the heart”. 

And we must remember that trauma is not only stored in our memories but in every single living cell in our bodies

2.   LIFE STRESSES

In my opinion at the heart of disease management today is the way that we can handle our life-stresses. Please don’t get me wrong a little bit of stress is good for us but today we have two types of stress, good and bad. Good stress is the type of stress you put on yourself, like setting targets and goals etc and bad stress is what the government and corporations give away for free every day, illegal taxes, cost of living, inflation and some seriously dark agendas (excuse the pun South Africa). These things are slowly killing our people as stress manifests into dis-ease in the human body.

All of our stress hormones, Cortisol, Norepinephrine, Adrenaline and others all are known to cause an up-regulation in tumor formation. Even young people are struggling with their hearts and cardiac arrest is still the number one killer.

Stress vampirically feeds off our Vitamin B and if not supplemented this is very dangerous resulting in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, impaired cognition and neuropathic pain. It can get so bad that your body stops producing red blood cells that need Vitamin B and then oxygen supply becomes crucial. All of this from stress! Cannabis seeds are known to be one of the highest sources of Vitamin B in the world.

The human Endocannabinoid System is incredibly sensitive to stress because truly we were not designed to deal with these levels of “new age” stresses that are designed to keep us in fight-or-flight mode. 

This is when our hormones become so unbalanced and triggers a release of our stress hormones. Remember that the Endocannabinoid System controls the Endocrine or hormone system and this is how Cannabis is able to help calm and balance our hormones at all the different stages of human life. 

Stress not only blocks the Endocannabinoid receptors but also halts the production of our main Endocannabinoid named Anandamide by the scientists. Anandamide is the human version of THC (Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol) and it is the Sanskrit word meaning “Bliss”.

This is why I always tell my patients to double their CBD dose when they know that they are going to be facing heavy stress. We absolutely have to supplement the Endocannabinoid System in order to survive stress and anxiety and this is why millions of people use Cannabis for depression, pain, insomnia and mood elevation.

And ask yourself why does Cannabis make us laugh?

In my book Cannabis is The Human Companion Plant I end off with this question because apparently scientists still do not know why humans laugh! Cannabis eases any form of suffering and makes any disease easier to bear, mentally and physically and spiritually.

It is because of the way that Cannabinoids interact with not only the Endocannabinoid receptors but also the whole human receptor system

Binding affinity to the Serotonin receptors is a tried and tested therapeutic target for anxiety so this is a big reason for the mood elevation properties of the plant. And it’s not only the Cannabinoids but also the terpenes that offer healing through our receptors.

The plant also interacts with the Limbic and Para Limbic systems and GABA receptor binding by Cannabinoids is now well established. Basically all of this means that the components found in the Cannabis plant interact with our entire nervous system and it is CBD that completely calms our nervous system down.

There is a reason why I refer to CBD as the “King of Cannabinoids” !

People sometimes think of CBD as the weaker sibling of THC because scientists write that it is “inactive” meaning in their language that CBD will not make you feel “high”. Well I always ask my patients whether they are high or if they just feel better? 99.99% they tell me that they can admit that they simply feel better.

We have to accept that even though only THC has the deep binding affinity with the CB1 and 2 receptors, it is by no means the “be-all-an- end-all” of Cannabis medicine.

In my opinion and when I consider overall medical benefits of CBD I truly believe in this molecules healing powers especially in the way it can completely calm the nervous system down. I suffer with tachycardia often during the day it goes up to 140 and I simply puff on a CBD joint 3 puffs and it’s coming down already. That is a 19% CBD strain that belongs to South African Breeder Dean Malan and is called Canna Health Genetics #16 (CHG#16) and I highly recommend this strain for helping prevent anxiety from becoming all encompassing.

We must never underestimate the power of CBD and CBDA (the acid version within the growing plant) is 1000 times stronger than CBD in nausea and migraine studies!

Why are seeing such an increase in anxiety among high THC consumers?

In the 1970’s a 6% THC level was considered high and today we have “over 30’s” clubs with the average percentage testing around 25. In my judging work over the past 4 years I can tell you that for sure the THC is getting stronger and stronger.

The biggest problem with super high THC plants is that there is hardly any CBD in there so the medicine becomes super potent and the body lacks the natural plant protection that is CBD.

And then you also have to think about synthetics as well like Delta 8 and THCP products, even some “CBD isolates” that are super potent. Synthetic THCP is 33 times stronger than plant THC and 60 times stronger than Delta 8 THC.

In general pharmaceutical cannabinoid synthetics are up to 800 times stronger than plant medicine. There is a very good reason why THCP and Delta 8 THC are only found in miniscule amounts in the actual plant!

Synthethic THC products act a full agonists of our receptors where plant THC only acts a partial agonist and this is the reason for super-potency. 

CBD is naturally found in higher amounts in low THC varieties such as Cannabis ruderalis and some so-called hemp strains. So if you are looking for a high CBD plant you must look for a low THC variety. We have to be careful that in our quest for super high THC strains we do not risk out breeding CBD.

What is the Biphasic Effect of Cannabis Medicine and how does this affect anxiety?

Biphasic medicine means that high and low doses can have opposite effects and this is a common effect in many medications for example the contraceptive pill, some insulin drugs, antacids and of course alcohol, you can see it clearly how like the first 2 drinks can appear to calm a person and raise their spirits but after that “1 too many” a certain type of psychosis seems to set in and a lot of people simply pass out.

In Cannabis medicine I call this “dagga psychosis” and I attribute it to the super high THC levels people are now consuming and believe me, I also enjoy these strains especially for the pain but the truth is that it does give me and so many others who have come to speak to me, disturbing anxiety symptoms like tachycardia, depression and so many other symptoms we experience.

We can see the biphasic effect in how the high THC is giving the opposite effect that lower THC strains offer like calmness and euphoria instead of psychosis and paranoia that I am seeing so much of today and this is obviously a huge concern for me for the future of our freedom to access this plant.

At my recent talk at The Canna Club in Plettenberg Bay someone in the audience told a story of how he had lost consciousness and passed out due to loss of oxygen according to the medical team that assisted. He informed me that there is now published scientific research to prove that high THC can alter oxygen absorption and I still need to read these papers.

If you consider that the average rosin press extract is 4 times the THC potency as in the bud then shoo! That is super high, but what is really interesting, I was having a chat with one of our Master Growers Natie Fereirra and he told me that this is not strictly correct because he can take a “4% THC plant and convert it to an 80% dab” Wow that is pure alchemy right there!

The biphasic effect  of Cannabis medicine is not only involved in mental health, I see this a lot in my sleep clinic patients when so often it is the lowest possible dose that ends up stabilizing sleep architecture as opposed to higher THC dosing. In other words when the THC is too strong for a certain patient then the medicine will have the opposite effect and keep them awake.

Another good example is a patient I treat for arthritis, a person who has a well established Endocannabinoid System and I made him a high CBD and very low THC oil extracted with virgin organic coconut oil. Well after checking up on him he explained and sent me photos of how he experienced the complete opposite effect and had to go for a steroid injection! I was horrified as I had never seen the biphasic effect in arthritis and the patient was not allergic to coconut oil.

Well I love a good medical mystery and I asked the patient who truly believes in the benefits of the plant but had never used topically or internally before, to give me a chance and do some more research and make him a new batch of medicine. All my research kept coming back to the biphasic effect I even looked at his blood grouping and consulted with my mentors and still nothing was coming up from the science or from common sense.

Long story short I made him a new batch of medicine using a different plant and I waited a week (serious anxiety) before checking up on him and Give Thanks all was well and the photos revealed the reduction in inflammation and I was so happy for the patient. This is a classic example of one of the ways the biphasic effect can manifest and we must never forget that this plant is a medicine regardless of how you consume it because it causes changes in the body....just like coffee and sugar!

For those who are curious about how I made the new batch of medicine I am happy to share that I decided to use a male plant that is higher in CBD and this turned out to work really well for this patient. All Praises to the Plant!

So I really loved the way Brett Pollack expressed his perspective in the recent Phakisa Interview on The Canna Club channel and I asked Brett if I may use his words that I would like to share with you

“There’s more to this plant than just a 30% THC content, and a plant with less than 20% is jut?...No….it’s not….it means that there’s other things in there potentially taking effect on your body and your mind” ~ Brett Pollack Cannabis Lawyer

Give thanks Brett for these words of wisdom and I can tell you that “these things” Brett is speaking of are things like CBD, CBG, CBC, and the terpenes and the flavinoids present in the plant that botanists refer to as The Entourage Effect.

And this why in my country in the rural lands of Mpondo grows the perfect ratio of CBD to THC, the sought after 1:1 ratio that doctors love and adore for so many reasons but mostly because of the incredibly low risk of side-effects. In my opinion this is the competitive advantage of the medicine that has always been produced in rural Transkei.

It upsets me greatly that our landrace farmers are being excluded and I even heard from one of Simon’s friends that the legacy farmers were told by SAHPRA I think, stand to be corrected, that their medicine ‘has no competitive advantage” this is complete lies but that is another paper. It upsets me because I cannot return to my isi-Xhosa family because they will come for me again because I do not have their permits to cultivate. 

So my message to you about ‘dagga psychosis” is to be conscious of responsible adult consumption and harm reduction methods.

We must always respect the plant as a medicine and as a teacher plant.

Another thing I am very concerned with that we are starting to see a lot of is people with pre-existing mental health conditions consuming high THC levels and many people that have weaned themselves off their pharma meds and are self medicating with THC without consulting with a registered practitioner.

As a society I would like to see all of us looking out for our brothers and sisters and becoming aware of what your friends, family, club members, work colleagues etc are dealing with in their lives so that if the time comes, hopefully never, then you will have a better perspective and point of reference on how to help them.

And the best advice I can give on this topic is to always make sure that you have a high CBD oil and bud available, because truly the only way to calm the nervous system almost instantly as  we know from epilepsy studies is by using CBD.

Cannabis also offers spiritual nurturing to help us deal with anxiety and there is a lot of science that I discuss in the book about how Cannabis helps with aversive memories and even nightmares and terrors so common in people suffering with anxiety and PTSD.

3.   DEHYDRATION AND INFLAMMATION

There is a lot of science that you can research on how these two can cause anxiety. Both of these are fast becoming a chronic health crisis today.

By the time your mouth tells you it is dry…you are already dehydrated and not only your body but your brain also becomes dehydrated.

It is crucial to consume 35 ml of clean structured water per kg of body weight every day. Nothing more and nothing less because we can also over-hydrate but that is another study. 

Dehydration depletes our Tryptophan that is the building block of Serotonin and this is how it causes anxiety.

Today it is becoming a challenge to get clean structured water that isn’t filled with high levels of heavy metals and other chemicals and these days they are also adding sulphites to drinking water, tap and bottled even so-called "spring water" and sulphites are known to cause anxiety even in tolerant people.

There is a very good reason why the plant makes us thirsty! In South Africa we speak about "the droogies"! and I have seen this so often how this plant can force human beings to hydrate with water! Also another study!

Scientists speak about the “Inflammation/Anxiety Connection” that explains how inflammation leads to oxidative stress throughout the body and causes anxiety. Cannabis is a known potent anti-inflammatory and through its binding affinity with the Serotonin receptors offers Human beings relief for anxiety.

4.   IMBALANCED VAGUS NERVES

I can almost guarantee you that every person suffering with severe anxiety also has imbalanced vagus nerves. These are the two longest nerves in the body and they control the “gut brain connection” for mental and physical health. On a spiritual level they have their origin in the Pineal and Pituitary glands. (6th and 7th chakras)

There is a very simple test you can do that Iv mentioned in previous papers but happy to repeat here. Take your torch and look into the back of your throat at the “small tongue” or uvula. This little tongue should be pointing directly down into the throat but if pointing to the left or right this is a sign of imbalance and you need to take steps to rectify this. I use these techniques almost daily and it is incredible how 15 minutes can completely reduce tachycardia.

In my opinion based on my research the secret to stimulating the vagus nerves is to have your head below your heart like doing a head stand. This is why many people find yoga really helpful. Many healers have a flip bed in their rooms where you can be turned upside down to stimulate the vagus nerves.

You can do breathing and even cold showers there are a number of different ways to achieve vagal nerve stimulation and you can find what suits you best but this therapy is really helping a lot of people with anxiety.

Cannabis is the only plant that can induce autophagy and vagal nerve stimulation

Recently I wrote about this topic I will leave the links here below for you and I had my comprehension of how this works in the body confirmed by one of my mentors Dr Henry Ealy, you can see the video on my Rumble channel SistaVee.

https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2023/02/how-does-cannabis-stimulate-vagus-nerves.html

https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2023/01/autophagy-one-of-secret-weapons-of.html

https://rumble.com/v2zga56-dr-henry-ealy-q-and-a-16-feb-2023.html

(go to 1:55:28 for my question, the last question!) 

5.   PATHOGENS

I would urge anyone with severe anxiety to ask their doctor for a simple heavy metal toxicity test to test for the main 4 culprits, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead. And while you are there ask for a Vitamin B12 test as well. You can also consult with a frequency vibrational healer who might have a frequency vibration machine like a Rife machine that will give you accurate results for both tests often more accurate than blood tests.

Some other pathogenic culprits for causing anxiety are parasites, viruses, bacteria and mold is a very big one. So many people been sick for decades and doctors don’t know the cause and it turns out to be mold and it is very difficult to get rid of but you can Detox from mold, parasites and heavy metals in a standard 90 day program.

All of these cause anxiety because of the severe damage they cause to our nerve endings and they way that they devour our Vitamin B and other nutrients. They can also cause pain, inflammation, tumor formation, hot flushes and cravings.

A lot of women believe that they have been in menopause for many years but I'm here to tell you that the menopause only lasts 12 months after the last menstrual cycle. This is a natural pattern of creation. I have found in many of my patients that there was always another root cause of ongoing hot flushes and I urge women in this situation to go and get tested or simply just do the 90 day detox to reset your system. 

6.   PHARMACEUTICAL SIDE EFFECTS

You would be shocked to learn how many pharmaceutical drugs can cause anxiety as a known side effect, so please do look at the insert inside the packaging because it is there in plain sight. 

Drugs like benzodiazepines, epilepsy meds, anti histamines, sleeping tablets, ADHD meds like Ritalin and even certain nasal inhalers that contain Albuterol. All of these can cause severe anxiety and it is shocking that medications designed to calm the nervous system have such severe and opposite effects by design. We must seriously question this!

For stress and anxiety I highly recommend using high CBD strains and today we are blessed with strong and stable CBD genetics. Some of my favorite strains besides CHG#16 are Blue Shark, Feno Dream and Cherry Wine by Natie Fereirra.

Here is a link to my medical review on CHG#16

https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2023/06/smoking-cbd-bud-fighting-anxiety_26.html

With CBD I have seen healing occur at 20 mg right up to 1000 mg and while Cannabis can’t take our problems away it does help to keep our anxiety out of our chest, throat and gut, and stop it from interfering with our days and nights.

In my opinion the only way to get a grip on anxiety is to constantly observe ourselves. We must study ourselves, our behavior, mood, feelings and triggers. We have to know what makes us happy and we must be deliberate about the way we wake up and the way we go to sleep and how we structure the time in between and we must also remember to congratulate ourselves for showing up! No one else can show up and live your life for you only you can do this - and for myself and so many others, self observation is proving to be a valuable tool.

Through Cannabis we can learn to gauge what steps to take to heal ourselves, instead of just being a passenger in our own lives that prevents us from being who we wish to be.

Cannabis can help us to focus on our thoughts and become more aware of who we really are beneath our anxiety and to realize that fear is the real sickness. Cannabis can also help us to achieve greatness, to let our little light shine and to become the best version of ourselves and for this reason alone we should to continue to pursue medical freedom and education by fighting for plant medicine. 

This paper is based off my talk on Anxiety at The Garden Route Cannabis Cup in Plettenberg Bay 5 August 2023 and my recent talk about mental health at The Canna Club in Plett 

Here is the rumble link for the anxiety talk at The Expo last month.

https://rumble.com/v35r2gs-can-cannabis-ease-anxiety.html