Sunday, July 20, 2014

Cannabinoids, Turpenes, and You.



Patients Helping Patients.

    Here at Sonoma Patient Group (SPG) all of our budtenders are Oaksterdam University trained, or awaiting classes in a few cases. John, a cannabis activist and Sonoma Patient Group's president, has been the manager of multiple dispensaries. Jewel, our Medical Marijuana Matriarch, has 7 years in dispensary management and as a breast cancer survivor fights hard as an advocate for Medical Cannabis Legalization. Not to forget to mention, Dave Mccullick, is an #Oaksterdam instructor, and a speaker at the Florida Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Institute (Florida MMTC). Needless to say there is a wealth of information here, and I am fortunate to be able to learn from such a pool of expert knowledge in such a niche field.
   Dave was the manager on shift one of the days where SPG had called me to fill for someone who had called in ill. While working with Dave, it is pretty much a guarantee that you will leave at the end of the day with more knowledge about cannabis than when you had arrived at the dispensary.  He was telling me, 'take a bite of a mango, smell some pine needles, and then smoke a bowl', and that this would increase the effectiveness of cannabis.
   The effectiveness of cannabinoids has been well documented. And yet, of the at least 85 cannabinoids, the application of the known benefits  is still in its infancy. We all start with the usually distinction of "Sativa Versus Indica", and then most peoples knowledge evolves to the point of understanding what the affects and effects of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol). "High CBD  helps my joints but makes me sleepy and high THC helps my disposition, but too much and I become uncomfortable or paranoid". But that is where the knowledge plateaus for most, myself included.



  But why? Everyone who has had been fortunate enough to have their life's maladies relieved by cannabis knows as well that there is more to herb than 2 numbers (THC and CBD percentages); that those numbers can be deceptive , and a 15% OG Kush might knock you on your ass comparatively to a 16% Sour D

 While I am not a pharmacological researcher, and there are 83 cannabinoids not measured, one can extrapolate from the experiential knowledge of Dave's "mango and pine needles" that there is more at work in cannabis than cannabinoids. That the turpenes and bioflavonoids(the aromatic components of wine, coffee, beer, cloves, oranges, lemon, and lavender) add real aromatherapeutic benefits to medical cannabis in whole flower form.


  
"What does this mean?" you might be asking. While I reiterate that I am not a doctor , or an organic biochemist, or a person of any credentialing background that would give you any sort of certainty in what I am typing other thank introductory chemistry and physics in college, aroma therapy is not regulated by the FDA, and I hope in sharing with you that you might follow a similar chain of logic that I have. I am not inferring any fact, just opinion. So here goes it; If you can determine the turpenes and bioflavonoids from the scent profile of the cannabis (Stop by SPG and we will help you out) then you might possibly be able to target what turpentine would benefit your ailment.

   
And the benefits of  turpenes and bioflavonoids extend beyond that of the aromatic chemical responses by themselves. There is research supporting a synergistic relationship between cannabinoids and individual turpenes. One can speculate from the research, in the manner that a psychonaut may, that individual turpenes might enhance the effectiveness of cannabis. 

 "Mangoes and pine needles" might just be the 'tip of the iceberg', there might be thousands of permutations of therapeutic and synergistic combinations of cannabinoids and turpenes. Did someone say "mango orange whole cannabis juicing"? One day it may pick up, and with a bit crowd-sourced research we can help some people feel a little better than they would by smoking whatever nondescript, non-tested herb or single strain they are forced to by uninformed legislation.
Let us know what Turpene and Flavinoid combinations you come up with!
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CB
Budtender/Social Media