Here you’ll find the most up to date information on cannabis remedies and treatments.
Mangos Cannabis and Springtime Mockaritas
Creating a Zen atmosphere in the home with cannabis springtime drinks. In Japanese Zen refers to meditation. In interior design, it reflects balance, harmony, and relaxation. Zen is a slang word for feeling peace and relaxation. What makes a Zen experience? An amalgam of sounds and smells that bring together an awareness of the senses and a clearing of the mind’s clutter.
Zen Experience
A Zen experience is the focus of attention on being present here and now. This presence is exactly what Gary Hunter gifted to us in his home one year ago when eight poets from The WordKeepers gathered in his Zen backyard. The WordKeepers is a weekly poetry group led by Dorothea Bisbas, the Poet Laureate of Rancho Mirage, CA., that meets every Wednesday in the Rancho Mirage Library.
Every week we submit our musings to each other for critique. We turn our fears, love of nature, love, or anger for family members into poetic prose. Dorothea teaches respect for the reader encouraging us to use words that do not offend, that are nuanced, that do not preach, and that touch the heart of the listener. Drive down San Lucas Drive in Palm Springs, halfway you will see a large rock on the sidewalk with a new poem pinned to the rock daily by Gary our most prolific poet.
We were surrounded by dozens of mango pomegranate peach and palm trees at Gary’s. The pitter-patter sound of water rushing past rocks flowed into a pond of goldfish. The wooden gazebo large enough to shade eight poets cooled us with a fine silent mist. We walked among the trees and bushes Gary tended to instruct us to notice the shades of green, yellow gold, or mango color, the shapes, the textures, and the smells of each variety. We noticed the thick grass shavings blanketed around the base of the trees to soften the fall when the fruit is ripe.
Mango Varieties
After the tour, Gary slit all six varieties with such panache and gave each of us a serving. “Press the flesh if it indents or is wrinkly, it is ripe”, he said. We touched the Coconut Cream mango, the Valencia Pride, the Maha Chinki, the Nam Doc Mai, the Kent, and the Lemon Zest. Like first-time tasters in a chocolate factory, we savored every aroma of coconut, spice, fruity, peppery, juicy mango meat that dripped from our mouths.
We rated them on a scale of 1-5, 5 being excellent. The Lemon Zest and the Nam Doc Mai received a 5 rating. Gary gave us a lemon zest to take home. We floated into our cars high on energy absorbed from this mango paradise. We carried home the smells tickling our noses, the taste buds still tingling with spice, fruit, or lemon, and lastly, water flow sounds echoed in our ears. My mind wandered from mangos to cannabis.
A quick search on Leafly.com brought up a nonalcoholic Mango Mockarita recipe using a Mango Indica tincture. “Mango Indica is a heavy-duty cannabis strain that kicks the flavor in this non-alcoholic drink up a notch”.
Ingredients:
2–3 slices ripe mango
2 ounces orange juice
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
½ ounce agave nectar
2 ice cubes
10 mg worth of Mango Indica tincture
Orange slice and sugar to garnish
Directions:
Add drink ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth. Wet the rim of a cocktail glass with orange juice and dip the rim in sugar. Pour the margarita into a cocktail glass, garnish, and serve.
Anecdotal research has shown that eating mangos forty-five minutes before consuming cannabis can augment a faster onset of psychoactive effects. There are over six mango cannabis strains: Mango, Mango Tango, Mango Kush, Mango Dream, Mango Haze, and finally CBD Mango Haze.
Endometriosis, Dysmenorrhea, and the Endocannabinoid System
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus (called “the endometrium”), is found outside the uterus. Left untreated endometriosis induces a chronic inflammatory reaction that may result in scar tissue. It afflicts 11% of women worldwide during their reproductive years of 15 to 49. Previous studies have indicated that the endocannabinoid system may participate in the progress of endometriosis.
The symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods, painful ovulation, pain during or after sexual intercourse, heavy bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, and fatigue. Not all women experience these symptoms but if left untreated can lead to infertility.
Gender bias by both women and health care providers, due to a “normalization” of symptoms, results in a significant delay from when a woman first experiences symptoms until she eventually is diagnosed and treated.
Treatment Options for Endometriosis
Treatment includes pain killers such as nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), heating pads, birth control pills, and opiates. Often after a pregnancy, the condition is improved but not cured. Doctors in the ’60s and ’70s recommended hysterectomies. A laparoscopy can facilitate the lysis of tissue outside the uterus.
A national online survey of Australian women with endometriosis showed several self-management strategies. The most common were heat, rest, and meditation or breathing exercises. Cannabis, heat, hemp/CBD oil, and dietary changes were the most highly rated in terms of self-reported effectiveness in pain reduction. Physical interventions such as yoga/Pilates, stretching, and exercise were rated as being less effective. Adverse events were common, especially with using alcohol (53.8%) and exercise (34.2%).
Women are at higher risk for endometriosis if they have a mother, sister, or daughter with endometriosis, or started their periods at an early age (before age 11). Other risk factors are short monthly cycles (less than 27 days), heavy menstrual periods that last more than 7 days or are infertile. Pregnancy or breastfeeding may lower the risk.
Endometriosis and Endocannabinoid Dysfunction
Endometrial cells, like cancer cells, tenaciously refuse to die and migrate to other parts of the human organism. When functioning optimally, the endocannabinoid system (ECS), the body’s innate regulating system, should be able to cause natural cell death and prevent unwanted cell proliferation. In the case of endometriosis cells are left to run riot
Ethan Russo, MD, suggests that a dysfunction of the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) may be the explanation. Endometriosis lesions compared to controls, were decreased in both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. This explains why THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] and potentially other components of cannabis are symptomatically helpful and also affect the actual pathological process of endometriosis.
Whole Plant Cannabis Not Isolates
Dr. Russo maintains multiple cannabinoid components of cannabis in the right preparation can treat the symptoms of endometriosis. Cannabis Corner discussed how N-Palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) a close relative of anandamide, may treat chronic pelvic pain.
Choosing the correct cannabis oil for pain is a trial-and-error experience. Previous use, tolerance, and access make titrating doses difficult. Effectiveness is related to the various modes of administering cannabis. Inhalation lasts for two hours. Oral ingestion of tinctures, capsules, or gummies has different effects and sometimes takes up to two hours to work. Gummies are usually isolates. Russo recommends whole plant cannabis. There may be instances when vaginal suppositories are more effective during menstruation while switching back to capsules, gummies, or inhaling when menses is complete.
These two companies, vetted by CannaAngel give access to high dose cannabis with a 1:1 ratio of CBD:THC. Try Synergy Wellness for suppositories. Try Firebird Touch Therapy for high dose tinctures. In suppository mode, THC is not psychoactive because it does not get metabolized by the gut. For other references, See this excellent video, or visit The Endo Monologues
Should CA Legalize Psychedelics?
The California legislators have two current bills related to the use of psychedelics.
SB-58 Controlled substances: decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances. The purpose of this bill is to make lawful the possession of specified quantities of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline, for personal use.
AB-941 Controlled substances: psychedelic-assisted therapy for combat veterans. This bill, the “End Veteran Suicide Act,” would authorize a licensed professional clinical counselor to administer controlled substances to combat veterans, as specified. This bill is for professional use.
Statistics on Chronic Pain in the US
The CDC estimates 20.4% (50.0 million) of U.S. adults had chronic pain and 8.0% of U.S. adults (19.6 million) had high-impact chronic pain, with higher prevalence of both chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain reported among women, older adults, previously but not currently employed adults, adults living in poverty.
Long term use of opiates for chronic pain can lead to addictive behaviors, especially when professional dosing and supply are nonexistent. How many patients with legitimate pain become pseudoaddicted by medical professionals when they do not receive a prescription for proper pain medications or when the prescribed dosage of these medications is too low to manage their pain?
Approximately 1.7 million people live with limb loss each year in the United States, and the vast majority experience phantom-limb sensations beginning in the days and weeks after amputation. Neuroplasticity appears to play a central role in the published case study of a 35-year-old man whose intractable phantom-limb pain resulting from an amputated leg suddenly all but disappeared. The treatment? Three doses of psilocybin paired with mirror visual feedback. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29764303/
Twenty percent of people who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD. About 8 million people have PTSD in a given year. 1 in 13 people will develop PTSD at some point in their life. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
Several studies over the past 50 years have shown potential analgesic benefits in cancer pain, phantom limb pain, cluster headaches, PTSD, addiction, and alcoholism.
Botanical Herbs for Treating Pain Syndromes
The use of natural herbs to treat chronic pain has become universally accepted and even recommended when pharmaceuticals are ineffective or are not available. Our brain gets in these firing patterns that are maladaptive and pathologic, and by using psychedelics as a reset button, it resets the brain’s ability to fire in a more healthy and efficient way. The longer patients are in these pathologic states, the firmer those neural pathways are set.
Many scientific studies written in CV Weekly Cannabis Columns, have shown mammals make anandamide (THC) and 2-AG (CBD). An endogenous psychedelic, Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is now known to be produced in small quantities from the pineal gland of the brain. Since 1961, studies have shown endogenous DMT could underlie mental illness. In 2001 Rick Strassman’s landmark book DMT: The Spirit Molecule was published. DMT was still a niche subject in a niche field. An early and now widely cited study out of Europe on the subjective effects of the psychedelic brew ayahuasca, which contains DMT produce positive results.
The FDA has already given universities access to research psychedelics. Massachusetts General Hospital through the Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics and UC San Diego through Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative are producing positive results for the use of psychedelics for depression, alcohol addiction, near death anxiety, agitation, PTSD, and chronic nerve pain unrelieved by current pharmaceuticals.
The question remains is it the role of the legislators to dictate and legalize a potentially life-altering new option for millions who suffer from all of these debilitating conditions? Or is it the role of the FDA to legalize these psychedelics and cannabis and let the medical physicians choose among the many drugs prohibited in Schedule I?
Illegal sales? Do you know where they are?
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By Lanny Swerdlow from MAPP
The cannabis industry is on the ropes because of the competition from illegal sales of cannabis which do not pay the usurious taxes and don’t have to jump through all the legal hoops and pay all the outrageous license fees and other hassles that legal sellers must.
It is estimated that 2/3rds of all cannabis sales are illegal. Not surprising considering how much less it can be sold for. Another reason such a big criminal market is still in operation is because 75% of all the cities and counties in California have banned its commercial cultivation, manufacture, and distribution meaning that their residents must either drive a lot of miles to a locality that allows its sale or, more likely, continue to deal with criminals.
What’s in the Illegal Product?
Buying from an illegal source has its perils as the product they sell is usually not tested which means the buyer has no idea of its THC and other cannabinoid percentages as well as pesticides and other contaminants. We didn’t worry about that when it wasn’t legal, so why start worrying about it now.
There is also the romance of it. Always had kind of an excitement dealing with “criminals” – meeting in bars, homes, parks etc. Defying the powers that be – doing your own thing – giving the finger to the police and the Puritans that goaded them to arrest us. You got what you wanted and then you would slink off with your prized purchase to enjoy your “taboo” substance.
Of course, there was always the chance of being arrested. Not that it was much of a traumatic experience after 1975 when California decriminalized marijuana with just a $100 fine if you were apprehended with less than an ounce in your possession. But if you had more and especially the dealers you bought from – lives were ruined with a criminal record.
So here we are almost 7 years after legalization and the criminal market is as strong as ever – maybe stronger as cannabis consumption has gone up since it was medically legalized in 1996 and fully legalized 20 years later in 2016 cannabis was selling for upwards of $2,000 a pound.
Now it is down to $500 a pound and even less. The only difference, and it is a big difference, is that the wholesale price of cannabis has plummeted.
Unfortunately, the retail price of cannabis in the legal dispensaries hasn’t come down as much as the wholesale price has. I really don’t know what the retail price the illegal sellers are peddling is, but I am fairly confident that the price has not come down in proportion to the wholesale price either. No doubt, however, the illegal price is considerably less than the legal price with all its taxes and expensive onerous regulations.
Where are the “seshes” in SF
The question that has been puzzling me is where all these illegal sales are taking place. I know in the Bay Area, there are “seshes” with vendors selling cannabis illegally that spring up in various locations for a couple days and then disappear only to open up somewhere else. I have spoken with people in Los Angeles and in the Inland Empire (IE) who should know where they might be operating, but no one seems to know.
There may be a dozen or so in the Bay Area. In Los Angeles, radio station KCRW released a story back in 2019 about a couple seshes, but no one seems to know where they are now. In any case, even if there were dozens of seshes operating, there is no way they are capable of providing cannabis to the literally millions of cannabis consumers in the Bay Area and metropolitan Los Angeles.
There has to be a thriving illegal market consisting of something like the pre-legalization dealer network if not the exact same old dealer network that never went away due to usurious taxation and regulatory system of the legal market as well as the bans on legal sales in most of the state that was set-up after Prop. 64 passed in 2016.
I have not seen any news articles about how the criminal network of dealers is operating. Are there seshes operating? Is it believable the police don’t know about them if they are operating especially with all their informants? Where are the disgruntled neighboring businesses? They are not in the IE because I have never heard of a single one being busted.
Are Illegal Dealers Being Busted?
Speaking of marijuana busts, when was the last time you heard of an illegal dealer being arrested? I am sure it happens, but considering how many illegal dealers must be out there to provide upwards of 2/3rds of all cannabis sales, a person dealing pot is probably safer from being arrested than a tax-cheating, philandering, corrupt billionaire.
I have spoken with a number of cannabis movement folks and although they seem fairly well-versed in the illegal cultivation market, they don’t really know much about how the illegal market is operating. One person in the Bay Area, where illegal sales are brazen, reported one reason is the San Francisco voter laws. SF voters passed an initiative many years ago making cannabis enforcement the lowest priority for police so by law, they do not do much about seshes or dealers. As for other areas, nobody else could tell me the location of a single sesh.
How and where are all these illegal sales to consumers being made? Is it the same old dealer network as before legalization or is it some new iteration? Currently, there are no articles on how and where people obtain cannabis illegally. There is work to be done in the state legislature and with local county boards and city councils to solve the legal cannabis industry’s problems and it would be helpful to know just what is really going on in the criminal market. What do you think? What do you know?
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Rest In Peace Raphael Mechoulam, 1930-2023
We honor the life of Professor Raphael Mechoulam, who died in March 2023. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest scientists in the field of cannabinoid research and was an active researcher up until his death. Born in Bulgaria together with his Jewish parents, he emigrated to Israel in 1949. He obtained an MSc in biochemistry in 1952 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and subsequently a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, near Tel Aviv.
He then carried out postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller Institute in New York, before returning to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1965, where he was appointed as Associate Professor in 1972 and as Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in 1975. It is at The Hebrew University where he began his prestigious cannabinoid research career.
Weed from the Police
While working as a chemist in the early 1960s at the Weizmann Institute, in Israel, Mechoulam got some weed from the Israeli police with his goal to discover and isolate what makes pot psychoactive. A medicinal chemistry professor his work laid the groundwork and got the ball rolling to prompt future breakthroughs, such as illumination into the human body’s internal cannabinoid receptors in the 1980s and ’90s. It is detailed in the 1993 academic paper titled Molecular characterization of a peripheral receptor for cannabinoids.
For nearly two decades after the identification of THC in the plant marijuana, its mechanisms of action were believed to be entirely “non-specific”. However, in the 1980s, findings obtained by several research groups suggested there was more to investigate.
Discovering The Endocannabinoid System
Mechoulam encouraged a search for a cannabinoid receptor in mammalian tissues, and this search led to the discovery of two G protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors, the first (CB1) discovered between 1988 and 1990. The second (CB2) was discovered in 1993.
The evidence obtained in the late 1980s that mammalian tissues express the CB1 receptor immediately prompted searches for a chemical produced by these tissues that can activate this receptor. The race to discover such an “endocannabinoid” was won by Mechoulam. He led research that provided convincing evidence that N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine, which he and his collaborators named anandamide, after the Sanskrit word ananda or “bliss”, is an endogenously produced compound that can activate the CB1 receptor. He also discovered the endocannabinoid receptor-activating the CB2 receptor CBD or (2-arachidonoylglycerol).
Mechoulam decided to look for endocannabinoids among endogenous lipophilic compounds rather than endogenous peptides, even though certain peptides, named endorphins, had already been found. Other lipophilic endocannabinoids were also subsequently discovered. Among Raphael Mechoulam’s many other achievements are the design and synthesis of numerous important novel cannabinoids that serve as valuable experimental tools or have important therapeutic potential.
Meet EPM301
“EPM developed a method to work with the original substances of cannabis,” the Professor explained in a recent exclusive interview. “So, while everybody is discussing THC and CBD, these cannabinoids are actually a secondary substance; they only appear later in the plant.” Mechoulam’s recent revelation stems from the development of a method that allows the modification of acids in a way that keeps them stable enough to allow for their large-scale use. This opens the door for further pharmaceutical experiments, the professor explained. Dr. Mechoulam shared the history of the journey behind this revolutionary process and its significance in evolving the use of CBD as a pharmaceutical drug.
However, these cannabidiolic acids were unstable, and therefore useless in pharmaceutical drug development. Until now, that is. “Originally there is an acid that appears in the plant, and those acids are these mysterious worlds of compounds that are much more potent than cannabinoids,” he added. Strict drug laws in the United States and around the world suppressed research and kept the derivatives of cannabis off the market. Watch a video of Mechoulam on YouTube.
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Cancer Treatments with High-Dose Cannabis
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The National Cancer Institute (NCI) currently recognizes medicinal C. sativa as an effective treatment for providing relief in a number of symptoms associated with cancer, including pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and anxiety. Studies have described cannabidiol (CBD) as a multitarget molecule, acting as an adaptogen. CBD mainly interacts with specific receptor proteins CB1 and CB2. It is present in both medicinal and hemp-type C. sativa plants, but, unlike Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it is completely nonpsychoactive.
Coadministration of CBD and Δ9-THC, followed by radiation therapy, causes an increase in autophagy and apoptosis in cancer cells. The acidic precursor of CBD, cannabidiolic acid, (CBDA) is able to inhibit the migration of breast cancer cells. These cancer-killing forms of specialized cannabis products are not available in most local dispensaries due to the low demand. Most dispensaries must purchase in bulk. If the demand is not present, the product can expire sitting on the shelf. Add to that fact the process of legally disposing of it and the costs mount.
RSO vs FECO
FECO (full extract cannabis oil) and RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) are highly concentrated forms of cannabis in which the whole plant is extracted and used. This process offers a broad spectrum or full-spectrum representation of the full cannabinoid and terpene profile found in that cannabis strain or cultivar. Other than the choice of solvents used, the full extraction of cannabinoids for both RSO and FECO is roughly the same. The oil is in a syringe due to its thickness for oral consumption. FECO in cartridges are for smoking and are not used for cancer patients. The patient is instructed to take a rice-like or blood-droplet – dose for ninety days.
As a cancer-killing medicinal product, it is dosed with high THC for liver and lung cancers and high CBD for endocrine cancers. Dosing is based on weight. Since a high dose of 1 gram of THC or CBD/day is required a graduated time frame is followed. Often THCA, which is nonpsychoactive is used. (See) It is expected that the patient is not active out of the house for safety reasons.
Internet Options
Synergy Wellness offers several products depending on the type of cancer and the patient’s tolerance for high-dose cannabis. Various sprains are available in 1–3-gram syringes which are consumed orally and in suppositories, It is believed suppositories obviate the THC high when passed through the lower rectal vault. Oral administration passes through the liver. Formulas are high-dose THC, high-dose CBD, or a 1:1 balance of CBD:THC.
Firebird Touch Therapy (FTT) provides two examples of pure extractions. Priority Blend, the high THC yielding, and BlueBuddha, the high CBD yielding. Both are whole-plant extractions. These are the heavy hitters. The Priority Blend is used to address cancers and other life-threatening illnesses. The BlueBuddha is also instrumental in addressing cancers and other neurological and endocrine issues. FECO concentrate syringes are available in 3-10 grams syringes. FTT also produces suppositories.
The Light Hearted Farmer is a family-owned and operated business based in Oregon. Jerrik Keller combines FECO in liquid form instead of syringes for precise dosing tailored for children. The oil in a liquid form can be formulated in graduated concentrations that are easier to administer. Jerrik will also add the appropriate terpenes and other cannabinoids (CBG or CBDA) to the formula depending on the specific cancer type.
Internet Dangers
Internet options should not be used unless they have been vetted by a reliable source, not advertisements. Most reliable Internet cultivators do not advertise. They rely on word-of-mouth. Another danger is confusing RSO and FECO with concentrates. There are FECO concentrates for smoking dabbing and shatter. These products are for recreational use NOT medicinal. Most Internet options are not vetted, do not offer high-level expertise by experienced cultivators, and do not formulate products for the individual patient. Don’t forget dogs get cancer too. An experienced specialist is required for all animals.
Originally published 
Cannabis Oil and Cancer Treatments
Can the use of cannabis oil concomitantly with [immune checkpoint inhibitors] reduce treatment efficacy in cancers? Cancer patients are using cannabis to help manage pain, fatigue, nausea, and other side effects of chemotherapy. If you are in the cannabis industry or just around users of cannabis you most likely came across someone who told you they cured their pancreatic, breast, or prostate cancer using high-dose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD).
It is a fact that extensive preclinical research shows that plant cannabinoids most notably, THC and CBD, produce antitumor responses in various animal models of cancer. Medical cannabis patients are consuming whole plant cannabis oil extracts (Rick Simson Oil or FECO), that include hundreds of compounds, many of which also have therapeutic properties. Individuals take titrated doses to achieve one gram of THC per day for ninety days. However, these high doses are unsustainable in most patients causing failure.
Changes in Dosing to Sustain Success
Cannabis specialists in recent years found different formulas to recommend based on weight and type of cancer. Endocrine driven cancers such as breast, ovarian, uterine, and prostate begin with high dose CBD (4:1 ratio of CBD:THC). In contrast, lung, liver, bone, brain, or skin cancers show results with high dose THC (1:4 ratio of CBD:THC). There are also many consultants who see results with a 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD. Whichever is used it is best to be under the supervision of a cannabis specialist for proper titration of doses.
Herbal Treatments for Cancer
Jonathan Treasure in his book Cannabis & Cancer likes to compare the body in herbal medicine to a garden. An ecosystem unto itself, a complex network in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Malfunctions can arise from stressors that, if uncorrected, lead to imbalances that manifest as patterns of disease. Fixing problems, therefore, involves adjustments to the terrain or ground much like the job of a gardener.
In terms of cancer, the host is the terrain or ground in which the tumor develops. Extending Jonathan Treasure’s horticultural theme, cancer could be likened to an invasive weed. Creating an internal “anti-cancer” garden or terrain. Herbs can be used to prevent cancer and inhibit its progression. In the case of chemotherapy killing weeds with poisons and herbicides cause collateral damage and is not necessarily the best way to clear them from a garden.
Red Flags with Cannabis and Immunotherapy
Drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors are a form of immunotherapy that has transformed the treatment of many cancers. These immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) attack specific targets and have less severe side effects. ICI are routinely administered as first-line treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. There’s been some concern that for cancer patients adding cannabis is a red flag. Since CBD regulates the immune system, the recommendation was to avoid using high doses (over 50mg/day), of cannabis.
Worries about the potential incompatibility of these two treatments stem from the fact that the cannabinoid receptor CB2 is predominately expressed by immune cells. Its activation may suppress immune function. It’s at least plausible, then, that cannabis might interfere with immunotherapy, instead of helping, it may actually hurt. However, now we know these previous studies included patients with various cancer treatment regimens who were given ICI shortly before death. Under these circumstances, the use of cannabis is often a mere surrogate for high-burden symptomatic disease.
A newly published study in the European Journal of Cancer, however, suggests there may be nothing to fear. “Our data suggest that the use of cannabis concomitantly with [immune checkpoint inhibitors] does not reduce treatment efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC),” the authors conclude. “With the increasing use of medical cannabis worldwide, this finding is of major clinical importance. But for now, at least, they may offer – as the paper’s very title suggests – a “sigh of relief” to those concerned about cannabis’ role in cancer immunotherapy.
Originally in https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/cannabis-and-immune-checkpoint-inhibitors/
Cannabinol the Darling of the Phytocannabinoids
Dementia is defined as a group of progressive disorders that prevent individuals from independently brushing their teeth, taking a shower, or remembering their spouse’s name. Alzheimer’s (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia. An estimated 6.5 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in 2022. Seventy-three percent are age 75 or older. About 1 in 9 aged 65 and older (10.7%) has Alzheimer’s.
AD is the sixth leading cause of death more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Unfortunately, the Alzheimer’s Association and other Internet medical sites are unfamiliar with the latest research on cannabis treatment for AD and neurological diseases. Their reliance on pharmaceuticals with accompanying toxic side effects is not keeping pace with the public’s use of natural herbs. There is no cure for AD.
Researchers found that the brain cells of those with AD have abnormal protein deposits called amyloid-beta plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles. These plaques and tangles disrupt the brain cell function and cause apoptosis or cell death. Neuroinflammation is also a big part of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Pharmaceutical Research
There are four approved drugs available, for treating dementia. Three are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (rivistagmine, donepezil, and galantamine) and one is a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist (memantine). The Food and Drug Administration granted conditional approval in June 2022 for a fourth drug, Aducanumab. This is the first drug to address the underlying biology of the disease. According to the FDA, Aducanumab reduces beta-amyloid plaques, which reasonably leads to a reduction in clinical decline due to AD disease. However, these drugs that directly target amyloid, or tau proteins, that damage cells, have not yielded significant clinical benefits for patients.
Cannabinoids to Treat Dementia
Research on medical cannabis has focused mainly on the major phytocannabinoids, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabinoids are known as potent anti-inflammatory compounds. CBD and THC both reduce the formation of amyloid-beta protein (G. Watt et al). However, relatively little scientific knowledge has yet been made for the minor phytocannabinoids.
Salk Institute Studies
There are many chemical pathways that lead to cell death. Research by Pamela Maher’s team, at the Salk Institute in La Jolla CA, looked at the process of oxytosis/ferroptosis. Her research was published on January 6, 2023, in Free Radical Biology and Medicine. Oxytosis is regulated cell death induced by an antioxidant depletion molecule called, glutathione (GSH). Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent non-apoptotic form of regulated cell death induced by potential anti-cancer drugs. There is growing evidence that oxytosis may cause AD.
Maher’s team treated nerve cells with cannabinol (CBN) and then introduced an agent to stimulate oxidative damage. They found that CBN worked by protecting mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses, within the neurons. In damaged cells, oxidation causes the mitochondria to curl up like donuts. Treating the cells with CBN prevented the mitochondria from curling up.
To confirm the interaction between CBN and mitochondria, researchers then replicated the experiment in nerve cells that had the mitochondria removed. In these cells, CBN no longer demonstrated its protective effect. CBN is molecularly similar to THC without the psychoactive effects. THC works directly with the CB1 receptors. But CBD and CBN do not affect cell function through the CB2 receptors. Instead, they modulate the effects of cells.
Transitioning Science into Practice
Healing Essence and Synergy Wellness, produces small batches of cannabinoid isolates (CBD+ CBN) derived from natural cannabis flower, in organic sesame oil. Sesame oil is a long-chain triglyceride, that encapsulates the cannabinoids and creates a liposomal effect. This liposomal effect provides better bioavailability of cannabinoids.
The capsules enriched with CBN improve nerve health, organ function, and mood regulation. These capsules can be used for chronic conditions as well, taken every 4-6 hours, to maintain a constant dose of CBD and CBN cannabinoids in the body.
The challenge for the cannabis industry is disseminating this knowledge to other cultivators so this darling of the phytocannabinoids is available in dispensaries.