The cannabis plant contains active chemical compounds called cannabinoids, which are something of a miracle. In the 1980’s, scientists discovered that the crystal-like hairs containing resin glands, or trichomes, on cannabis leaves and flowers contain active chemical compounds (nearly ninety have been isolated so far) that plug into cannabinoid receptors in the human brain. These plant-based versions of chemicals that our brains produce when under stress, literally a carbon copy of the cannabinoids in human breast milk that can deliver powerful antioxidants and can shift neurological and physiological patterns.
Other marijuana plants deliver cannabinoids, but none are as prolific and powerful as those in the cannabis plant. In the early 2000’s, the federal government was granted US patent 6,630,507 for the use of cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. They’re being studied and used to treat many conditions.
The most famous, and nurtured, cannabinoid in cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC triggers CB1 receptors, which are also mediated by anandamide, the first human cannabinoid discovered in the early 1990’s.
THC also activates CB2 receptors in the liver, heart, kidneys, blood vessels, endocrine glands, and lymph cells, making it a good overall tonic, but its psychoactive element has made it the darling of cannabis users. THC percentages in between the 20s and 30s, though most cannabis today has less than 10 percent THC, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is an up-and-coming cannabinoid that’s getting high level attention because it delivers medical benefits without getting patients high. CBD, doesn’t bind to CB1 receptors, where psychoactive effects are triggered, and can actually mute THC’s psychoactive effects by opposing its actions at CB1 receptors. The CBD cannabinoid stimulates receptors that mediate pain, inflammation, and body temperature and regulate oxygen, blood, and dopamine. CBD slows down serotonin receptor signals, giving it an antidepressant effect. It’s being studied as a treatment for people with anxiety, sleep and eating disorders, and pain.
CBD was mostly made from the cannabis plants flower as growers sought more potently psychoactive cultivars over the past couple decades, and now researchers are scrambling to isolate the compound and study its medicinal effects. In 2013, a CNN documentary about Charlotte Figi, a young girl whose intractable seizures associated with Dravet syndrome were relieved after she ate oil made from a low THC, high CBD cultivar, spurred patients (and their parents) across the nation to seeking out CBDs. Breeders are meeting demand with cultivars containing up to 20 percent or more CBD content. Several states are considering or have passed legislation allowing patients to use CBD oil.
If you or someone you know id suffering and could use the medical benefits of medical marijuana in Florida, please contact one of our All Natural Health Certifications many locations to learn more or to get started today. We have locations all over the State of Florida. Please come visit our newest location for Lakeland medical marijuana doctors and card services. We have locations near you all over the State of Florida.
All Natural Health Certifications Lakeland
2420 N Crystal Lake Dr Suite 1-107,
Lakeland, FL 33801. Call (800) 303-9916.