So, I have been talking, at length about my desire to write a blog, or blog series, about the entourage effect, cannabinoids, terpenes, and how all of these work together, to bring together some of the information about these things, and the many advances in cannabis research.

As I have mentioned before in many, many blog posts, as more and more states legalize weed, and as federal restrictions on cannabis are loosened, more and more research is able to be done, and we are able to learn more and more about the plant.

Where once, the conversation was incredible “high” brow to be discussing the nuances between Indica, Sativa, and hybrids, or even how certain Indicas could hit like Sativias, we can now discuss the nuances between the interaction in the terpenes, the CBD and THC count, and yes, even other cannabinoids like CBN and CBG, hell, now we can discuss if having a plant high in the terpene myrcene makes a plant a bit more or less potent.

The more and more research we can do, the more we learn about my favorite flower and all the ways it helps humans. This blog is meant to gather all that information and serialize it for anyone who wants to read about it.

So, lets dig in, shall we? I figure, first things first, we can do a brief overview of some information, and I can link some of my other blogs as well, to help give you a nice strong background in the cannabinoids and terpene studies that are being done today, and the ongoing developments in the research we are learning about.

First, let’s start with something we will definitely be talking about A LOT more, CBD. Chances are if you are reading this blog, you have seen CBD somewhere in your everyday life. CBD is everywhere now that it is completely federally legal, although there have been cases of foolish, uneducated legal professionals who have failed to receive the knowledge the need about CBD to do their jobs completely effectively in regards to CBD, I hope that people like me posting information like this, far and wide, can help introduce these ideas to these legal professionals, and hopefully, give them the education in the flower we know all about, but due to draconian laws, they were unable to know about until recently.

I will be doing another blog about the difference between hemp and THC potent cannabis, later in this series, but I digress.

CBD is present hemp, as well as THC potent cannabis, so either plant can be grown to get CBD.

I have talked previously about some of these topics, so feel free to read Part two and four of my MMJ discussion, centered around the podcast I was invited onto, The Black Tuesday Podcast. I have linked below the blog series and podcast, and in blogs two and four I discuss some great cannabinoid information for you all.

Part the Second: Medical Marijuana, the Stigma, and Politics

Part the Fourth- Medical Marijuana, Politics, and Stigma

The Black Tuesday Podcast

With CBD now legal, we have it being sold and marketed for people to use as an anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, sleep aid, health aid…As we are all learning, CBD goes good on everything.

In fact, as a known advocate of cannabis, more and more I am telling people about CBD, people who are more receptive than they were years ago when it wasn’t legal are now learning that is doesn’t just help kids having seizures, it also helps you heal faster from injuries. It helps the acid in your coffee not bite as badly. It helps your muscles relieve pain.

It also helps counteract the psychoactive activities of THC, which means for those who feel “too high” when they overindulge or over medicate on full spectrum cannabis, can take CBD and have this effect counteracted.

CBD or Cannabidiol is actually a wonder drug, and with the research of CBD expanding, we are learning all about more about all the other cannabinoids in the cannabis plant that can help us as humans. CBD has been found, in various separate studies, stop bacteria growth, stimulate bone growth, control seizures, reduce risk of nerve damage, risk of artery obstructions, reduces blood sugar levels, decreases pressure in the blood vessel walls, eases pain and nausea and can help control certain cancers.

But it isn’t the only Cannabinoid, and it doesn’t need to be consumed by itself, either.

So, lets really dig in, and get you a nice background in cannabinoids. If you have read other blogs of mine, this may be a little redundant, but I am going to try and make it fun for you too, by adding some detail to it all. Much of this information has been gleaned from several sources, all of which contribute to my overall background in cannabis. This is not meant to treat what is wrong with you, but to inform you of what I know. Do your own research.

CBC, or Cannabichromene, is very similar to CBD, as it eases pain, slows inflammation, stimulates bone growth, stops bacteria growth, and it also stops growth of fungi, stimulates cell growth, and assists In the contraction if blood cells.

CBG, or Cannabigerol, shares some features with both CBC and CBD, by stopping bacteria growth, stimulating bone growth, and encouraging cell growth

All three of these cannabinoids have been largely banned until recently, and we are just now learning all about how to use these together. As some of you may know, these cannabinoids all work together, with other cannabinoids, to help the body work at it’s peak efficacy, and to help all parts of the plant work together. This is known as the entourage effect.

It is in this that one should look the interaction of the cannabinoids and the terpenes that can interact with them. (For those who have read my past blogs, here is the juicy new stuff I promised)

The most common terpene in the plant kingdom is known as pinene and is noted for his refreshing and crisp aroma. Alpha pinene is more of a pine smell, whereas a beta-pinene is more of a parsley, dill, and basil. This little terpene can cause a multitude of therapeutic effects and may be responsible for some of the medicinal benefits of the cannabinoids. Pinene is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and has antioxidant properties. Pinene also has the interesting ability to help with memory retention, with also can help cannabis cultivators and breeders make better strains of weed for the highly productive stoner.

Pinene, like other terpenes, can affect the potency of the high of the cannabis plant. Pinene, as it turns out, plays an interesting part in the potency.

If you are someone who wants to have a high CBD strand of cannabis to enjoy, or, you want to enjoy the plant, the flower, as many connoisseurs will, without being “high” then you are in luck! Pinene not only gives weed a familiar smell, it can decrease the “high” of THC. Pinene crosses the blood/brain barrier quickly, and, once in the brain, has been proven to enhance memory and, possibly, mitigates the power of the THC, like CBD.

So, why do I bring this up?

Simple.

 Not everyone wants to enjoy the full spectrum of the plant, but several are realizing how much the full spectrum of the cannabis plant can help.

You may not want to just have CBD, and you certainly wouldn’t want to have an artificial CBD, rather than a plant, so, how do you reconcile not wanting to be high?

Several ways, all of which involve knowing and using the entourage effect that are the cannabinoids, and how they interact with THC and how all the terpenes, play into it, more so if you like the “refined” elements of enjoying a substance.

For me, I like nice heavy sativa, high in THC, loaded down with Linalool, because lavender is awesome, but also the Linalool helps reduce any anxiety that can arise from high THC. Linalool also helps significantly reduce lung inflammation caused from tobacco smoke, which is important to me as my body heals from quitting smoking cigarettes. This is a great strand for me.

And because of the research, I can seek out strains I want for myself, hell, I could breed my own strain, to make the perfect weed for me.

Anyone who like craft beer, good wine, nice tobacco…even home-grown vegetables, fruits and herbs, can understand the pure satisfaction that can come from growing something, creating the flavor profiles, the exact thing, you want. The adventure alone is fun, and the outcome is even better.

And guess what?

We are all on this great adventure together, as more and more states legalize, as more people come to find out how great the cannabinoids are, as more and more stoners like me find ways to breed weed for people who don’t need a lot of THC, but do need other cannabinoids, and maybe to make it all work, some THC is needed, but they don’t want to be high.

We can all work together to make some great stuff, and that all begins with education, which is why I do these cannabis blogs. In the next blog in this series, we will be discussing THC, THCV, and CBN, as well as further discussing some other terpenes, like Myrcene, and my favorite that I mentioned today, Linalool.

See you then!

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❤

Abbi

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