Cannabis Begins it's Medicinal Benefits with Cannabigerolic acid (CBGa)

CBGa is Cannabis in the Raw

All cannabinoids start out as cannabigerolic acid (CBGa). Eating raw fresh cannabis that contains CBGa has medicinal benefits with different effects than other cannabinoids. As a result of it's non-psychoactive nature CBGa can be consumed in larger quantities than THC.

Fresh and raw cannabis typically breaks down CBGa into other cannabinoids quickly after harvest. Some industrial hemp strains have shown to have CBGa that doesn't convert to other cannabinoids. It has been speculated that these strains hold a recessive gene which doesn't allow this conversion. If a strain has a high CBGa content then smoking it will add heat and change it to CBG.(Source)

CBGa has been found to interact with a different cannabinoid receptor than THC. Ruth Ross from the University of Aberdeen found that CBGa was an antagonist for the cannabinoid receptor GPR55. She found that CBGa and CBDa were 2-4 times stronger in affecting GPR55 than CBD and CBG.(Source) GPR55 has shown to target inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain and aid in bone development.(Source)

Dr. William Courtney ,a leading physician advocating the use of raw cannabis, says:

“If you heat the plant, you get decarboxylated THCa – THC, and you will have psychoactive effects with only 10mg of THC. If it is not heated, you can take from 500 to 600 mg of THCa, use it as essential nutrient and enjoy the antioxidant and neuroprotective properties that these high doses offer you.”

In the raw form cannabis gives a powerful dietary component of essential fatty acids, essential aminoacids, fibers, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, carotenoids, terpenes and of course phytocannabinoid acids. (Source)

Source:

http://www.medicaljane.com/2013/08/03/cannabigerol-cbg-is-a-minor-cannabinoid-with-major-impact/

http://www.jbc.org/content/287/1/91.full.pdf

http://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R01-DA023204-08

http://www.alchimiaweb.com/blogen/dr-courtneys-raw-cannabis-juice/

The Differences Cannabis Raw, Heated or Aged

The Differences Cannabis Raw, Heated or Aged

Different cannabinoids are created when the flower is exposed to UV light, aging, oxidation and heat. Each cannabinoid has unique medicinal effects.

Cannabis is unique in that it is the only plant able to produce cannabigerolicacid (CBGa). The first cannabinoid the cannabis plant produces in raw form is CBGa. Cannabis synthesizes through natural enzymes to change CBGa into three main cannabinoid branches. CBGa is in an unstable form and typically is converted to other cannabinoids quickly. These three cannabinoids types are tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa), Cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) and Cannabichromenic acid (CBCa).

Heat changes cannabinoids into THC, CBD, CBG and CBN. This conversion process is created by losing a carbon dioxide molecule (CO2). In this state they are thought to be in a neutral form. When a strain has a high CBGa content smoking it will add heat and change it to CBG.

Raw or heated cannabis can turn into different cannabinoids when it has oxidation and age. THCa with oxidation will change to CBNa. Aged THC will change into CBN or Tetra8 THC. When aged CBC will turn into CBL. Raw CBCa turns into CBLa over time.

CBD Helps with Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

  

Intervetebral Disc Degeneration

On December 17^th, 2014 a study was published on how cannabis can benefit Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. This study was a small sample done on mice. The results coincide with other findings that cannabis helps with inflammation in cartilage such as rheumatoid arthritis.(Source)

 Intervertebral discs are in between the vertebrae of the spine. The discs are a cartilage joint that allows movement in the spine. They serve a crucial purpose to absorb shock and act as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together.(Source)

  Disc degeneration is caused from inflammation, metabolism of cells and neo-innervation. Cannabidiol CBD has shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, reducing metabolism of bone cells and a nerve protect-ant. This new study is the first to explore the use of CBD in helping disc degeneration. The results concluded that the higher dosage of CBD showed improvement in the Invertebral Discs.(Source)

Source:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4269422/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intervertebral_disc

http://norml.org/library/item/rheumatoid-arthritis

Cannabis with AIDS | HIV-Positive Patients

Marijuana and AIDS | HIV Positive

Studies have shown great benefits for AIDS | HIV-Positive patients. Clinical studies have shown that cannabis helps with pain , anxiety, immunity, mood, sleep, appetite, fatigue, nausea and bone weight loss.

  Wasting syndrome is a main result of AIDS patients in where body mass is reduced. This is from symptoms of nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety. AIDS drugs on the market currently are used to treat these problems. Patients have demonstrated that these medications are not equally effective in all patients. Many AIDS sufferers describe marijuana as being a better choice than prescribed medication. The main reasons for choosing marijuana is the rapid-onset when smoked which helps in relief with less side effects.(Source)

  Pain management contributes to fatigue and mood for HIV patients. A study done published in the 2007 journal Neurology studied cannabis and pain of HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. Donald I. Abrams, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco concluded that cannabis was as effective as other oral drugs used for chronic neuropathic pain.(Source)

Ways of Administering Cannabis

  Some HIV patients are given Dronabinol which is a synthetic THC over the counter drug. Margaret Haney's research in “Dronabinol and Marijuana in HIV-Positive Marijuana Smokers: Caloric Intake, Mood, and Sleep” studied the effect of Dronabinol. Her findings concluded that both Dronabinol and Marijuana smoking increased appetite and body weight. She also found that only marijuana improved sleep and Dronabinol was effective only at 8 times the current recommendation.(Source)

Major Supporters of Cannabis Treatment for AIDS

  Cannabis being a benefit for treatment to HIV is backed by large supporters. The American Academy of HIV Medicine is the largest independent organization giving active treatment to 340,000 HIV patients. They Provide care for more than two-thirds of HIV patients of America. They were asked, “Should marijuana be a medical option?” by Reason Magazine in 2007. Their response was “ When appropriately prescribed and monitored, marijuana/cannabis can provide immeasurable benefits for the health and well-being of our patients.”(Source)

 Other supporters have weighed in on the support of marijuana for AIDS patients. Consumer Reports in May 1997 stated, “Consumer Reports believes that, for patients with advanced AIDS and terminal cancer, the apparent benefits some derive from smoking marijuana outweigh any substantiated or even suspected risks." Kate Scannell, MD and Co-Director of Kaiser-Permanente Northern California Ethics Department stated in the San Fransisco Chronicle in 2003, "From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient's debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss."

Source:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10839332

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=003433

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17589370

http://www.neurology.org/content/68/7/515.abstract

http://www.neurology.org/content/68/7/515.abstract

CBD Tinctures

CBD Tinctures at OUTCO

OUTCO offers CBD Tinctures at the El Cajon Dispensary or Free Delivery for your convenience. Patients describe Cannabidiol (CBD) as treatment for pain, depression, anxiety, muscle spasms, and inflammation. Clinical research has shown CBD to be anti-bacterial, reduce cancer cells, a bone stimulant and a neuroprotectant. CBD is the cannabinoid in marijuana that has the most known benefits without a psychotic effect.

Typically patients use the tincture by putting 1-3 drops under their tongue. More drops can be used as needed. OUTCO has a proprietary method of extracting the CBD to a high concentrated form. Tinctures come in a choice of glycerin or alcohol. Glycerin patients describe as tasting better, while alcohol seems to provide more immediate relief.

5 Benefits for Marijuana over Opiates to Treat Pain

  More than 1.5 billion people suffer from chronic pain and approximately 4% suffer from neuropathic pain worldwide.(Source) Opiates are the most common prescribed medication for pain in the United States. Research has shown that the success rate of opiates for treating pain is 30-40% with horrible side effects.(Source) In 2007 prescription pain killers contributed to 42% of all drug deaths in America.(Source) Research has shown that Cannabis is a favorable alternative to opiate pain medication.

Benefit #1 Cannabis Treats your Emotional Response to Pain

  In 2010 Oxford University conducted a study on how pain is perceived. In the study volunteers were told if electric charges would be dangerous or not before they received them. The perception of danger made the charges more painful. The brain felt pain before the charge was administered.(Source)

Cannabis relaxes the emotional response by affecting the brain receptors that deal with emotion.

Benefit #2 Cannabis Reduces Cancer Growth

  Many studies have shown that marijuana lowers cancer cell growth.(Source) In 2012 the University of Chicago put out a report to showing that opiates may increase cancer growth. Jonathan Moss, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Chicago Medicine said "Epidemiologic findings suggest that the type of anesthesia we do for cancer surgery influences recurrence rate, and laboratory studies demonstrate that opioids influence tumor progression and metastasis,". In another study, cancer cells in the lungs show 5-10 times as many opiod receptors than non-cancer cells.(Source)

Benefit #3 Cannabis is Less Addictive than Opiates

  A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that 9% of cannabis users have an addiction problem.(Source) To put this in perspective, 8% of Americans are addicted to Facebook, checking their account 11 or more times a day.(Source) Heroin is an opiate that has a 23% abuse rate.(Source) In 2010 two million people reported using prescription painkillers for non-medical reasons in a one year period (5,500 a day).(Source)

Benefit #4 Cannabis Reduces Side Effects that Opiates Have

  Opiates are Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants. If the CNS is overly-depressed too far this can result in difficulty with the heart beating or the ability to breathe.(Source) Other side effects include hormonal imbalance, constipation, nausea, and drowsiness.(Source) Studies have found that using cannabis along with opiates reduces side effects and decreases addiction.(Source)

Benefit #5 Cannabis Overdose Deaths = 0

  There have been no reported overdose deaths for marijuana. (Source) In 2010 the number of opiate overdose deaths were 16,651. Six percent of people who use prescribed opiates use it as a gateway drug for heroin use. (Source) In 2012 the opioid heroin use resulted in 5,925 deaths as a result of overdose.

Source:

http://www.prweb.com/pdfdownload/8052240.pdf

http://cannabisnowmagazine.com/cannabis/medical/marijuana-works-better-than-opiates-to-control-pain-heres-how

http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/pdf/poison-issue-brief.pdf

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Relieving-Pain-in-America-A-Blueprint-for-Transforming-Prevention-Care-Education-Research.aspx

http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2012/20120321-opioid.html

http://justiniskandar.empowernetwork.com/blog/internet-and-facebook-addiction

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin

http://archive.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11Results/NSDUHresults2011.htm

http://cannabisnowmagazine.com/cannabis/medical/marijuana-works-better-than-opiates-to-control-pain-heres-how

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22880540

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/causes_of_death#sthash.q4PDb6Tl.dpbs

Cookie Dough Strain

Cookie Dough Strain

Cookie Dough strain is from the phenotype of Girl Scout Cookie and is well known for the high powered effect, sweet smell and taste. Patients describe Cookie Dough as fast acting for relaxation, treatment of pain and stress with extended relief. Much like the other cookie strains it helps with nausea and appetite stimulation. Many prefer the strain for night time use as Cookie Dough aids in restfulness.

OUTCO currently has Cookie Dough in inventory. The Cookie Dough strain has small dense buds that are light green with orange hairs.  Similar to the strain Girl Scout Cookie it originates from OG Kush and Durban Poison. Although the Cookie Dough strain is unknown in it's origin, it may have originated from “The Cookie Family” outside of San Francisco that made the beloved GSC strain. The elusive growers steer clear of publicity but have found their strains in Cannabis Cups and fared well in awards.

Source

http://ireadculture.com/article-2896-cookie-dough.html

http://www.hightimes.com/read/inside-girl-scout-cookies