THC - The Healing Compound

THC - The Healing Component

THC is a peculiar chemical. Scientifically known as tetrahydocannabinol, it can have a variety of effects on the human body. In recent years, studies and clinical trials to better understand THC’s properties have succeeded in demystifying the chemical byproduct and the plant from which it is produced.

What 50 years ago was seen as a drug of hippies and lazy people, cannabis is now a drug being recommended to even grandparents to help relieve aches and pains, including the side effects of chemotherapy. The perception of the general populace is shifting as people are receiving benefits in their health and quality of life.

THC is well-known as the psychoactive ingredient it is just one of the cannabinoids in cannabis that when ingested are processedby the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which regulates mood, memory, appetite and pain. The system is a network of various receptors across the body, the most relevant being the CB1 receptors found in the brain. These CB1 receptors are located throughout the brain. They can be found in the hypothalamus (controls appetite), the hippocampus

(controls memory and stress), and the cerebral cortex (controls higher cognitive function).

CB1 is a receptor triggered by the neurotransmitter anandamide, which controls such reactions as pleasure, motivation and appetite, among others. THC is very similar in structure to anandamide and fits snugly into the CB1 receptor. When joined, the CB1 receptor is activated and THC’s psychoactive effects can be felt.

Because of the parts of the brain and ECS that THC interacts with, it can be beneficial in addressing pain, insomnia, and nausea (just to name a few). In fact, it is so beneficial to a wide range of health problems that synthetic versions have been approved for treatment of nausea and appetite issues associated with chemotherapy and AIDS treatments. 1 Justimagine how much more effective the natural remedy in its original form can be!

Trials conducted by the University of California’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to test the short-term effectiveness of cannabis to help neuropathic pain featured a group of qualifying participants smoking cannabis cigarettes, one group smok-

ing with 1-8% THC and another smoking a placebo with no THC at all.

The results found that the cannabis with THC greatly reduced the pain intensity, “with patients reporting 34-40% decrease on cannabis compared to 17-20% on placebo.” 2 Patients were also asked if they had experienced a 30% pain decrease, “which is relevant since 30% decrease in pain intensity is generally associated with reports of improved quality of life.” 2 The patients who had taken cannabis with THC said they had seen a pain decrease at a rate of 46-52% as opposed to the 18-24% of placebo-taking participants. 2

Every patient and situation are different and require personalized treatments based on diagnosis and tolerance. There is no strict formula to follow for cannabis treatment— especially in its current medicinal infan-

cy. Experimentation is key, and learning how your body reacts to different levels of THC is vital.

Over the past 50 years, marijuana has been cultivated in a way that has increased THC levels in present-day versions of the plant. Breeders were growing marijuana to respond to the demand for higher THC. At the same time, other breeders were breeding plants with high CBD, or for the terpenes they produce. With increased awareness of the medicinal benefits of cannabis, breeders are working to adjust ratios of THC/CBD/Terpenes based on the needs of the medical consumer.

We have had a long, tumultuous history with the cannabis plant. It was one of the earliest plants to be cultivated, and its uses in clothing, food, and medicine date back thousands of years.

As the public is made increasingly aware of cannabis as a medicine, patients are telling their friends and families that they are using cannabis to help a multitude of ailments.

THC is psychoactive, and it can get you high—but when used correctly for medical purposes and in the correct ratios, it can help.

1 https://selfhacked.com/blog/tetrahydrocannabinol-thc/ - 2 Grant, Igor, J. Hampton Atkinson, Ben Gouaux, and Barth Wilsey. “Medical Marijuana: Clearing Away the Smoke.” PubMed Central. 4 May 2012. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 26 Apr. 2019 <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC3358713/>