THE MORE YOU GROW: THCV

BY KIM EMERSON ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE WEITMAN

Faced with the idea of weight loss surgery or trying any other option I could find, I was digging at the bottom of the barrel when I finally began to research cannabis and weight loss. At the time, I was using a cane or walker for stability daily to move around. Discouraged doesn’t even begin to cover what I was feeling the day I left the doctor’s office with little more than a “You need to lose weight” note and information on invasive weight loss surgery.

THCV

Illustration by Katie Weitman

I knew weight loss surgery was the quickest form of action, but I also knew there were barriers to my goal. I experienced extreme nerve pain in my legs from a lumbar puncture that touched a nerve, and walking had become painful and at times near impossible. Another barrier I faced was pre-diabetes, so weight loss and diet control were my last attempts to manage my condition before the threat of daily insulin shots became a reality. much of my healthcare? I began to research other parts of the cannabis plant, outside of the common THC and CBD remedies we know and access daily. In my research, I discovered the cannabinoid THCV and became fascinated. While THC is known for its psychoactive properties, and CBD is known for its non-psychoactive therapies, THCV shows up to bridge the gap between the two. Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) aids weight loss by reducing some of the psychoactive properties of THC, which helps to suppress the “hunger hormone” that is often stimulated with THC-rich products. Due to this, THCV has been shown to help reduce glycemic index in patients with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, it offers assistance to the anti-inflammatory relief that you see with CBD use.

Often when we think of THC products, we think of them providing pain relief, improving quality of sleep, reducing nausea, and creating the desire to eat (or what we lovingly refer to as “the munchies”). However, THCV works in its own

way; strains high in THCV can actually suppress appetite and help people meet weight loss goals, for example. Studies have proven that THCV can help reduce insulin resistance, which can help regulate blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. People with polycystic ovarian syndrome often experience insulin resistance as well, so THCV, while less studied in this population, may assist there too.

I began to pick strains that had higher levels of THCV (like Tangie), and suddenly when I was hungry, it was for reasonable portion sizes of healthy food. I began to experience immediate pain relief from the inclusion of microdosing a balance of cannabis flower and CBD before my meals, which acted as an appetite suppressant. Solidifying my treatment plan and using cannabis as medicine began to give me the freedom I started to feel every day. I was able to eat to live, and not live to eat; I was able to walk short distances without pain; and I began to build up the muscles around the areas weakened by the lumbar puncture. This consistency in medicating helped reduce my hunger and also provided me the perfect combination so that I was able to create energy with the foods I was consuming. I had the ability to stand and cook pain-free, and after each meal, I went for a short walk to strengthen my legs, which reduced my nerve pain in the long run.

Like CBD, THCV offers anti-inflammatory properties, which I wasn’t wholly aware of when I began this process. An additional benefit I found with this cannabinoid is that it also has the ability to suppress panic attacks! THCV doesn’t suppress emotional response, or anything that would make you feel different than who you are, but it can help reduce the “fight or flight” response in your brain so that the panic attack Strains with as little as 1.5% THCV can help reduce anxiety and inflammation, and the higher the percentage the more relief one will receive. It is my hope that through more research, better technology, and sharing our experiences and knowledge, we will be able to provide patients the best possible care available through a holistic and natural approach. Strain research is an important part of the process when considering how to help patients in the best possible way.

The benefits THCV offers to the medicinal cannabis community cannot be overlooked, and I can speak from personal experience that focusing on how I medicate, what I medicate with, and keeping track of frequency and trends in my pain management has gotten me to a point where I’ve lost 100 pounds and reduced my medications (with the help of my physician) by choosing this more holistic and organic approach. The More You Know: THCV!

For more information on THCV, see:

Pierce Hoover, “THCV: Everything You Need to Know” http://bit.ly/HOOVER_THCV

Melissa Sherrard, “Which Cannabis Strains Have the Highest Levels of Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)?” http://bit.ly/SHERRARD_THCV