admin

It has been known for decades that terpenes, from the Cannabis plant and other sources provide important therapeutic benefits that are synergistic with cannabinoids. Unfortunately, finding information about terpenes in specific flower samples and in commercially viable products has been difficult at best, if it was considered at all.  Thankfully, the market is evolving in a positive way that is bringing terpenes into the spotlight.  

Terpenes represent the largest class of plant derived chemicals (phytochemicals) at over 20,000 different molecules occurring in nature. They are what gives plants their taste and smell.

When you take a walk in the forest and leave clear and refreshed, that is likely the work of the terpene pinene being released from pine needles. Peeling an orange, lemon or lime releases limonene which is uplifting to most and helps cleanse the air.  Another popular terpene is linalool from the lavender plant.  All of these terpenes can also occur in the cannabis plant.  The extracted molecules are popularly used and available in the form of essential oils. Just a whiff of them can provide a therapeutic benefit. Used in tandem with other terpenes and cannabinoids, they can synergistically increase the effectiveness of other phytochemicals.

In the 2019 paper, Cannabis Pharmacology: The Usual Suspects and a Few
Promising Leads, authors Russo and Marcu state that over 50 different terpenes commonly occur in North American grown cannabis.  They profile the 17 most common in the article.  We have barely scratched the surface of understanding the utility of these molecules for human, animal and environmental wellness. What we do know, however, warrants utilization and should inspire more research given terpenes are Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration and offer an incredible opportunity for therapeutic use. 

In the 2011 seminal paper Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects, author Ethan Russo, MD, renowned medical cannabis expert and neurologist writes, “Terpenoids are quite potent, and affect animal and even human behaviour when inhaled from ambient air at serum levels in the single digits ng·mL-1 . They display unique therapeutic effects that may contribute meaningfully to the entourage effects of cannabis-based medicinal extracts. Particular focus will be placed on phytocannabinoid-terpenoid interactions that could produce synergy with respect to treatment of pain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, addiction, epilepsy, cancer, fungal and bacterial infections (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Scientific evidence is presented for non-cannabinoid plant components as putative antidotes to intoxicating effects of THC that could increase its therapeutic index.”

Ten years after the publication of this journal article, we are finally starting to see terpenes get the attention they deserve. 

Here at MyChronicRelief.com, we get asked all the time to endorse or recommend brands. Until now, we have been hesitant to do so because so many products were devoid of terpenes and because of quality, safety and efficacy concerns; simply put, we did not have the time and energy to qualify brands sufficiently to be able to share them with our audience.

Finally, with the release of the terpene-forward hemp effects-based blends by Daygold formulated by Dr. Russo, we have a product we feel comfortable highlighting for our audience.  These products are not only some of the most terpene-forward products on the market, they also are unique in that they are rich in cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG).  CBG is likely the next big thing considering its effectiveness and versatility without mind altering effects.  (To learn more about CBG, read this journal article. The Daygold products are elegantly formulated highlighting what is possible when we use terpenes and minor cannabinoids together in a thoughtful way.

Below, Dr. Ethan Russo speaks with Daygold co-founder, Liz FitzGerald, about terpenes and how they work in the human body.  This incredibly informative video will help patients, physicians and caregivers better understand how terpenes are therapeutic and why.

Readers of this blog can use this code at checkout for a 20% discount: chronicrelief

---

This blog post was written by Nishi Whiteley, author of the book Chronic Relief: A Guide to Cannabis for the Terminally & Chronically Ill. She is also the author of a variety of cannabis science publications and is the COO of CReDO Science LLC in partnership with Dr. Ethan Russo. In the spirit of full disclosure, CReDO Science does benefit in a small way from the sales of Daygold products.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a relatively new phenomenon stumping the medical world.  Persons with CHS are cannabis users who experience cyclic nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain that can lead to dehydration and being malnourished.  While hot showers/baths are helpful, the only known way to stop CHS is for the patient to stop cannabis use.

Those with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome often spend thousands of dollars on hospital visits and medical tests before their medical professional diagnoses them with CHS. CHS was first identified in 2004.  The cause remains unknown.  Many theories about what causes it have circulated throughout the years ranging from pesticides in the cannabis to a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system, the homeostatic regulator (brings the body back into balance) of the human body.

Leading cannabis researcher and neurologist Ethan Russo, MD wants to solve this mystery.  He has teamed up Len May at EndoCanna Health, and Chris Spooner, ND at Heritage Cannabis to conduct a clinical investigation into the origin of CHS.

The group is currently looking for people with CHS to take this survey.  Certain participants will be selected to receive free genetic testing which helps the participant better understand the needs of their endocannabinoid system and which type of cannabis chemical profile is best for them.  Personal information will be cleansed from the data and analyzed collectively.

One of the challenges of doing such research is that many people with CHS do not want to disclose their cannabis use, especially if they reside in an illegal state. CHS sufferers can rest assured this study has passed rigorous standards to be approved by an Institutional  Review Board (scientific/medical ethics committee), which is required whenever conducting clinical research.

At the clinical cannabis conference CanMed 2019, cannabis entrepreneur, CHS sufferer and the leading advocate for CHS research, Alice Moon, presented results of a survey she conducted among the participants of her Facebook group for those with CHS. She found the following:

• persons with CHS typically are daily if not heavy cannabis users.
• CHS affects people of all ages, however the largest age group impacted are between 21-30 years of age.
• Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome can occur in people who are new to using cannabis, however, it typically occurs in people who have been using for 4+ years.

Click HERE if you are interested in participating in foundational research that could lead to the discovery of what causes CHS, which is the first step in understanding how to treat it.

---

Nishi Whiteley is a business development and marketing consultant turned cannabis educator, speaker and author. After seeing the relief cannabis provided her mother at the end of her battle with lung cancer, Whiteley was inspired to share what she has learned through her book, “Chronic Relief: A Guide to Cannabis for the Terminally & Chronically Ill” and her website https://mychronicrelief.com.

Recently Nishi Whiteley, founder of this blog and the author of the book Chronic Relief was asked to be a pre-market reviewer for the book Interpening, The Art and Science of the Cannabis Sommelier by Trichome Institute founder Max Montrose.

Here is what she had to say about the book:

“Max Montrose’s pioneering book Interpening, The Art and Science of The Cannabis Sommelier is a fascinating read! The book teaches readers how to use their senses to evaluate cannabis quality as well as predict potency and physical effects, thus imparting invaluable practical knowledge to connoisseurs and patients alike.”

The term Interpening was coined by Max. It is a relatively new word to the cannabis lexicon.  This excerpt, used with permission, from Max’s book explains the term and gives great insight to what you will learn in the book.

What is Interpening?

Interpening—pronounced “in-ter-pen-ing”—is the science of evaluating cannabis flower to determine quality, variety type designation, and psychotropic effects, through physical and aromatic inspection. Interpening is based on a combination of science and theory, yet it is also an art and requires significant experience. An interpener can be thought of as a cannabis sommelier. In fact, interpening was inspired by the model of sommelier certification, including education, training, and practice to develop such a recognized expertise.

Interpening is important at a time when millions of people are purchasing cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes, without quality certification or assurance of potential psychotropic effects. The psychotropic effects of cannabis vary from plant to plant and even within the same strain name, which is why strain names are so misleading. The methods of interpening are used to identify cannabis variety type and better understand the potential psychotropic effects of each flower. This is done by visually evaluating the physical characteristics of the flower and by interpreting the aromatics, or terpenes—which are the evaporating molecular hydrocarbon chains found throughout the plant kingdom that produce the aromas of plants.

Why Use Interpening?

The multibillion-dollar cannabis industry, in both it’s legal and black-market forms, impacts law, medicine, science, industry, horticulture, and so much more. The recent explosion of cannabis acceptance is exciting and intense, Yet we are still in the dark ages of the black market in many ways. For example, licensed cannabis dispensaries still sell cannabis as either an “indica,” “sativa,” or “hybrid,” even though the science community has learned that this is not an accurate way to identify cannabis varieties. The federal prohibition of the plant has limited scientific research and stalled the creation of regulations from which all other industries of accurate information, truth in labeling laws, compliance regulations, and an appropriate infrastructure, our society has been presented information that is misleading, incomplete, and downright inaccurate. Interpening introduces a contemporary understanding and baseline truth, which helps people fully understand cannabis, while making it approachable to all medical patients, recreational users, and professionals working with cannabis in today’s hemp and marijuana markets.

The goal of interpening is to learn the psychotropic variety type and the quality of the cannabis prior to selling or consuming it. This skill is important for all industry professionals and consumers because speciation, strain names, and lab testing do not provide the consumer with much information about the quality or the effects of cannabis. Most labs test for the plant’s phytochemical profile, pesticides, and some microbes but skip a dozen other elements that equate to quality and the type of psychotropic effects.

Currently, there are many regulations for cannabis sales, including child resistant and opaque packaging, label information on cannabinoid percentages, cultivation nutrients used, consumption warnings, and more. However, the two most critical things to know before purchasing and consuming cannabis are the quality of the product and the effects of how it will make you feel when you use it, yet this hasn’t yet been standardized in any quality control measures or regulations.

Currently, the black and legal markets sell cannabis by strain name and THC percentage as if that information alone will help the consumer understand what the quality and effects of their purchase will be. THC percentage alone does not necessarily equate to potency, as there are many other phytochemicals in cannabis that provoke synergistic effects with THC. Additionally, THC is not solely responsible for the stimulating or sedating effects cannabis produces. THC may drive the high or euphoric effect from cannabis, but the terpenes are truly what determine the characteristics of this effect—whether stimulating, sedating, and anywhere in between. The cannabis industry needs a better way to quantify cannabis quality and to understand how it may affect people in different ways. This is why Trichome Institute developed interpening.

We are excited and proud to bring you over a decade of research and experience in developing methodologies and skills to give you more control over your own cannabis experience as well as solve the indica/sativa controversy and the strain name dilemma. Welcome to interpening. 

INTERPENING: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF THE CANNABIS SOMMELIER
Published by Trichome Institute 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9964658-4-7
© 2019 Trichome Institute, All Rights Reserved 

Click here order a copy of the book: https://trichomeinstitute.com/shop

Max Montrose is the co-founder of the Trichome Institute which is dedicated to providing high quality training and information to the cannabis industry and coinsurers and he is the author of Interpening, The Art and Science of The Cannabis Sommelier. To learn more about the book and related classes click here.

By Anna Wilcox

Chronic back pain is one of the most common types of pain around the world.

Approximately 80 percent of individuals in the United States have chronic back pain.

In general, chronic pain can be debilitating.

Not only does it limit mobility, but pain can have a significant impact on mental health and relationships.

Yet, if interpersonal harms aren’t convincing enough, chronic pain comes with a heavy economic burden.

In general, pain conditions equate to an average productivity loss of $802 per person per year. Of that, back pain equates to losses of $329 per year.

Unfortunately, chronic pain is also one of the most difficult symptoms to treat.

Currently, opioid pain medications remain some of the most common treatments for chronic back pain.

Opioids are not only responsible for $78.5 billion in additional medical expenses each year, but over 183,000 Americans have died in the past 16 years from the prescription painkillers.

Deaths from illicit opioids like heroin are not included in this statistic.

How does cannabis work for chronic pain?

The need for safe and effective pain management treatments is one of the many reasons Mara Gordon of Aunt Zelda’s goes to work every day.

Gordon is the founder of Aunt Zelda’s, a specialized cannabis extraction and dosing organization that has worked with more than 1,000+ cancer and pain patients.

To help medical cannabis patients better understand how to use the plant for chronic pain, back pain, and nerve pain, Gordon shares her expertise in one of Green Flower’s most popular talks.

Normally, pain is a natural and helpful bodily response. Without pain signals, you would not be able to know that something is wrong with your body. It’s the reason why you’re able to move your hand away from a hot stove.

“Chronic pain is different,” explains Gordon. “Chronic pain is where the pain itself becomes the disease. There is so much inflammation and memory in the nerves of what’s going on that no matter what you do, you feel pain.”

Interestingly, it’s this inflammation and nerve memory that makes cannabis such a vital tool for chronic pain management.

The exciting part?

We already know a great deal about WHY cannabis is so effective for chronic pain…

Why cannabis is key to chronic pain management

As Gordon articulates, there are five primary mechanisms that cannabis engages in order to heal chronic pain.

The five mechanisms include:

• The ability to blunt pain in the peripheral nervous system
• Interruptions of pain signals in spinal cord nerves
• Interruptions in chemical pain signals at the neuron level
• Reduced inflammation
• Improved mood
• Reduced stress

These mechanisms all involve the way cannabis compounds (cannabinoids), like THC, engage cells in the body.

THC is the primary psychoactive in cannabis.

Cannabis compounds work by engaging specific cell receptors throughout the body.

These receptors include the CB1 (cannabinoid receptor 1) and CB2 (cannabinoid receptor 2) cell sites.

These receptors are abundant in the central and peripheral nervous systems, which are responsible for sending, receiving, and processing pain signals.

By engaging these receptors, cannabinoids like THC actually block and lessen the pain signals sent and processed by the nervous system.  

“This is actually a biological effect…It’s not masking the pain, it’s actually changing what’s happening in the physiology within your body,” Gordon says.

Further, Gordon suggests that one of the most controversial “side effects” of cannabis may be tremendously helpful to those experiencing chronic pain.

Gordon suggests that the psychoactive nature of THC is more of a blessing to pain patients than a curse.

“The psychoactive, euphoric effects of THC can help you have a break from the pain,” Gordon explains.

This is a major contrast to opioid pain medications, which have a depressant effect that can make patients feel moody, irritable, and generally unhappy.

“It also interrupts the short-term memory, which normally is not a good thing. But, when you are having a lot of pain, interrupting the short-term memory will mitigate the stress response and give you a respite from this experience of constant, ongoing pain.”  

While THC tackles pain in several different ways, the non-inebriating CBD works in others.

How does CBD work for pain?

Unlike THC, CBD is a cannabis compound which does not cause the same psychoactive “high” found in cannabis products that contain THC.

Still, however, CBD can enhance mood, promote energy, and ease stress and anxiety.

“CBD is such a powerful anti-inflammatory that it is 30 to 50 times more powerful than your standard hydrocortisone,” explains Gordon.

“It gives tremendous relief the same way as a steroid and even more powerfully, but,” says Gordon, “without the bonus of a shut-down adrenal system, because cannabis does not shut down your adrenal system.”

The adrenal system is responsible for manufacturing stress hormones, which help you respond appropriately to stressful situations and also play a role in managing the sleep-wake cycle.

In this sense, CBD can be used as a valuable replacement for anti-inflammatory drugs often taken by patients with chronic pain conditions like arthritis and old injuries.

Regular use of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs is also associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and stomach ulcer, two major side effects that CBD and other cannabis medicines avoid.

How to get maximum pain relief with cannabis?

Now that you know a little bit about why cannabis works for chronic pain, how do you actually use the plant to promote healing?

To better understand how to use cannabis for chronic pain management, watching Gordon’s talk on Green Flower is a must.  

Gordon teaches cannabis patients how to better use medical cannabis for daily pain management with limited life disruptions.

Viewers can also learn more about what types of products may be beneficial for those seeking relief from chronic pain.

Filled with valuable and insightful information, Gordon’s talk is a worthwhile watch for anyone who has experienced chronic pain and discomfort.

And that’s not all…

The program is one of hundreds now streaming free on the newly-launched Green Flower, where you can find informative videos with cannabis physicians, scientists, researchers, cultivators, practitioners, and more from around the globe.

You can find everything from dosing to growing, how to treat specific ailments, and much more – all free.

Find answers to your greatest cannabis questions and connect with the cannabis universe through Green Flower today.

For more great content and videos, join TODAY!