At 16, Kristen was suffering from joint inflammation and an array of autoimmune conditions that made her organs and other tissues swell, including interstitial cystitis and lupus. She was prescribed over forty different anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and painkilling drugs to combat the symptoms. Still struggling to bring the symptoms under control, Kristen developed steroid toxicity. She was told that the most she could hope for was reduced discomfort, and with luck, she might make it to age 30. Seeking alternative treatments, she began juicing raw cannabis leaves every day. Within two months, Kristen’s back pain had been eliminated, and she had stopped using any other painkillers.
At two years old, Amber was diagnosed with terminal brain tumours. Her mother was told that with treatment, Amber had a 10% chance of survival. After surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the tumours were still spreading. Her parents were advised to take their child home, make her comfortable, and prepare for the inevitable. A month later, her parents reported a startling change. The tumours had decreased in size and number. The family had been juicing cannabis leaves and feeding their baby a few ounces of the juice each day.
We all associate marijuana consumption with its psychoactive effects. However, tetrahydocannabinol (THC) only becomes psychoactive when heated, such as when traditionally smoked or cooked. When used raw, cannabis isn’t psychoactive. Marijuana’s reputation as a painkiller is generally perceived to be the result of its psychoactivity – so much so that the intensity of a plant’s psychoactive effects is often used as a gauge of its medical potency. But, contrary to intuition, this isn’t true!
In simplified terms, in the raw plant, THC acid isn’t psychoactive, but acts as a very powerful medicine, up to 400 times more powerful than when smoked.
Scientific American, in 2004, published an article entitled “The Brain’s Own Marijuana”, in which it was asserted that the brain releases chemicals that are structurally and functionally similar to cannabinoids – the reactive property in marijuana. THC is the cannabinoid that people are most familiar with, but it’s only one of eighty.
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