Cannabis Oil-What Exactly is it

Cannabis oil is almost as old as the history of man himself. It can be traced back literally thousands of years and has been used to treat a myriad of health conditions by many different cultures. It has made its way into perfumes, candles, soap and some forms of food.

It is a highly concentrated compound and as a result, only small quantities are required to have a therapeutic result-both in the body and in the brain.

What is Cannabis?

Cannabis (or as it is known in North America) is more term used in reference to the Cannabis sativa plant. This plant, when matured, produces sticky residues known as trichomes. These trichomes contain a variety of cannabinoids including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as other including CBD-cannabidioll). THC is known for its psychoactive effects and CBD is known for its therapeutic effects.

What is Hemp Oil?

Not to be confused with Cannabis Oil, Hemp Oil is different in that it is derived by pressing the seeds of the same plant genus to derive highly rich oil. Hemp is differentiated from Cannabis plants in that it only contains trace elements of THC, while still containing many of the other Cannabinoids.

Hemp has been used by man for a variety of purposes for many years and has many industrial applications due to its fibrous properties-making ideal for cloth, construction, and paper. Additionally, it can be used as a base compound for oils and other topical.Due to a strong anti-marijuana lobby in the 1930s, fed by a zealous and unfounded fear of the dangerous misuse of marijuana, cannabinoids targeted for medicinal purposes were banned in the United States and many other countries.

Due to a strong anti-marijuana lobby in the 1930s, fed by a zealous and unfounded fear of the dangerous misuse of marijuana, cannabinoids targeted for medicinal purposes were banned in the United States and many other countries.

It took decades of activist engagement, medical community study to begin to reconsider therapeutic applications to this natural plant and even to this day, it is still highly regulated and in many States, banned completely.

Cannabis Today

Cannabis can be traced back to Central Asia and parts of the Middle East, but today it has become ubiquitous wit almost every country having an either public or underground community. In the Untied States, it is still a controlled substance and is classified as Schedule 1-meaning that it has the capacity for abuse and addiction.

Cannabinoids

There is a growing body of clinical study and medical agreement that despite the potential for mild psychological addiction, the macro-beneficial applications to oils and the included cannabinoids is becoming too plentiful to ignore. This website will explore many of these applications in greater detail, while stating the specific research to which it pertains.

In general terms, diseases such as anorexia, emesis, chronic pain, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma, schizophrenia, obesity, cardiovascular disorder, osteoporosis, cancer, glaucoma, neurodegenerative diseases (such as ALS) and metabolic syndrome-related issues are all being viewed as potential beneficiaries of treatment through cannabis oils through the complex synergistic interaction between various cannabinoids. One of the great Catch 22 situations in modern health, is that there would be more clinical studies to support these therapeutic investigations if there wasn’t such intrusive governmental constriction. Despite this the number of patients seeking a multitude of relief are looking to cannabis as part of their regiment for relief and improved quality of life.

So What is in Cannabis that makes it so good?

In a word-cannabinoids (or more specifically phytocannabinoids-in its plant form. These are a group of compounds produced exclusively by the cannabis species.

The top cannabinoids in Cannabis

While THC is the most active psycho-active compound, other cannabinoids known to be bioavailable and having potential human are:

cannabinol
cannabidiol
cannabichromene
cannabigerol
tetrahydrocannabivarin

delta-8-THC

Cannabidiol is believed to have the most therapeutic potential without the psychoactive effects of THC.

So what is best for me?

Faced with all this emerging science and xxx evidence, those new to the world of medical marijuana are often overwhelmed by the choices rapidly becoming available on the market. While choice is always good, informed and reliable information must be the basis for any self-administered disease management protocol. Many doctors are still loath to dive into this brave new world of organic medication, so often times it is left to the sufferer to do their own research.

To assist in this process, we have provided a base overview of the terminology and the various options currently available

<h2>How is medical cannabis oil defined?</h2>

Medical oil is derived from the resin bearing glands on the outside of the plant. These oils are rendered typically by a number of different processes including solvents and CO2 extraction. In the process of doing this, a highly concentrated oil is rendered containing all the natural cannabinoids intact.

As this is a new field of therapy, terms get thrown around sometimes with multiple or different means depending on who is using them.

In general, there are a number of different products that are being referenced as “cannabis oil”

While still unproven definitively, many informed users and those that have studied it, believe there are synergistic benefits from cannabis oil derived extracted from cannabis buds with as little processing as possible keeping this synergy as intact as possible

The Following is a breakdown of the different forms of cannabis oil currently available:

Full extract

Full extracted oil is made from either the buds or the leaves or sometimes both of the cannabis plant. The extraction, as stated earlier can be done through a number of different methodologies including alcohol, solvents, and CO2 extraction. When using CO2 extraction much of the aroma (known as the terpenes) are also extracted. Some believe that these terpenes have specific benefits as well and this is a sub-optimal method

When full extracted, oil will contain a highly complex diversity of cannabinoids with over 400 chemical compounds interacting in diverse and synergistic relationships that we are only starting to fully understand. The chemical structural integrity of the plant remains intact and many believe this is the optimal form of the extract.

In essence, what has been isolated is all the active compounds found in a cannabis bud with the removal of all the organic material, rendering it in pure oil form.

The Categories of Extracted Oil

1. THC

High THC plants will render a high THC oil making this concentrate highly psychoactive. THC levels can exceed 60% of the total volume of the oil, making these extracts ideal primarily for those suffering from extreme medical conditions including:

2. CBD

Alternatively, plants with a high CBD content and lower THC contents will have a no psychoactive profile and is applicable to patients suffering from other disorders.

CBD is often said to have a calming indication that can improve focus and concentration as well as relaxation. They are considered excellent for indications of pain and stress during the daytime when productivity is desired.

The evidence for the therapeutic application of CBD is growing through every increasing cross section of studies and observational evidence.

Currently, the most widely accepted applications include:

3. 1:1Ratio THC to CBD

1:1 strains of cannabis are ones that have been cultivated to deliver both these therapies in equal amounts. Due to the complex nature of human disease, one ailment can have a trigger effect that creates another. In pharmacology, one medicine can cause a compensatory need for another. Chronic pain can lead to insomnia, for example requiring the patient to need treatment for the pain AND insomnia.

One-to-one extracts can help a patient with chronic diseases address the principal ailment as well as reduce the symptoms caused by that ailment. Also, there is a growing body of evidence that the CBD receptors in the brain and body are made more receptive with the combination of both of these two compounds. How strong a psychoactive effect of these one-to-one verities is depends largely on the patient, the potency, so it is very much a trial and error process to find what works best for you.

The potential benefits include:

Cancer
Chronic pain
Multiple sclerosis
Head trauma
Anxiety
Depression
Gastrointestinal disorder
Migraine
Fibromyalgia
Cramps and spasms

4. Specialty products

THC, CBD or a combination of both dominates the current selection online and at local dispensaries. However, specialty products that include other cannabinoids are beginning to make appearances in some dispensaries:

CBG

THCV

The benefits of these cannabinoids are still being discovered and there is very little in terms of written study to fully understand the benefits and potential of these compounds.

Raw cannabis oil

Raw cannabis is an interesting alternative to the other concentrates that are found on the market. It is produced with the absence of heat, making it clearly a more challenging extraction process. As a result of the absence of heat, the cannabinoids (including THC) remain in as acids. This renders the resulting compound to have no psychoactive properties. In acid form, it is believed to have strong anti-inflammatory benefits. Also, it is fully capable of being heated to unlock the psychoactive components as well. One of the great benefits of rendering oil in the absence of heat is that the terpenes remain intact. When heat, solvent or CO2 is applied to the extraction process, the quality is highly dependent on the care and quality of the methods and technology invoked resulting in high variability in quality. Raw cannabis does not suffer from this same constraint.

Isolates

An isolate is when a single cannabinoid has been isolated from others and extracted in singularity. They are typically found as pure THC or CBD as well as other cannabinoids. The principal benefit of isolates is the capacity for patients to moderate the exact quantities of any compound they consume like one would with a medical pill. They provide for measurable consistency in dosing

While isolates have their applications, they tend to fall out of the medical cannabis oil spectrum as they are stripped of the synergies provided by the presence of other cannabinoids, terpenes and trace plant molecules. This highly evolved, yet still poorly understood a combination of molecules is what’s makes it so effective.

Vapor concentrates

Vaporized ingestion or Vape Pens are becoming more and more popular as a medical cannabis treatment method primarily for the convenience and rapid uptake.

If you are suffering from serious health issues, vapes may not provide as much bioavailable uptake as can be found in full extract cannabis oil

Best Practices for Medical Vaping

try and vape using cartridges with full-extract oils
try and get as pure as possible (avoid additives like PG and PEG)</
try and get as pure as possible (avoid additives like PG and PEG)Look for products that use vegetable glycerin as a base</li>
Look for products that use vegetable glycerin as a base
Opt for products that contain vegetable glycerin</li>
Opt for products that contain vegetable glycerin</li>
Look for laboratory tested and try and stay organic

Medicinal Cannabis Oil is becoming more widespread as a legitimate and potentially quality-of-life altering form of therapy for many people suffering from episodic and chronic conditions. Despite this, oil remains highly regulated and illegal in much of the country. For this reason, it is important to know what is best for you and what the local, state and country laws in your region are.

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