Viewing Psychoactivity as Medicine

Now-a-days we easily accept the 30,000 per reviewed scientific/medical papers on medicinal properties of Cannabis, very few people are discreditable enough to refute the medically confirmed facts. That's good. When it comes to the psychoactive property of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it's another story, we tend to only think of 'Recreational Use'. The truth is that the very word 'psychoactivity' directly points to brain and especially upper brain function ... a very important branch of pharmaceutical and herbal medicine.

One simple case in point. Recently I had a patient in extremely bad shape mentally and emotionally and I very badly needed the patient to sleep. Large dose administration of THC is very successful in inducing sleep. More importantly, it doesn't compound with the negative side effects of other 'drugs' playing in that 'space'. I didn't have to worry about it suppressing the patients breathing, or slowing/stopping the heart. This would have been the case with the vast majority of sedatives, tranquilisers, beta-blockers, etc ... but not terpenoids. For the same sort of reasons, I didn't have to worry about the patient attempting to overdose on the treatment (it takes about 200 grams of pure THC to reach LD-50). Back on the general medicine ward, our only option was 100mg of Benadryl (large dose inducing drowsiness) ... if the patient tolerated it. 

By the way, I eased the patient into a semi-relaxed state first, with a cup of Chamomile tea, laced with 3 additional drops of German Chamomile essential oil, lightly sweetened with Blueberry honey (I chose it because blueberry pollen is neuro-protective). This initial relaxation gave the THC 'an easier path'. German Chamomile is composed of yet more, highly compatible, terpenoids, the bisabolol terpenoids and chamazulene. 

Properly used, the psychoactive property of Cannabis carries with it many other important treatment options. A good friend of mine lives with ADHD and by focussing on sativa strains containing significant amounts of a-Pinene, Limonene and Terpinolene, in strains like Super Silver Haze, their mind becomes energetic, clear-headed and project-oriented, turning the unfocussed, chaotic ADHD mind into a mildly focussed OCD.

Rev. Dr Kymron deCesare

Chief Research Officer

Steep Hill Lab Inc.

adapted from, Food for Thought: Viewing Psychoactivity as Medicine