(Dette
er et debatindlæg, der udtrykker skribentens holdning.)
Markedet
for cannabis vaporizers (fordampere) er helt ude af kontrol, og
markedet for ulovlige THC produkter, hvis indhold ofte må betegnes
som direkte farligt, er i vækst. Senest er der fundet xylazine i THC
vapes i England.
Men
det er ikke kun på det ulovlige marked, at brugen af vaporizers er
stigende, der er masser af mere eller mindre lovlige CBD produkter på
markedet, men når disse er produceret i EU, føres der i en hvis
grad kontrol med produkterne, der ikke må indeholde mere end 0,2%
THC.
I
de sidste par år, er der dukket flere og flere
semisyntetiske/syntetiske cannabinoider op såsom THCP, HHCP og
H4-CBD, der i september 2023 blev indstillet til optagelse på på
bekendtgørelsen om euforiserende stoffer, liste B. Siden da, er
listen over tilgængelige “lovlige” semisyntetiske/syntetiske
cannabinoider bare vokset og vokset, nu kan man få HHCPO, THCB,
THCPO, THCJD, CBG9, CBDP m.fl.
Eksempel fra Facebook
Det
er forholdsvis nemt at lave nye typer, så et forsøg på at lovgive
sig ud af problemet, er skruen uden ende. Som autoriseret
bioanalytiker, er jeg dybt bekymret for denne udvikling. Flere af
disse nye typer “lovlige” cannabinoider, har vist sig at kunne
udvikle keten (ethenon), som kan være sundhedsskadeligt, selv i små
mængder.
Eksempel på >syntetiske/semisyntetiske cannabionider til salg på nettet i EU.
Det
er yderligere et stort problem, i det ingen har nogen ide om, hvilke
eventuelle negative konsekvenser det kan have for helbredet på lang
sigt. De kan potentielt vise sig at have mange flere negative
konsekvenser, end brug/misbrug af “almindelig” cannabis/hash, der
er meget bedre undersøgt.
Jeg
håber at i vil overveje at snakke med de brugere i kender, og gerne
snakke med jeres børn og unge om det, de er i målgruppen allerede,
det kan vi se på udbredelsen af puffbars, der også er en form for
vaporizor.
Dette
understreger endnu engang det store behov, for legalisering og
regulering af cannabis.
Vi
er nødt til at gøre alt hvad der er muligt, for at reducere de
potentielt negative konsekvenser for folkesundheden. En legalisering
af cannabis vil også reducere kriminaliteten.
[IMPORTANT!
The information in the articles/blog should not be equated with therapeutic
medical cannabis treatment. CBD in high doses can influence how the liver metabolize a wide
range of medicines via the cytochrome P450 system in the
liver. If you believe you can benefit from medical
cannabis, or you are included in the target group for medical cannabis
through the pilot scheme (Denmark) then you should contact your own physician, Cannabis Denmark or a
specialist in the field such as Tina Horsted.]
The recipe for "Grandpa’s ThinkingTea" with Bornholmerhampen is in the blog.
When I started the blog 4 years ago, I wrote a post, with a recipe for cream stewed puffballs with coconut cannabis oil. [The recipe is here, in English] It didn't turn into more, mostly because I switched to drinking a lot of tea with fresh herbs etc. I also got busy becoming a student in chemistry before I could be admitted to the Medical Laboratory Technologist education at VIA University College in Aarhus.
It also became possible to buy delicious organic hemp tea like Bornholmerhampen, as well as EU approved CBD & CBG products, which I took advantage of because I got good relief from it. Together with a good organic hemp tea, and a lot of fresh herbs that we grow in Julia's garden. So here is an example of how to make, a healthy tea with fresh herbs etc.
Besides it tastes good, and it's funny that one's farts smell a bit of chewing gum, if there is mixed mint and larch in it, it is reasonable to assume that it is at least not unhealthy.
Bornholmerhampte is a really fine product, made slowly with a gentle hand, just like the other products they offer. If you just drink the tea due to the delicious taste, the oil is not necessary, just let it soak for 10 min.
Put it all in a large pot on the stove, and pour 1½ liters of boiling water over, add a spoonful of oil. Put the lid on and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Cannabidiol (CBD) and the other cannabinoids and terpenes in the tea are not soluble in water, and the oil helps to dissolve and absorb them better. It's the same method there is used if you make herbal tea from BEDIOL, medical cannabis that is prescribed over the course of the trial scheme in Denmark.[1][2]
The prerequisite for infusing the tea with CBD is, of course, that it is present in the material. Bornholm hemp is of the Felina variety, which typically contains 2-3% CBD [3] and is suitable to produce hemp seed oil and flour. Hemp seed oil is rich in Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids in the ratio 3: 1, which is perfect for humans, and therefore provides a high nutritional value. These fatty acids are essential and must be supplied through the diet.[4]
In October 2018, I did a thin layer chromatography test [5], of the CBD content in Bornholmerhampen, with Alpha-Cat's home test kit that can show the occurrence and potency of 6 different cannabinoids, CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN, THC & THCV.[6] I have made a figure, with the result of the Bornholmerhampen and a random HPLC[7] test from Felina grown in Spain.[8]
Bornholmerhampen & Felina grown in Spain compared.
As can be clearly seen, there is of course a big difference in the accuracy, of the two different methods, but with practice, an accuracy of +/- 1% can be achieved in the TLC test. [9] When testing material with different potency, you change the ratio between amount of material and eluent (solvent). This means that the accuracy also varies, in the sample from Bornholmerhampen it is +/- 4%, under optimal conditions.
Another significant difference is that the TLC sample has been heated to 150 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes, whereby the content of the precursor CBDA (cannabidiol acid) is decarboxylated to form CBD. You can do a so-called chemotype TLC test[10] of all 6 cannabinoids in the sample. Then you use 3 lanes on the TLC plate, 2 heated and one raw sample.[11] The 4th lane can be used to advantage, as a kind of control of the kit performance, by using a sample with a known value, such as 3% CBD oil from Matas.[12] Is the color spot approx. as large on the decarboxylated sample in the control, there are approx. 3% CBD content in the sample.
The simpler test I did, was more of an indication that it's probably Felina and contains CBD, than the in - depth analysis. When the potency of the other cannabinoids is so small in the Bornholm ecohemp, it would still only be possible to trace, very inaccurate and low amounts.
Alpha-Cat Cannabiniod TLC test kit and testing in progress.
If you take the theoretical starting point from the TLC test and the recipe (5 grams hemp) and be able to infuse 100% of the CBD, you will get between 112.5 - 119 mg CBD (22.5 mg x 5 & 23.8 mg x 5) in the 1.5-liter Grandpa’s Thinkingtea. When I say theoretical starting point, it is because it is a common rule of thumb that you just put a 0 after the percentage of cannabis in the cannabis.[13] The real infusion in the tea is lower and I do not think one should expect more than 50%.
So, in 1.5 liters of Grandpa’s Thinkingtea, there may be about 50 mg of CBD, but that's an uncertain estimate. Divided into 2 days, it gives a dose of about 25 mg CBD / day for DKK 3.63 + the price for other ingredients. Whose one compares, with the price of Matas CBD oil, it would be DKK 28 daily. A price per. mg. CBD of resp. DKK 0.15 / mg (Bornholmerhamp) and DKK 0.56 / mg (Matas, incl. 20% discount). PLAESE NOTE, do not drink Matas CBD oil, it is intended for skin care.
In Grandpa's Thinkingtea, there are a lot of terpenes.[14] Sage (Salvia) contains a lot of essential oils with terpenes. An example of terpenes in essential oil from sage: alpha-pines (4.1-5.4%), camphene (6-7.1%), beta-pines (9.3-14.5%), limonene (2-2.3%), camphor (19.8- 24%), alpha-humulene (5.1-6.8%), and manool (4.2-7.7%). [15] In Mint (Mentha) and Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), there is also menthol, methone, anthill, linalool and carophylene.[16][17] These, and many others, are also found in hemp, herbs, weeds, and roots.
These are associated with cannabinoids, along with what is popularly called the entourage effect, which describes synergistic effects between cannabinoids, terpenes, and the body's own endocannabinoid system.[18][19] There is access to Sinnika Kvamme's[20] article about the discovery of this system in the blog's sidebar.
Most of the research on the entourage effect, for which there is proper evidence, deals with the interaction between THC and the other cannabis substances, such as CBD and then the terpenes that occur naturally in reasonably high concentrations, in cannabis varieties such as those used in the experimental scheme.[21] When CBD sellers online and in stores, tell customers why exactly their 3% CBD oil, is simply the best, it is most often that kind of research that is referred to. But as in the video below, which I made for the blog over 3 years ago, shows, the prominent terpenes are not to be found, in a large part of their own batch tests. If they are not there, there is no built-in entourage effect.
However, this does not mean that CBD is without effect, for beneficial treatment effects of cannabidiol (CBD), has been shown in several cognitive impairment conditions, including neurodegenerative (Alzheimer's, Huntington’s, and Parkinson's disease), neuroinflammatory (sepsis-induced encephalopathy) and neurological disorders (ischemic brain damage). Research from 2018 indicates that certain terpenes (linalool, alpha-pinene and beta-caryophyllene) and CBD in combination, may have better therapeutic effect for these conditions. For the healthy, perhaps the most interesting thing in the article is, that CBD also protects against the negative cognitive effects, that THC has on learning ability.[22]
CBD has also shown an effect against inflammation, in preclinical studies, also against the conditions mentioned, but there is still a lack of more research into the effect on humans.[23] CBD has also shown antidepressant properties and potential as a treatment for anxiety disorders.[24][25]
The mentioned terpenes, as well as a lot of others, are on the other hand present in copious amounts, in Grandpa's Thinkingtea, along with infused CBD and terpenes from Bornholmerhampen. Then the possibilities for a given entourage effect are at least present. If you are sitting and thinking, where should I get all this, Bornholmerhampen also offers organic Relax tea (with mint, licorice root, chamomile, etc.) and organic hemp tea with lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora).
Research from 2021 has shown that licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has potential as medicine[26] and lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) contains the mentioned terpenes limonene and linalool. Lemon verbena is used as a natural medicine for upset stomach, nervousness, sleeping difficulty and colds.[27]
October 2018: Bornholmer hemp, organic ginger, licorice root powder and flower petals tea.
Essential oils with a lot of menthol / menthone from peppermint (Mentha piperita), have shown that the participants who received active substance did better in challenging cognitive tests than the participants in the placebo group in a trial from 2018.[28]
So, so purely hypothetical, there is probably some basis for calling it Grandpa's Thinkingtea. If you have read along all the way, hoping for a good explanation of why one's farts smell like chewing gum, when there is fresh mint, larch and CBD in the tea, I have not found any explanation, in the referenced research. I'm sorry, but still hope it's been an interesting read.
[VIGTIGT! Informationerne i bloggen, bør ikke sidestilles med, med terapeutisk medicinsk cannabis behandling. CBD kan i høje doser have indflydelse på, hvorledes leveren omsætter en lang række lægemidler, via cytokrom P450 systemet i leveren. Hvis du mener du kan have gavn af medicinsk cannabis, eller du er omfattet af målgruppen for medicinsk cannabis via forsøgsordningen, så bør du kontakte egen læge, Cannabis Danmark eller en specialist på området som Tina Horsted.]
Opskriften på "Farfars Tænkete" med Bornholmerhampen er i bloggen.
Da jeg startede bloggen for 4 år siden, skrev jeg et indlæg, med en opskrift på flødestuvede støvbolde med kokos cannabisolie. [Opskriften er her, på engelsk] Det blev ikke til flere, mest fordi jeg gik over til, at drikke rigtigt meget te med friske urter m.m. Jeg fik også travlt med at blive student i kemi, før jeg kunne blive optaget på bioanalytikeruddannelsen på VIA University College i Århus.
Det blev også muligt, at købe lækker økologisk hampete som Bornholmerhampen samt EU godkendte CBD & CBG produkter, hvilket jeg benyttede mig af, da det havde vist sig, jeg fik god lindring af det. Med en god økologisk hampete, og en masse friske urter, som vi dyrker i Julia's have. Så her kommer et eksempel på, hvordan man kan lave, en sund te med friske urter m.m.
Udover det smager godt, og det er sjovt at ens prutter lugter lidt af tyggegummi, hvis der er blandet mynte og løvstikke i, er det rimeligt at antage, den ihvertfald ikke er usund.
Bornholmerhampte er et rigtigt fint produkt, lavet langsomt med nænsom hånd, ligesom de øvrige produkter de udbyder. Hvis du blot drikker teen pga den lækre smag, er olien ikke nødvendig, bare lad den trække 10 min.
Put det hele i en stor gryde på komfuret, og hæld 1½ liter kogende vand over, tilsæt en skefuld olie. Sæt låg på og lade det simre i 15 minutter. Cannabidiol (CBD) og de øvrige cannabinoider og terpener i teen, er ikke opløselige i vand, og olien hjælper til med de bedre kan opløses og optages. Det er samme metode, der anvendes hvis man laver urtete af BEDIOL, medicinsk cannabis der udskrives på recept under forsøgsordningen i Danmark.[1][2]
Forudsætningen for, at man kan få infuseret teen med CBD, er naturligvis at den er til stede i materialet. Bornholmerhamp er af sorten Felina, der typisk indeholder 2-3% CBD[3] og er velegnet til produktion af hampefrøolie og mel. Hampefrøolie er rig på Omega 3 & 6 fedtsyrer i forholdet 3:1, der passer perfekt til mennesker, og giver derfor en høj ernæringsværdi. Disse fedtsyrer er essentielle, og skal tilføres via kosten.[4]
I oktober 2018 lavede jeg en tyndtlagskromatografi test[5], af CBD indholdet i Bornholmerhampen, med Alpha-Cats hjemmetest kit, der kan vise forekomst og styrken af 6 forskellige cannabinoider, CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN, THC & THCV.[6] Jeg har lavet en figur, med resultatet af Bornholmerhampen og en tilfældig HPLC[7] test fra Felina dyrket i Spanien.[8]
Som det tydeligt ses, er der naturligvis stor forskel på nøjagtigheden, af de to forskellige metoder, men med øvelse, kan der opnås en nøjagtighed på +/- 1% i TLC testen.[9] Når man tester materiale med forskellige styrker, ændrer man på forholdet mellem mængde materiale og eluent (opløsningsmiddel). Det betyder at nøjagtigheden også varierer, i prøven fra Bornholmerhampen er den +/- 4%, under optimale forhold.
En anden væsentlig forskel er, at TLC prøven har været opvarmet til 150 grader celsius i 5 minutter, hvorved indholdet af forløberen CBDA (cannabidiol acid) decarboxyleres og danner CBD. Man kan godt lave en såkaldt kemotype (chemotype) TLC test[10] af alle 6 cannabinoider i hampen. Så bruger man 3 baner på TLC pladen, 2 opvarmede og en rå prøve.[11] Den 4 bane kan med fordel bruges, som en slags kontrol af udførelsen, ved at benytte en prøve med en kendt værdi, som 3% CBD-olien fra Matas.[12] Er farvepletten ca. ligeså stor på den decarboxylerede prøve, som kontrollen, er der ca. 3% CBD indhold i prøven.
Den enklere test jeg lavede, det er mere en indikation på, at det nok er Felina og indeholder CBD, end den dybdegående analyse. Når styrken på de øvrige cannabinoider er så lille i Bornholmerhampen, ville der alligevel kun kunne spores, meget unøjagtige og lave mængder.
Alpha-Cats test kit & udførelse af tyndtlagskromotografi test.
Hvis man tager teoretisk udgangspunkt i TLC testen og opskriften (5 gram hampete), og kunne infusere 100% af CBD'en, ville man få mellem 112,5 - 119 mg CBD (22,5 mg x 5 & 23,8 mg x 5 )i de 1,5 liter farfars tænkete. Når jeg siger teoretisk udgangspunkt, er det fordi det er en udbredt tommelfingerregel, at man bare sætter et 0 efter procentdelen af cannabinoider i cannabissen.[13] Den reelle infusion i teen er lavere, og jeg tror ikke man skal regne med mere end 50%.
Så, i 1,5 liter farfars tænkete, er der måske omkring 50 mg CBD, men det er et temmeligt usikkert estimat. Fordelt på 2 dage giver det en dosis på ca 25 mg CBD/dag til 3,63 kr. + prisen for øvrige ingredienser. Hvis man sammenligner, med prisen for Matas CBD-olie, ville den være 28 kr. dagligt. En pris pr. mg. CBD på hhv. 0,15 kr./mg (Bornholmerhamp) og 0,56 kr./mg (Matas, incl. 20% rabat). OBS, lad være med at drikke Matas CBD olie, det er beregnet til hudpleje.
I farfars tænkete, er der rigtigt mange terpener.[14] Salvie (Salvia) indeholder en masse essentielle olier med terpener. Et eksempel på terpener i essentielle olier fra salvie: alpha-pinene (4.1-5.4%), camphene (6-7.1%), beta-pinene (9.3-14.5%), limonene (2-2.3%), camphor (19.8-24%), alpha-humulene (5.1-6.8%), og manool (4.2-7.7%).[15] I Mynte (Mentha) og Citronmelisse (Melissa officinalis), er der desuden menthol, methone, myrecene, linalool og carophylene.[16][17] Disse og mange andre, findes også i hamp, urter, ukrudt og rødder.
Disse sættes i forbindelse med cannabinoider, sammen med det der populært kaldes entourage effekten, der beskriver synergistiske effekter mellem cannabinoider, terpener og kroppens egen endocannabinoide system.[18][19] Der er adgang til Sinnika Kvammes[20] artikel om opdagelsen af dette system i bloggens sidebjælke.
Det meste af forskningen vedrørende entourage effekten, der er ordentlig evidens for, omhandler sammenspil mellem THC og de øvrige cannabinoider såsom CBD og så de terpener, der naturligt forekommer i rimeligt høje koncentrationer, i cannabis sorter som dem der benyttes i forsøgsordningen.[21]
Når CBD sælgere på nettet og i butikker, fortæller kunderne hvorfor lige netop deres 3% CBD -lie, simpelthen er den bedste, er det oftest den forskning der henvises til. Men som videoen nedenfor, som jeg lavede til bloggen for over 3 år siden, viser, så er de fremtrædende terpener ikke at finde, i en stor del af deres egne batchtests. Hvis de ikke er der, er der ikke nogen indbygget entourage effekt.
Det betyder dog ikke, at CBD er uden virkning for gavnlige behandlingseffekter af cannabidiol (CBD), er blevet vist i flere kognitive svækkelsestilstande, herunder neurodegenerativ (Alzheimers, Huntingtons og Parkinsons sygdom), neuro inflammatorisk (sepsis-induceret encefalopati) og neurologiske lidelser (iskæmisk hjerneskade). Forskning fra 2018 indikerer, at visse terpener (linalool, alpha-pinene og beta-caryophyllene) og CBD i kombination, kan have bedre terapeutisk effekt for disse tilstande. For raske, er det mest interessante i artiklen måske, at CBD også beskytter mod de negative kognitive virkninger, som THC har på indlæringsevnen.[22]
CBD har også vist effekt mod inflammation, i prækliniske studier, også mod føromtalte tilstande, men der mangler stadigvæk mere forskning i effekten på mennesker. [23] CBD har også vist antidepressive egenskaber og potentiale som behandling for angsttilstande.[24][25]
De nævnte terpener, samt en masse andre, er til gengæld til stede i rigelige mængder, i farfars tænke te, sammen med infuceret CBD og terpener fra Bornholmerhampen. Så er mulighederne for en given entourage effekt ihvertfald tilstede. Hvis du sidder og tænker, hvor skal jeg få fat i alt det, udbyder Bornholmerhampen også økologisk Relax te (med mynte, lakridsrod, kamille m.m) og økologisk hampete med citronjernurt.
Forskning fra 2021 har vist lakridsrods (Glycyrrhiza glabra) potentiale som medicin[26] og citronjernurt (Aloysia citrodora) indeholder bla. de nævnte terpener limonen og linalool. Som naturmedicin benyttes citronjernurt mod mavebesvær, nervøsitet, søvnbesvær og forkølelser.[27]
Oktober 2018: Bornholmerhamp, økologisk ingefær, lakridsrodspulver og blomster te.
Essentielle olier med meget menthol/methone fra pebermynte (Mentha piperita), har i et forsøg fra 2018 påvist, at de deltagere der modtog aktivt stof, klarede sig bedre i udfordrende kognitive test, end deltagerne i placebogruppen.[28]
Så, sådan rent hypotetisk, er der vel et vist grundlag for, at kalde den for farfars tænkete. Hvis du har læst med hele vejen, i håbet om en god forklaring på, hvorfor ens prutter lugter af tyggegummi, når der er frisk mynte, løvstikke og CBD i teen, har jeg ikke fundet noget at henvise til, i den refererede forskning. Det beklager jeg, men håber alligevel, det har været interessant læsning.
[IMPORTANT!
The information in the articles/blog should not be equated with therapeutic
medical cannabis treatment. CBD in high doses can influence how the liver metabolize a wide
range of medicines via the cytochrome P450 system in the
liver. If you believe you can benefit from medical
cannabis, or you are included in the target group for medical cannabis
through the pilot scheme (Denmark) then you should contact your own physician, Cannabis Denmark or a
specialist in the field such as Tina Horsted.]
It's been 3 years since I last wrote new posts on the blog, and I have only updated it a few times. My training as a Medical Laboratory Technologist, has taken up most of my time, but it has been 3 educational years, and I am now ready for the final sprint. We only have an optional subject and bachelor project left, and I have been lucky enough, to be allowed to immerse myself in separation techniques (chromatography such as TLC, HPLC, GC, etc.)[1] before we finish.
Working in November 2020 at Skejby AUH.
In all that time, the Danish experiment with medical cannabis has run, and 10,071 prescriptions have been issued in 2.5 years to 2550 people.[2] It is disappointingly low, considering that there are hundreds of thousands of potential patients, who could benefit from medical cannabis, even in the limited target group covered by the trial. There are a lot of challenges, and it is simply too cumbersome, and expensive to get medical cannabis through your own physician.
It is positive, however, that the trial has been extended, but without a better subsidy scheme, more approved products and good knowledge gathering, it is difficult to see a clear path forward. There is widespread criticism, of the doctors' hesitant attitude to prescribing medical cannabis, but as one doctor has told me, it gives serious ethical considerations to prescribe medication, that is so expensive that people risk leaving their home.
I know from personal experience, how stressful it is to live with chronic pain, and what one is willing to do to get rid of them. The Netherlands is far ahead of Denmark, with a price of medical cannabis falling from approx. 44 kr./gram to approx. DKK 17.50 / gram in 2021[3] In comparison, it costs DKK 156.29 / gram for BEDIOL in Denmark.[4]
Considering that BEDIOL is genetically similar to Ruderalis Indica from Sensi Seeds[5], which easily thrives at our latitudes, Henrik Rindom's[6] approach to patients' problem makes sense, and despite the trial scheme, unfortunately still relevant here 4 years later.
When I last updated the post "Literature list of research, with summary in Danish."[7] only 3 approved products were included in the trial scheme, BEDIOL "CannGros", BEDROCAN "CannGross" and BEDICA "CannGross". There were briefly THC drops from STENOCARE, but it was a bit of a scandal and the products are no longer available.[8] Now, almost 2 years later, the supply of approved cannabis products has only been expanded by a further 2.[9]
One product is a duplicate of BEDIOL from Scanleaf approved July 2021, so the only real new offer for patients is Sedeman Aurora Nordic Cannabis with 5 mg THC (dronabinol)[10] extract of cannabis sativa "Pink Kush". This product is of the same dose and type used by the sclerosis patients in MUSEC Trials[11] and in the "Literature list of research, with summary in Danish." describes how the dose is increased over time, to a final dose of 25 mg THC / day. So it’s really a single product update [16.8.2021] in 3 years.
Considering that Aurora Nordic in Odense, for almost a year, has had a permit to export medical cannabis and products to the European market, it is thought-provoking that it must take so long, to approve products for the Danish experimental trials. Patients are patients, regardless of whether they are German or Danish.[12]
When the evidence for beneficial therapeutic effects, are so high for multiple sclerosis patients, it is almost unethical that these patients one year after, for the most part, were still referred to the illegal market, or civil disobedience by growing cannabis themselves.[13] Sadly, not much has happened since.
On NORML's website[14] there is a lot of proper research from 2000 - 2021, and I am looking to see, if I can find something more, that could be relevant to the blog. When the trial scheme does not contain more approved cannabis products, and it is only very limited what diagnoses it covers, it is a bit of a challenge.
In the time since I started using CBD myself in 2012, and in particular after I wrote the first blog posts in 2017, it has been accepted in line with other supplements / vitamins, although the legislation in this area seems strange and arbitrary. In 2012, one was diagnosed with "cannabis addiction syndrome" if one told one's doctor that CBD oil attenuated the genes from one's irritated colon (colon irritabilis). In 2021, you can buy the same type of oil in Matas.[15]
Sinnika Kvamme, whose article on the discovery of the endocannabinoid system is in the sidebar of the blog, has in "Beyond the high: Mapping patterns of use and motives for use of cannabis as medicine" published in June 2021, described the Danes' use of cannabis as medicine, based on a large anonymous questionnaire survey, with over 3,000 participants. 65% of the respondents used CBD oil as a medicine[16] There are still no approved CBD products in the trial scheme, such as Bedrolite® (THC <1.0% | CBD 9%)[17] which in view of the widespread use, points to a bias in the supply in the trial scheme, yet one of many.
When you as a patient are left to the black market, there are many challenges in addition to the stigma, of having to do something illegal. As I said, I have experienced this myself, in connection with my use of CBD, and it did not change until March 2017, when I, together with my doctor, added to my medical record and other case files, that I benefited from CBD. This is also seen clearly by my lab responses, where my leukocyte counts rise and fall, depending on whether I ingested CBD or not.
It also says that I smoke hash occasionally, when the oil is not effective enough. There should more correctly have said cannabis, but it was addressed to the job center, and my doctor was not sure they would understand it. I did what Henrik Rindom recommended the same year, because it was difficult to find help. CBD could alleviate my inflammation and upset stomach, but I had tremors, sensory disturbances, tics and pain, which sometimes also subsided / disappeared when I took cannabis, other times it did not help.
In the fall of 2017, I had concluded that I had to approach the problem much more systematically, when I did not know the content, of cannabis in the cannabis I was using. I was advised to take a look at the Alpha-Cats test kit[18] that uses thin layer chromatography[19] to measure the potency / presence of the 6 most common cannabinoids, Cannabidiol (CBD), Cannabinol (CBN), Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), Cannabigerol (CBG), Cannabichromene (CBC). The founder of Alpha-Cat Sébastien Béguerie demonstrates in the video.
Sébastien Béguerie has a master's degree in plant science, specializing in plant physiology and medical cannabis, and was, unlike the majority of CBD sellers, in fact a person with in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of the field. Different ratios of CBD: THC are used to treat different problems, as a simplified overview here shows.[20]
I also consulted a neurologist via Health Tap[21] with expert knowledge, that gave me better insight into, what it might be at work when I experienced relief, and I read a lot of research. I had access to a varied range, of different varieties of cannabis, as well as extracts, etc., and did a whole series of TLC tests with the Alpha-Cats kit. A few of them can be seen below, with explanations.
I then shared the results with Seb, who made me aware, that the concentration of CBG (Cannabigerol)[22] was very high on some of the tests (primarily extracts), and the relief I experienced might be due to this. CBG, Cannabigerol is the decarboxylated form of cannabigerolic acid from which other cannabinoids are synthesized. Cannabis harvested early has a higher content of CBG, which showed in the result of the TLC test.
It completely changed my perception of what it was I was relieved of, and for months I instead took cannabis in fresh form, which has the great advantage that it does not have a euphoric effect. Recent research from 2018 also suggests that THCA & CBDA may be included in neurological therapy.[23]
I supplemented with CBD from Alpha-Cat and after a few months also CBG, which was a new product at the time.[24][25] By May 2018, a lot of the worst disorders had disappeared, but I still have a chronic inflammatory condition and periodontitis, and my physical injuries still hurt, but the symptoms that resembled degenerative neurological conditions, have not returned. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for me, to complete 3 years of study, with 5 clinical practices at the age of 52 years.
Now that CBD and CBG have become "mainstream", and the legal basis for the products has changed, it is unlikely that I can repeat the experiment with self-medication, but the interest in finding a possible explanation, apart from it went away by itself, has not diminished.
Research from November 2019 has shown the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties of two non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids, cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabidiol (CBD) in relation to the neurodegenerative disease ALS[26] and research from 2015 indicates that cannabis can play a significant role in adult neurogenesis.[27]
Yes, it was probably a thorough summary of what has happened in the last 3 years, and my thoughts on how it has managed to get here, where only one semester of the education is missing.
Never give up, never surrender.
Thomas F. Kortholm - Viking Herbalist August 2021.
