by Chris Conrad
The resin of cannabis has been recommended as a diversion for those prone to alcohol abuse, to stimulate conversation, and to excite sensuality between marriage partners. Frederick Hollick’s Marriage Guide recommended the consumption of hashish for marriages in trouble, since it was a sexual stimulant “of extraordinary power.”8 In sexual impotence not caused by disease, cannabis was prescribed in combination with strychnine or nux vomica and ergot. It appears that cannabis’s reputation as a sexual stimulant, described in great detail in the ancient Hindu Bhagavat-purana,9 has both physical and psychological aspects.10 Measurements of the testes of dogs who were given cannabis resin found that the resulting vascular dilatation increased blood supply to the gonads, which researchers associated with increased glandular activity and concluded that, “it is probable that, in this sense, hemp should be regarded as a true aphrodisiac.”11 However, it was further noted that the dogs did not behave as if they were under the influence of an aphrodisiac. Hence, the mechanism in cannabis that causes sexual arousal in humans might be psychological rather than physical. Once the initial arousal is achieved, the vasodilation will continue to enhance the flow of blood to the genitalia, thereby filling out the erection in the male and stimulating the production of vaginal fluids in the female. Cannabis does not, however, lead to the uncontrollable sexual urges implied by the old “reefer madness” anti-marijuana propaganda. Individuals remain in full control of, and fully responsible for, their activities.
METABOLISM, ELIMINATION, AND DISPOSAL
What goes in must come out, and cannabis is no exception to the rule. The body acts quickly to reject and expel harmful foreign substances, if necessary by vomiting or diarrhea. Benign substances, on the other hand, are processed slowly, so the body can utilize any possible nutritional or medicinal compounds. Cannabis is so safe and nontoxic that the body is in no hurry to get rid of it. Human metabolism regards cannabinoids like butter or any other fatty compound that has been consumed by the patient. It has even been suggested that this slow disposal process explains why it is virtually impossible to become physically addicted to cannabis; the cannabinoids don’t leave the system fast enough to cause severe withdrawal symptoms such as painful cravings.12 Both eaten and smoked cannabis are detectable for days in the feces and for weeks in the urine, long after resination wears off.13 It leaves a long-term trace in human hair that can be detected for years on end.
Immediately after being inhaled as smoke, cannabinoids are transferred to the blood, carried to the left heart chamber, and shipped out to the arteries. From here the THC is mixed with a relatively small volume of arterial blood and pumped directly to the brain. Cerebral blood flow is large, and the brain is a fatty organ, so THC is promptly absorbed into the lipids of the brain tissue, which initiates the psychoactive experience. The rapid buildup of active compounds in the brain is followed by their steady reduction. This process explains the relative intensity and brevity of the peak effect, which is followed by an extended period of milder subjective effects, followed by a return to normalcy.
The THC remaining in the blood undergoes two additional processes as it works its way through the body: treatment and disposal. Some reaches the liver, where a portion of it is chemically altered and rendered inert with each pass. As the circulatory system runs its cycle, more and more THC is deactivated and removed from the blood supply. Soon, the cannabinoid concentration in the blood drops below that in the brain and an osmotic exchange occurs in which the chemical flow reverses direction and moves THC from the brain back into the blood. The resinous effects diminish in the course of a few hours, as metabolites become inert and are redistributed more evenly throughout the body. Most accumulate in other fatty organs, particularly in adipose tissue—less politely known as common body fat. The inert compounds do not cause a high, but are sealed in fatty compounds and stored safely away with no further effect on the system. They accumulate in fat deposits at concentrations up to at least twenty times greater than in any other organ. The accumulation and removal of inert metabolites is particularly slow in the fat tissue, because blood flow to these depots is low. However, these processes steadily remove cannabinoids from the blood and transfer them to urine or fecal matter. The slow release of these stored inert substances results in the persistent appearance of THC metabolites in the urine for weeks after use of cannabis medicines.14
To study the metabolism and chemical transformation of THC in human subjects, researchers intravenously injected tracer doses of radiation-tagged THC into three subjects. Metabolites appeared in the bloodstream within ten minutes. Active levels in the plasma declined rapidly during the first hour after injection and more slowly thereafter. The researchers followed its course through blood, urine, and feces, and found that it was completely metabolized by the body. Negligible amounts of actual THC were excreted; instead, the metabolite 11-hydroxyl-9-THC appeared, along with cannabinol and other, more polar compounds.15 The rapid decline in the first few hours probably represents metabolism and a redistribution of THC from the blood to body tissues, including the brain. This is followed by a slow decline over the next three days, which presumably represents retention and slow release from tissue stores. Over a period of eight days, 30 percent are excreted in the urine and 50 percent in the feces. Most are excreted in the first few days, and the remaining 20 percent are removed over the next seven or eight weeks. Various research reports have been published on drug testing, demonstrating that blood tests for cannabinoids are better indicators of resination than are urine tests, because cannabinoids in the blood are active, but the metabolites found in urine are inert.16
DEHYDRATION AND DIURETIC EFFECTS
We know that, as cannabis resin works its way through various body systems, it dries the mucus passages, the eyes, and the palate. Where does all that fluid go? It is used to flush out the system by increasing the flow of urine. This urine carries inert cannabinoid metabolites with it. Cannabis is a mild diuretic, as demonstrated by a study in which a healthy man was fed a diet for five days in which both the solids and liquids were kept constant in terms of quantity and kind. His urine was collected and measured while he was smoking cannabis on a daily basis, and a significant increase of urine output was demonstrated.
TOPICAL APPLICATIONS
Topical application means that a medicine is applied to the surface of the body rather than being consumed internally. A small amount may be dropped into the ear or rubbed into the skin, but the remedy is neither smoked nor eaten. For example, the flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant comprise a common topical folk remedy for the relief of swollen joints, inflammation, fever, infection, superficial injuries, burns, and rheumatism. In Mexico and Central America, cannabis leaves soaked in alcohol have traditionally been wrapped around aching, arthritic joints.
Czechoslovakian scientists discovered that the juicy resin pressed from flowering industrial hemp plants with ripe seeds, rich in CBD, is remarkably effective as an analgesic for burns and as an antibiotic against bacterial infections that might invade a wound or the ear, nose, and throat.17 One researcher injured his thumb in the dissecting room and came down with an infection that was resistant to all available treatments. As amputation was being considered, his doctors decided to give the cannabis extract a try and found that it killed the infection, promoted healing, and saved the finger. The extract was also found to help control oral herpes and ulcerative gingivitis. Extracts of unripe cannabis tops demonstrated antibiotic activity against certain bacteria and fungi.18 Bacteria-stopping and bacteria-killing properties have also been demonstrated in test tube studies that pit the cannabinoids against positive bacterial cultures.19 CBD was found to be effective against strains of staphylococcus that were resistant to penicillin and other antibiotics.
Direct contact with THC killed herpes-virus lab cultures in a 1990 study at the University of South Florida.20 There are anecdotal reports that a homemade alcohol-based tincture or poultice of cannabis can help clear up attacks of genital herpes, a
lthough the alcohol itself can be painful.
Ultimately it may turn out that the most beneficial aspect of using cannabis to treat some cancer may not be its ability to control pain, nausea, and sleeplessness, but a much more direct application. An experiment was conducted in the 1970s in which the lungs of mice were injected with cancer cells that grew into tumors. After -9-THC, -8-THC, or cannabinol was applied, the tumors shrank by 25 to 82 percent, depending on dose and duration of the treatment, with a corresponding increase in survival time.21 Other animal studies also suggest that certain cannabinoids have tumor-reducing properties. Although there are no human studies to date, this could be a very exciting field of future research.
Ears
Cannabis has been used to treat maladies of the ears since antiquity. Two important Roman physicians of the second century A.D., Pliny the Elder and Galen, documented their use of cannabis to treat ear problems. The combination of antiseptic, antiinflammatory, and analgesic effects of CBD and THC explains why, according to Galen, “Some squeeze its juice when fresh and use it as an analgesic for ear pains.”
In England, the 1645 Compleat Herbal suggested using cannabis juice to eliminate “earwigs,” an unpleasant affliction that was a problem for quite a long time. Culpeper’s 1814 Complete Herbal agrees that the seeding flower is “Very good to kill the worms in men and beasts; and the juice dropped into the ears kills worms in them, and draws forth earwigs or other living creatures.”
Warmed, but not hot, hempseed oil can be combined with ethyl alcohol, peroxide, and glycerine and dropped gently into the ear canal to soften ear wax and loosen hardened wax buildup. Shake just before using. Hold the patient’s head at an angle to pour in the remedy, and let the oils saturate and soften the wax. After a few minutes, tilt the head back the other way to drain the ear, using a dropper to flush the ear canal with very warm water to remove the softened excess earwax. Repeat if necessary. This should be done every eight to twelve weeks to maintain the cleanliness of the ear.
Seed Oil Applications
The Greek historian Herodotus described Scythians in 450 B.C. using hemp to purify and cleanse themselves, which “makes their skin shining and clean.”22 Today, a growing number of hempseed-based personal hygiene products are on the market as soaps, shampoos, salves, cosmetics, and other skin and hair care items. A major area of research on essential fatty acids (EFAs) concerns their use in treating epidermal conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, marked by dry patches of raw or flaking skin. Direct application of EFAs has repeatedly demonstrated substantial improvement in skin smoothness, using both seed oils and omega-3-rich fish oils.23 Since hempseed oil contains substantial amounts of omega-3, it is an excellent resource of oil for making therapeutic lotions and massage oils. The penetrating and replenishing nature of the oil on the skin also makes hempseed oil an excellent ingredient for lip balms to prevent chapping and dehydration, right down to the cellular level.
Hempseed is 30 to 35 percent oil, and a gallon of its oil weighs almost exactly eight pounds. In addition to foods, cooking oil, and dressings, industry uses this oil for making paints and varnishes, as well as ointments, lotions, and creams.24 The importance of cleaning an injury with a good soap is well established, so hemp-based soaps have a direct medical utility. Adding CBD could produce antibiotic soaps. Cannabis medications can be applied directly to a cleaned wound, and even wrapped in hemp bandaging.
The Root of the Matter
Like ginger and ginseng, cannabis has a healthy root system that has proven beneficial to humanity. The New English Dispensatory of 1764 recommends boiling cannabis roots in water and directly applying the resulting paste to skin inflammations, both to soothe the injury and facilitate healing. The boiled root was also applied as a poultice to soothe joint pains and reduce inflammations. Another recommendation from about the same time period involved fresh hemp root crushed and mixed in butter to produce a topical cream that was applied to burns and abrasions.25
An important note of caution is due here. The root is only suited for external use. It is poisonous if consumed internally, and once figured in the political intrigues of medieval India.
Chapter 11
Nutritious, Healthy Hempseed
The seed is the core of life and vitality. It transmits the DNA, reproduces the species, and nourishes the hemp seedling until the plant takes root in the nurturing earth and sends its tender shoot toward the heavens. Some suggest that the edible hempseed was discovered by our prehuman ancestors. Others, such as Carl Sagan, have contended that perhaps it was the very process of gathering and spilling hempseed around the seasonal campsites that led our nomadic forebears to invent agriculture, laying the foundation for the development of human culture and, thus, the birth of civilization.1
However it began, hempseed is a health-care product for the ages. The ancient Shinto priests used it in religious foods, such as asanomi. The National Institute of Oilseed Products told Congress in 1937 that hempseed “is used in all the Oriental nations and also in a part of Russia as food. It is grown in their fields and used as oatmeal. Millions of people every day are using hempseed in the Orient as food. They have been doing this for many generations, especially in periods of famine.”2 Drinking beverages made with boiled hempseed has been featured in the medical literature for millennia as a soothing remedy for coughs and throat irritations. Eating the seeds lubricates the bowels and is a traditional treatment for constipation, diarrhea, and digestive problems. Future investigations into the uses of hempseed oil’s essential fatty acids are likely to look into many of the applications mentioned above, and to extend clinical research into arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, ulcers, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, and more.
Hempseeds
“Let food be your medicine. Let your medicine be your food,” wrote Hippocrates. Yet the way food is selected and prepared has drastically changed over the past century. Food had traditionally been prepared in simple, seasonal combinations. Freshness was a primary concern. Today, foods are mechanically processed into complex combinations and treated with preservatives to increase shelf life and usability. Most Americans are deficient in trace minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids, but eat too much unhealthy fat, too few complex carbohydrates, too many empty calories, and too many unnecessary food additives. Hempseed is a tasty and healthy food item that fits comfortably into any diet regimen. It is a high-protein fruit that contains a preferred nutritional ratio for bipeds, both human and bird. It provides a rare and valuable combination of essential fatty acids that are now missing from most people’s daily eating routine. At the same time, the direct nutritional use of hempseed is in resurgence. Rediscovered historical records and new data are emerging that remind us of how important this seed oil is to our diet.
A broad range of symptoms that arise from linoleic acid deficiency have recently been described by Udo Erasmus, including infections, impaired wound healing, retarded growth, miscarriage, male sterility, skin eruptions, arthritic symptoms, disturbed behavior, thirst with water loss through the skin, glandular dehydration, liver or kidney degeneration, cardiac problems, poor blood circulation, and hair loss.3 Compare his list to the recently translated uses of hempseed found in a four-hundred-year-old medieval Chinese medical text, the Pen T’sao Kang Mu (or Ben Cao Gang Mu).
To mend and help all of the central areas, and benefit the chi. The Ancients used this medicine to remain fertile, strong and vigorous, and not be subject to aging. . . . It has the capacity to cure neurologic impairment due to stroke and the problems of excess sweating which it brings on. It has the power to cure dropsy and its accumulation of diluted lymph. It improves the urinary tract and the passing of urine. It can break up long-standing problems with the blood flow. It will restore the blood, the pulse, and the veins and arteries. It will alleviate retained placenta illness in mothers just beginning to suckle their infants. If one’s head is washed with this, the hair will accelerate its growth, and be pro
perly balanced with just the right amount of moisture.4
This great medical compendium of the Ming dynasty devoted a major section exclusively to hempseed and its “calming” effect on human physiology. It gives detailed recipes for hempseed remedies, and it is to these and other ancient formulas that the largest population on Earth owes much of its health. Clinical use of the cultivar ma zi, grown primarily for seed production, extends deep into the history of Chinese medicine. It was listed among the superior elixirs of immortality that are inherently nontoxic and can be taken for long or even indefinite periods of time. One variety of hemp, originally from Mao Luo Island in the Eastern Sea, was said to produce seeds of the “highest quality” that grew to the size of garden peas. This does not mean that everyone in China was having a psychoactive experience, however, since virtually all the plant’s foliage was immediately composted to maintain soil quality.
EATING HEMPSEED
Hempseed is a primary food source that aids digestion. There are five general methods for preparing foods from hempseed: using whole seed, milling the seed, sprouting the seed, de-hulling the seed, and using the oil directly. When thoroughly cleaned, not even the most potent marijuana-type cannabis seed contains detectable amounts of the psychoactive chemical THC.5 Cannabis plant lines that are grown for bearing the highest yields of hempseed are not selected to be high in THC content. Moreover, even the most resinous cannabis flower is shed by the plant as its seeds mature, and the dried remnants are simply brushed aside as the fruit is washed, prepared, and consumed. If properly cleaned, there is no residue left in the food item. Richard Rose, CEO of Sharon’s Finest, explained what happened when his company introduced a hempseed-based cheese substitute called HempRella. “We had a Department of Justice lab in Oakland, California, test the product for THC, which they did and it was negative. They also ate some of it and the next day tested their urine for marijuana, and it too was negative. They felt that HempRella would not cause one to test positive for marijuana. By extension one could say the hempseeds would also not cause one to test positive.”