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The idea that plants can always be reduced to merely one of their components is an oversimplification. Ask anyone who smokes marijuana why different 'strains' o

by hmsimha 14y ago

The idea that plants can always be reduced to merely one of their components is an oversimplification. Ask anyone who smokes marijuana why different 'strains' of the plant have different effects, or why Marinol (the pharmaceutical name for THC) is perhaps more dangerous and less helpful or pleasant than the complex cocktail of cannabanoids in their natural delivery[1]. It's also why I'll drink green tea over taking green tea extract any day. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinol#Marinol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinol#Marinol

saalweachter 14y ago
I am surprised you think this is a point in your favor. Yes, the primary active ingredient in marijuana is not sufficient. But you just said different strains of marijuana have different effects. Which strain is most effective for glaucoma? Which strain is most effective for pain management during chemotherapy? Which strain doesn't help with either of those things? The same questions can be asked for any plant. Medicines extracted from plants may not have the exact same effect as those plants, but they are much more predictable. The dose, the benefit, and the side effects can be studied and known. (And there is no reason to think the effect will be worse or weaker: the extra cocktail of chemicals in the plant could either amplify or dampen the primary active ingredients.)
- hmsimha 14y ago
  I don't see how it fails to support my argument that by reducing a plant to one or a handful of alkaloids that represent a fraction of the body of the plants chemical makeup, we risk losing out on some of what the plant has to offer. I don't disagree that sometimes, that can be a good thing. However, it's not always; in the case of Marinol "While there has never been a documented human fatality from overdosing on tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabis in its natural form,[86] Marinol can lead to death" Additionally, the process of isolating and combining the individual components of a plant in order to reproduce observed health benefits of the plant consumed as a whole can be a long and tedious process. Marinol's failure as a good substitute for most people who desire the effects of marijuana is a pretty good example of why, even in this age of science, it is still sometimes better to go back to the source. Green tea extracts, which I also mentioned, frequently consist of Green Tea Catechins, without including, or mentioning whether they contain, L-Theanine, an amino acid in Green tea that has been observed to have nootropic and mood-elevating effects. For someone who wants to reproduce the documented benefits of GTC, by all means go ahead and take the extract. But the benefits of green tea consumed in the traditional way have been enjoyed and observed both in studies over the last few decades, as well as by millions of people over the last thousands of years. Until we've rigorously studied every alkaloid contained in the plant individually, as well as the countless combinations and permutations of those alkaloids (also taking into account the innumerable relative concentrations in which they can be delivered and balanced), it will be hard for science to say whether the components of green tea are present in the most optimal way for X Y Z desired effects

by hmsimha 14y ago

saalweachter 14y ago

I am surprised you think this is a point in your favor. Yes, the primary active ingredient in marijuana is not sufficient. But you just said different strains of marijuana have different effects. Which strain is most effective for glaucoma? Which strain is most effective for pain management during chemotherapy? Which strain doesn't help with either of those things? The same questions can be asked for any plant. Medicines extracted from plants may not have the exact same effect as those plants, but they are much more predictable. The dose, the benefit, and the side effects can be studied and known. (And there is no reason to think the effect will be worse or weaker: the extra cocktail of chemicals in the plant could either amplify or dampen the primary active ingredients.)

hmsimha 14y ago
I don't see how it fails to support my argument that by reducing a plant to one or a handful of alkaloids that represent a fraction of the body of the plants chemical makeup, we risk losing out on some of what the plant has to offer. I don't disagree that sometimes, that can be a good thing. However, it's not always; in the case of Marinol "While there has never been a documented human fatality from overdosing on tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabis in its natural form,[86] Marinol can lead to death" Additionally, the process of isolating and combining the individual components of a plant in order to reproduce observed health benefits of the plant consumed as a whole can be a long and tedious process. Marinol's failure as a good substitute for most people who desire the effects of marijuana is a pretty good example of why, even in this age of science, it is still sometimes better to go back to the source. Green tea extracts, which I also mentioned, frequently consist of Green Tea Catechins, without including, or mentioning whether they contain, L-Theanine, an amino acid in Green tea that has been observed to have nootropic and mood-elevating effects. For someone who wants to reproduce the documented benefits of GTC, by all means go ahead and take the extract. But the benefits of green tea consumed in the traditional way have been enjoyed and observed both in studies over the last few decades, as well as by millions of people over the last thousands of years. Until we've rigorously studied every alkaloid contained in the plant individually, as well as the countless combinations and permutations of those alkaloids (also taking into account the innumerable relative concentrations in which they can be delivered and balanced), it will be hard for science to say whether the components of green tea are present in the most optimal way for X Y Z desired effects