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Sativa is probably the better strain for pain relief, as it contains primarily THC (which is analgesic), whereas indicas contain roughly equal amounts of THC an

by scythe 12y ago

Sativa is probably the better strain for pain relief, as it contains primarily THC (which is analgesic), whereas indicas contain roughly equal amounts of THC and CBD (which is anxiolytic and sedative). A lot has been said in this debate and a sort of misguided idea that has been floating around lately is that the therapeutic effects of cannabis are entirely due to CBD, but this is not the case. Current thinking is that the cannabinoid receptor type 1 -- CB1 -- is responsible for analgesic (anti-pain) and recreational properties, while CB2 is responsible for antiinflammatory effects; these are both targeted by THC, not CBD. CBD binds to a novel binding site GPR55 (iirc) and to 5-ht1a, which is believed to be partially responsible for the prosocial effects of MDMA, but not to cannabinoid receptors. Wrt. cancer, a bad summary is that THC activates some parts of the body's natural cancer defenses via CB2 (all CB2 agonists do so) and CBD might have some strange, mechanism-not-yet-determine antiproliferative activity. However, these effects may be too modest to be practically useful (who knows?); cancers easily become resistant to CB2 agonists. While I'm blabbering I might as well dispense with the idea propounded by some that cannabis should only be used medically in the form of precisely calibrated extract compositions: this idea, while attractive, is simply too expensive, and unfair to poor people seeking pain relief, somnolescence, etc. However, from what I've seen here today, it might not be bad to try to implement a system where doctors can prescribe a specific terpenoid ratio w.r.t. THC, CBD, and THCV; the last is an antagonist and may give strains a "ceiling" effect, which can be useful if people need to smoke all day for some reason.

ewoodrich 12y ago
Indicas don't contain roughly equal amounts of THC and CBD -- the difference between the two is at least an order of magnitude. An exemplar indica might have 20% THC and 1.5% CBD, which would be considered an extremely high level of CBD. Your main point is still valid though, I just wanted to make the relative quantities clear. Some nonspecific examples of tested strain concentration: https://budgenius.com/strains.html?tab=0&high_rating=0&sleep_aid=0&pain_relief=0&nausea_relief=0&anxiety_relief=0&appetite_stimulation=0&location=&coordinates=&radius=10 https://budgenius.com/strains.html?tab=0&high_rating=0&sleep...
- scythe 12y ago
  > An exemplar indica might have 20% THC and 1.5% CBD, which would be considered an extremely high level of CBD. https://budgenius.com/ATF-B-Shangri-La-Farms-BG0010001EB64.html https://budgenius.com/ATF-B-Shangri-La-Farms-BG0010001EB64.h... https://budgenius.com/Titan-OG-7-Points-Medical-BG0010001EE99.html https://budgenius.com/Titan-OG-7-Points-Medical-BG0010001EE9... Many strains according to this site of yours certainly seem to contain significantly more than 1.5% CBD. Ditto this study: http://www.amjbot.org/content/91/6/966.full http://www.amjbot.org/content/91/6/966.full ... which doesn't include any modern US strains but provides strong support for the idea that there are plants with large amounts of both CBD and THC. I actually may have made a separate mistake... >Elevated levels of CBDV and/or THCV were much more common in plants of C. indica than in plants of C. sativa. Plants with elevated levels of THCV, sometimes exceeding THC, were detected in all four biotypes of C. indica, but not in all accessions. So my memory has failed me, or the common-wisdom I absorbed: Cannabis indica contains more of both THC and CBD than Cannabis sativa, but also contains larger amounts (and proportion) of the antagonist homologue THCV. And modern strains are all really hybrids anyway.
  - ewoodrich 12y ago
    Hmm, to be honest, I've never encountered any strain above 1.5% or so CBD, so that takes me by surprise, a bit. I also have access to a fairly diverse selection of MMJ options in a permissive state, so I'm surprised I haven't seen any strains like that. Learn something new every day, I suppose. I appreciate the info - I'll keep on the look out.

by scythe 12y ago

ewoodrich 12y ago

Indicas don't contain roughly equal amounts of THC and CBD -- the difference between the two is at least an order of magnitude. An exemplar indica might have 20% THC and 1.5% CBD, which would be considered an extremely high level of CBD. Your main point is still valid though, I just wanted to make the relative quantities clear. Some nonspecific examples of tested strain concentration: https://budgenius.com/strains.html?tab=0&high_rating=0&sleep_aid=0&pain_relief=0&nausea_relief=0&anxiety_relief=0&appetite_stimulation=0&location=&coordinates=&radius=10 https://budgenius.com/strains.html?tab=0&high_rating=0&sleep...

scythe 12y ago
> An exemplar indica might have 20% THC and 1.5% CBD, which would be considered an extremely high level of CBD. https://budgenius.com/ATF-B-Shangri-La-Farms-BG0010001EB64.html https://budgenius.com/ATF-B-Shangri-La-Farms-BG0010001EB64.h... https://budgenius.com/Titan-OG-7-Points-Medical-BG0010001EE99.html https://budgenius.com/Titan-OG-7-Points-Medical-BG0010001EE9... Many strains according to this site of yours certainly seem to contain significantly more than 1.5% CBD. Ditto this study: http://www.amjbot.org/content/91/6/966.full http://www.amjbot.org/content/91/6/966.full ... which doesn't include any modern US strains but provides strong support for the idea that there are plants with large amounts of both CBD and THC. I actually may have made a separate mistake... >Elevated levels of CBDV and/or THCV were much more common in plants of C. indica than in plants of C. sativa. Plants with elevated levels of THCV, sometimes exceeding THC, were detected in all four biotypes of C. indica, but not in all accessions. So my memory has failed me, or the common-wisdom I absorbed: Cannabis indica contains more of both THC and CBD than Cannabis sativa, but also contains larger amounts (and proportion) of the antagonist homologue THCV. And modern strains are all really hybrids anyway.
- ewoodrich 12y ago
  Hmm, to be honest, I've never encountered any strain above 1.5% or so CBD, so that takes me by surprise, a bit. I also have access to a fairly diverse selection of MMJ options in a permissive state, so I'm surprised I haven't seen any strains like that. Learn something new every day, I suppose. I appreciate the info - I'll keep on the look out.