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There was a time not long ago when we didn’t know a thing about the medicinal uses of the cannabis plant.
In just a few decades, we’ve been flooded with information about a plant that’s been suppressed for nearly a century but is finally being recognized. It’s surprising we didn’t know all this sooner, but in my opinion, it’s great that we’ve finally reached this point.
It makes sense that it took this long since governments around the world have been focused on persecuting rather than utilizing or learning about this beneficial plant. We might not know everything about it, but we know a lot more than we did 40 years ago.
There’s still progress to be made, but we should be glad we’ve come this far.
An Overwhelming Amount of Information
The focus for this report will be the cannabis plant’s medicinal benefits.
I was surprised to be overwhelmed with so much information when I set out to research this subject. This report will be longer than usual, and we still won’t be able to cover everything here.
We’ll tackle as much information as we can, and along the way, we’ll learn about the different kinds of oil extracted from the plant for medicinal, recreational, dietary and industrial use.
It turns out cannabis isn’t just for smoking; little did we know here in the U.S. until recently, its compounds can be extracted and used for the purposes mentioned above and more.
Basic Facts About the Cannabis Plant
In their “Guide to Using Medical Cannabis”, Americans for Safe Access describes cannabis as a flowering plant with fibrous stalks used for paper, rope, clothing and building materials (among other things). (1)
The leaves, flowers and roots can be used medicinally or recreationally, and the seeds are a source of food and fuel. (1)
The leaves and flowers are consumed in various forms, one of which involves the extraction of resin from them. This is achieved through various methods. (1)
When the plant reaches maturity, the leaves and flowers are covered with trichomes: tiny glands of resinous oil that contain cannabinoids and terpenes which provide physical and psychoactive effects. (1)
There are over a hundred different types of cannabinoids and terpenes. (1)
Among them all, THC was the first to be discovered and remains the most popular because it provides the strongest psychoactive effect. (1) The ratio of THC to other cannabinoids varies with different strains. (1)
Well-Known Cannabinoids (That Aren’t THC)
THC has been the primary focus of breeding and research due to its psychoactive and therapeutic effects, but other cannabinoids provide similar effects. (1)
Five other well-known cannabinoids are:
- Cannabidiol (CBD)
- Cannabinol (CBN)
- Cannabichromene (CBC)
- Cannabigerol (CBG)
- Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) (1)