But what about eating it?
I'm not talking about delicious chocolate bars infused with 1 Oz of trim that make you think the sofa is eating you. I'm talking about raw cannabis.
The part of the plant that gets us high is THC as most of you probably know. THC is formed when the THCA in the plant is heated or aged. When we heat it it's called decarboxylation (or burning a fattie) and the THCA is turned to thc and absorbed by our bodies.
So what are the benefits of consuming THCA?
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid - or THCA: There's all ready a great post by keeno on this forum all about THCA so I'll keep to the health benefits of THCA.
There isn’t enough research on THCA to definitively state what it can treat and how efficiently it treats it, but preliminary research and anecdotal evidence suggest that THCA will play an important role in cannabis medicine as the industry propels forward. Here are some of the potential benefits studies have started to unveil:
- Anti-inflammatory properties for treatment of arthritis and lupus
- Neuroprotective properties for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
- Anti-emetic properties for treatment of nausea and appetite loss
- Anti-proliferative properties noted in studies of prostate cancer
- Vitamin K (Essential for blood clotting)
- Vitamin C (Essential for immune systems)
- Iron (Essential for blood oxygenation)
- Calcium (Essential for bones)
- Folate (Essential for DNA repair)
What are antioxidants?
The mayo clinic tells us:
Sound good right? Cannabis is full of antioxidants. The US goverment even has a patent stating so."Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals— molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases."
You can see it here: http://patents.google.com/patent/US6630507
Oxidative stress is something that as we get older happens to our bodies, and the rate at which it happens actually determines how quickly we age and what age related illnesses we get.
So what is it exactly?
According to Nishi Whiteley in her book, ‘Chronic Relief: A Guide to Cannabis for the Terminally & Chronically Ill’, oxidative stress is:
So antioxidants can help prevent cancer and other diseases and slow down the rate at which our cells age. Hence why they have become such a buzz word over the last few years. There's antioxidants in lots of foods (blueberries, dark chocolate, goji berries, kale, strawberries...) and, as we've just read about: cannabis.“a natural process that occurs at the cellular level. When energy is created in the cell, waste products called free radicals are generated. Free radicals also result from stress and exposure to environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke and smog as well as ingested toxins such as fluoride.”
Doing a little research for this I found this simple quote that explains antioxidants very simply:
Numerous studies have found that the cannabinoids in cannabis – specifically tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – display potent antioxidant properties in a variety of pre-clinical applications.Regular intake of antioxidants is a necessity for maintaining good health and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables are still the recommended dietary source. An overwhelming number of studies have linked antioxidant-rich diets to a lower risk for diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and arthritis.
One of the first studies to document these effects was a study published in 1998, which found that cannabinoids could protect neurons from exposure to toxic levels of glutamate – a neurotransmitter that plays a role in a number of neurodegenerative disorders. The study compared cannabinoids head-to-head with antioxidant vitamins C and E and found cannabidiol to be 30-50%(!!!) more effective than either of the vitamins. A follow-up trial published in 2000 showed similar results using animal models instead of cell cultures.
So how do we consume it?
According to Dr. William Courtney, a dietary raw cannabis specialist and a strong believer in the plants healing powers, recommends 15 fresh fan leaves and 2 small buds juiced per day and then added to whatever juice you would like. He then recommends you split that into three parts and drink it over the day. I think that seems a lot and I am not destroying buds unless i'm setting them on fire in my bong.
strawberry and banana smoothie I had for breakfast the other day, yes I used leaves from the strawberry banana plant, no it didn't taste any different from the others
Personally, this is what I do:
Grab a handful of leaves (I keep mine in a ziplock bag in the freezer), they cannot be dried, have to be fresh!!
I put them in the blender with 2 bananas and a handful of berries (usually frozen bags of berries I pick up from supermarket) and a splash of apple juice (thins it out). blend until a smooth, drinkable consistency (adding apple juice as needed) and then down the hatch.
The leaves make it taste a little hempy but not unpleasant at all. If you've ever had an 'innocent' super food smoothie then it's not much different but instead of kale or spinach I use cannabis (which has way more antioxidants).
I do this twice a week just to keep me topped up on my antioxidants and cannabinoids.
So yeah, that's what I do with all my leaves after a defoliation. ziplock bag and in the freezer. Waste not want not. In fact it's gotten to the point where I miss it from my smoothies when I run out. Kale and spinach aren't as tasty.
I hope you find this helpful, it's been a long time since I've written anything and if it's a little convoluted I blame that on writing it in phases.
Any questions go ahead and I'll do my best. This is all new to me too and I'm willing to learn more with anyone.
here's where I researched if you want to have some further info:
https://www.medicaljane.com/category/ca ... h-benefits
http://greentreemedicinals.com/2018/01/ ... -cannabis/
https://www.endoca.com/blog/cannabis-po ... tioxidant/
https://www.leafscience.com/2012/11/01/ ... tioxidant/
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