the "c" word

Cannabis...As you may have seen if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, I recently started sharing my introduction to CBD oil.

Clearly, I more than dapple in what many consider “alternative therapies” (essential oils, supplements, herbs, yoga, meditation/prayer, Reiki), so this has actually been a longtime coming.

My concerns – as it is with everything I put in, on or around my body – are whether or not any product contains toxins or compounds harmful to me and the environment, of course. Also, whether a product comes from a reliable, reputable source.

So, I waited. And, waited again.

When I finally discovered some products held to the highest standards in the industry, I did a bit more research and decided to give the CBD oil items a try.

Like most of us, I’ve heard all the slang. I thought I knew what hemp, marijuana, CBD and THC were. But, a hit of the google bar first left me confused and then, after deeper digging, clarified.

Truthfully, there’s misinformation out there so put on your “thinking cap” for a condensed overview of terms like Cannabis, hemp and marijuana, plus an intro to CBD and THC.

A member of the plant Family Cannabaceae, the genus Cannabis is actually comprised of three species:
1.     Cannabis sativa (C. sativa - what we’re exploring here)
2.     Cannabis indica (C. indica)
3.     Cannabis ruderalis (C. ruderalis)

I told you to put your thinking caps on! For those who learn visually – largest to smallest:

Cannabaceae (family)

Cannabis (genus)

C. sativa          C. inidica         C. ruderalis (species)

Both what we call hemp and marijuana are really C. sativa.

Hemp is a term used for Cannabis plants containing 0.3% or less of THC by dry weight and is sometimes called industrial hemp because, as one of the fastest growing plants on the planet,  it can be developed into clothing, textiles, biodegradable plastics, biofuel, food, animal feed, paint, insulation and paper.

Thus, it’s used industrially.

Technically, it is not another strain of Cannabis, just C. sativa that does not produce a psychotropic effect.

Interestingly, archeologists date the first spun hemp fibers to some 10,000 years ago!
The term marijuana actually has racist origins* and is slang used to classify varieties of Cannabis that contain more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. These plants/products can induce what we call a “high”.

*When more than a million Mexican immigrants migrated to the US between 1910 and 1920 to flee Mexican Revolution, anti-Mexican sentiments took hold and the word “’marijuana’ arose as a negative correlation of its use by Mexican immigrants.” CDBOrigin.

Because they are "varieties" of the same Cannabis plant species, marijuana and hemp are similar and can look alike which has led to confusion, laws, arrests, seizing of plants, fear, hype, etc.

What really differentiates hemp from marijuana are the levels of chemical compounds in the plants. While both plants can produce significant quantities of a compound known as CBD, they contain extremely different amounts of the compound THC.
 
What does this mean? It means that hemp, at 0.3% or less THC, does not produce a high whereas marijuana, which can contain up to 30% THC, can.

For clarification, CBD is short for cannabidiol and is found in Cannabis sativa as one of about 113 identified cannabinoids. It accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is also one of these 100+ cannabinoids and was discovered to be the compound producing the psychotropic effects (euphoria/high) in marijuana.

I know, take a breath, dab on some CBD oil…it’ll be okay.

And, what does ALL that mean?

It means we are NOT talking about products containing significant amounts of THC, but rather products that contain therapeutic levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and are being used for purposes related to health and wellbeing…all without the buzz.

Stay-tuned to Insta (NourishedPath) and Facebook (BlossomWithOils) for my check-ins on the CBD products I’ve started using and the next blog post about our friends in the Cannabis family.

For more information on CBD oil, full spectrum hemp oils and #PalemttoHempology products, or the #CharlesronHempCompany, please email [email protected].

Image: Charleston Hemp Company.

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