Cannabis
Disease will never overwhelm you if your determination to be healthy is strong enough.
Cannabis: Good or bad?
Many people have heard of friends or family members with cancer using cannabis to alleviate nausea, stimulate appetite, and promote deeper sleep. And the plant most certainly does all these things, which can bring much relief to those suffering. What most people don’t know, however, is that there are a considerable number of studies circulating that suggest Cannabis can do so much more for cancer patients. I know it’s difficult to believe, being told over and over again that cancer is absolutely incurable, but cannabis has been shown in studies to actually kill cancer cells. I’ve had many people roll their eyes in disbelief when I mention this little fact, and you may be one of them. I don’t blame you. We’ve not been taught anything beyond the idea that nothing can cure cancer, and nothing is as effective as radiation and chemo. I am here to tell you that is simply not true.
I apply a range of modalities to cancer patients including nutritional and lifestyle adjustments, supplements, and herbs. I have found, however, that cannabis continues to be the most effective means in helping clients reach remission. I understand this is a bold statement, and I speak simply from personal experience. I do not make any claims of curing or treating cancer, I simply speak of the results I have seen. I will clarify, also, that it is not just any cannabis product that works against cancer cells so effectively – it is one product in particular. A product that is so very slowly gaining attention called Rick Simpson Oil, originally called Phoenix Tears by the man, Rick Simpson, himself.
What you are about to read might be a bit difficult to digest, and I will try to explain it as simply as possible. The purpose of this blog is not to overwhelm or confuse you. It is simply to offer you the facts that can be found through reading numerous lengthy and heavy scientific studies; to show you that there are very real and powerful actions occurring within the cancer cells when cannabis is applied. I have read through countless such studies. I have been studying this plant for several years now, and I continue to be amazed by its abilities.
The Chemistry
All livings things have a vital regulatory system called the endocannabinoid system. This system is responsible for monitoring and regulating many aspects of basic physiological and cognitive function. Its role is to maintain a state of homeostasis, and its actions affect such areas as sleep, immune function, communication between cells, hormone production and balance, pain, and appetite. It is a sort of feedback loop that tells neurons when they are malfunctioning. For example, the signals of pain, hunger, sleepiness, or happiness may be out of balance resulting in too much or too little of any of these experiences. So, take someone in excruciating pain – if the pain signal through the body is malfunctioning, firing too fast or too strong (sending too many pain signals), the endocannabinoid system communicates backwards telling the previous neuron to slow down. Again, all living things have this system and it is crucial to our survival. Dissecting the word, endo- means internal and cannabinoid is a set of chemicals that, as you may have guessed, exist in the Cannabis plant. So, to put it simply, the Cannabis plant contains chemicals that interact directly with a system within our bodies that regulate proper function and encourage homeostasis. Pretty cool, huh?
Cannabis is made up of at least 113 cannabinoids, along with many other vitamins, minerals and a large variety of phytochemicals - meaning chemicals “of plant origin”. The most notable cannabinoids include THC, CBD, CBC, CBN, CBDa, THCa, THC-V and CBG.
To understand how certain cannabinoids kill cancer, let’s cover a few basic biological characteristics of cancer cells. The major defining characteristic of cancer cells is that they do not die; they do not undergo the natural cell death cycle called apoptosis. The lifespan of cells varies greatly, in most cases from a few hours to a few months. Cancer cells, however, are mutated human cells which lose that genetic code (or activation) which controls their life cycle. This allows them to essentially live forever and continue dividing, creating more cells with this death-proof genetic code. CBD, THC, and few other cannabinoids are known to induce apoptosis only in cancer cells, leaving healthy cells alive, well and unaffected.
THC & CBD
Cannabinoids have the ability to kill cancer cells in several ways, two notably: through mechanisms affecting the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Some of you may be scratching your heads here. Let’s think back to biology class… The mitochondria provides energy (ATP) to the cell, essentially giving it life and vitality to do its work, while the ER synthesizes metabolites and proteins, which nourish and sustain the cell. To put it in slightly more simply terms, every life on earth ultimately requires two things, energy and food, which the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum provide every cell, respectively. Now, do you recall the term “receptor”? Receptors are entry points/sites on the cell membrane that communicate with the outside world of the cell. They identify certain necessary chemicals or nutrients and escort them into the cell. So, when CB1 (cannabinoid 1) receptors on the cells are activated by THC and escort the molecule inward, it triggers the increased production of another molecule called ceramide. Alright, stay with me. Ceramide has become a hot topic in cancer treatment because it has been shown to play a role in cell differentiation (identifying the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells), growth suppression, cell senescence (the loss of a cell’s power to divide and grow), and apoptosis (cell death).
The increase of ceramide in the cell triggers a cascade of various proapoptotic (pro cell death) activity in the mitochondria. This cascade includes the release of such specifics as ATP (energy) depletion, cytochrome c, reactive oxygen species, apoptosis-inducing factor, and procaspases, among others. The point in mentioning these specifics is not to understand the details of each factor. So, don’t think too much into them, but simply acknowledge that multiple actions are at play in the ultimate demise of the cell when THC is introduced. The increase of ceramide also disrupts the metabolism of calcium in the mitochondria. If the mitochondria cannot metabolize (breakdown) calcium, concentration of calcium in the cell increases which directly and strongly contributes to cell death. It is important to note that healthy cells do not have this response to THC.
Now, CBD kills cancer cells through entirely different mechanisms. CBD induces stress upon the endoplasmic reticulum’s structure and function by also disrupting calcium metabolism and releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS). This ROS was mentioned previously… the importance of this fact is that high concentration of these molecules trigger cell death, as does the increased concentration of calcium when it is not effectively metabolized. CBD was shown in other studies to affect the mitochondria in similar ways as THC, and intensify the activity of a specific cell death event called Caspase Cascade. We’re almost through with the big words… I promise! Caspase Cascade essentially (1) destroys necessary proteins within the cell, (2) disassembles and (3) kills the cell, and even (4) completely consumes/digests the cell and (5) removes all cell debris. Again, healthy cells are not negatively affected by CBD, only cancer cells. It is also beneficial to mention that through similar mechanisms of disrupting the function of the endoplasmic reticulum, CBD has been shown to effectively induce apoptosis in rogue cells present in both liver and pulmonary fibrosis.
The release of ceramide affects various crucial survival mechanism of the cancer cell, making it impossible for the cell to continue living and dividing. Maintaining a fine balance of calcium and ROS levels within the cell also have a powerful effect on the cell’s survival. Between function disruption of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, the triggering of ROS, ceramide release, and Caspase Cascade, and the inhibition of calcium metabolism, THC and CBD directly contribute to the death of cancer cells.
But, wait, there’s a little more! They also trigger the immune system to produce cells that seek out and destroy cancer cells. And CBD, specifically, inhibits the breakdown of one of our own endocannabinoids - anandamide - allowing our body’s own medicinal compound to reach higher levels of concentration in the body, offering even greater benefit. These endocannabinoids, as the word suggests, have the same therapeutic affect as (phyto)cannabinoids found in Cannabis. And if this isn't enough *wink*, THC and CBD also inhibit tumor growth by hijacking a pathway called lipoxygenase, as well as inhibit metastasis (the spreading of tumors) by inhibiting the release of a gene called Id-1 gene. Okay… now we’re finished! So, basically, there are multiple means of stopping and destroying cancer cells mentioned here and the synergistic application of THC and CBD addresses every one of these means.
FECO & RSO (Rick Simpsom Oil)
FECO (full extract cannabis oil) and RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) are highly-concentrated forms of cannabis in which the whole plant is extracted and used. This process offers a broad spectrum or full-spectrum representation of the full cannabinoid and terpene profile found in that cannabis strain or cultivar. The main difference between FECO and RSO ultimately boils down to the solvent used when the cannabis is processed during the extraction process.
Other than the choice of solvents used, the full extraction of cannabinoids for both RSO and FECO is roughly the same. The extraction process with solvents is relatively simple. Raw cannabis flower is placed in a solvent and the trichome heads in the liquid separate from the plant material. The solvent is then purged or evaporated off in a desiccator, vacuum pump, or vacuum oven which creates a pure resin extract.
What is FECO?
The traditional method for FECO (full extract cannabis oil) uses ethanol to extract all the terpenes, cannabinoids, THC/CBD, and other beneficial elements found in cannabis. FECO is produced at low temperatures and is often extracted utilizing ethanol or CO2 as a solvent. Through the use of this process, more of the cannabinoids are retained in the remaining resin extract.
What is RSO?
RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) on the other hand, uses naphtha. RSO is typically produced at higher temperatures and traditionally utilizes either alcohol or naphtha as a solvent. With high temperatures being used to boil off the solvent, many of the plant terpenes are lost in this process. However, RSO does typically retain a greater amount of chlorophyll and the less evaporative plant compounds. This can result in an end product with very high levels of cannabinoids.
What are the potential benefits?
Depending on your particular needs, one product may work better for you than another. Both RSO and FECO are used for their health benefits for individuals who need regular pain management, chronic ailments or inflammation. As the strongest medical cannabis product on the market, FECO oil and RSO oil also provide what’s called “The Entourage Effect”. With over 500 chemical compounds in cannabis, there are roughly 100 that are related to cannabinoids. Many medical researchers are discovering and suggesting that complete cannabinoid and terpene profiles found in a single product, can have some therapeutic value and benefits. Stating that they have a synergistic effect that aid each other.
The recommended serving size for each product is a rice-grain-sized dose. Since the products are a cannabis concentrate, they can be taken orally, like applying directly underneath the tongue or add to a beverage, topped on food, or baked into a recipe. RSO may be ingested orally through a capsule, mixed into food or drink, or consumed as is. It may also be diluted with an ointment or lotion for topical absorption.
Why RSO?
Cannabis consist of fat- and water-soluble compounds, as do all livings things. Other solvents used to extract the plant’s compounds when making butter, shatter, hash, wax, what have you. These solvents include butane, hexane, ether, and CO2, and they extract mostly fat-soluble compounds. This is important, as cannabinoids are fat-soluble. However, you’re missing out on a plethora of water-soluble compounds among other compounds, that very likely contribute to the plant’s overall medicinal potential. You see, all plants have a unique matrix of compounds that are designed, by Nature, to work synergistically. Removing even one compound during any form of processing has the potential to change the overall effect of the product. Alcohol is the only solvent that extracts virtually all compounds including the entire spectrum of cannabinoids, terpenes, amino acids, waxes, and chlorophyll. This is why alcohol is used to make tinctures from plants; you’re sure to extract the full matrix in the ratios most suitably designed by Nature. Alcohol is also one of the safest solvents to use in extraction, which is particularly valuable when considering extractions for cancer patients.
Rick Simpson Oil goes beyond a simple tincture, though. Making a tincture is only the first step in the process. The second step is to boil off nearly every bit of alcohol. This serves to concentrate that entire matrix of medicinal compounds to an unmatched potency, making it the most effective Cannabis product to encourage apoptosis in cancer cells. I have not heard of, nor personally witnessed, any such effects from flower, edibles, or other concentrates (wax, butter, shatter, etc.).
Summary
While FECO oils and RSO oils are considered to be extremely beneficial and helpful for people with severe illnesses, such as cancer, fibromyalgia, anxiety, PTSD, epilepsy, and other conditions, they are not the right choice for everyone. Both RSO oil and FECO oil are stronger than other cannabis oils, and many patients should start with a very small dosage to understand how it affects them. A secondary choice would be looking into CBD / THC oil products.