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« on: September 21, 2011, 05:31 am »
The spray tops were causing transpiration at an increased rate - people asked me to switch back to my classic bottles. I took the last of my batch poured each bottle back into the gallon container I make it in, swirled vigorously, then re-poured them into the the classic bottles. Forgot to update my page. These are the same 55mL bottles I have been using since the beginning.
I'm sorry you are dissatisfied, I'm not sure what causes this reaction. The high is not like smoking. To explain:
Marijuana affects the body because its bioactive cannabinoid compounds, especially ∆9-THC and cannabidiol (CBD), bind to and activate cannabinoid receptors—tiny molecular ports encoded by our genes and expressed on the membranous surfaces of our cells. The diversity of physiological effects generated by marijuana is due to the many different cell and tissue types that express cannabinoid receptors.
Various areas of the brain and other nervous system tissues contain cannabinoid receptors called CB1. The neurological effects of marijuana depend on the particular brain areas and networks these cannabinoid-sensitive cells participate in (for example, the neuronal networks mediating short-term memory, anxiety, or compulsive behavior). The location of the receptors on the cell can alter how they operate. Most mental and perceptual effects of cannabis can be attributed to CB1 receptor activation.
A second receptor, called CB2, has been identified primarily in certain cells of the immune system. CB2 appears responsible for the ability of THC, CBD, and the terpenoid β-carophyllene to reduce inflammation and some kinds of pain, among other effects.
The brain is teeming with CB1 receptors, consistent with marijuana having wide-ranging influences on mental function. Some of the only regions of the brain where CB1 receptors are absent are areas controlling vital functions such as breathing. This is why cannabis poses no risk of fatal respiratory depression that can occur with overdoses of opiates and other nervous system depressants such as alcohol.
The natural physiological chemicals that drive CB1 and CB2 receptors are a family of molecules present not just in humans but all over the animal kingdom. These native molecules are called endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, a name borrowed from the plant. Endocannabinoids (often abbreviated as eCBs) have been called the “marijuana of the brain,” although this is a deceptive metaphor; eCBs are an integral part of our physiology and appeared much earlier in evolutionary history than the cannabis plant, as indicated by their presence in so many life forms, even very simple marine organisms. It is more accurate to say that the cannabis plant evolved to produce compounds that are remarkable biochemical mimics of the eCBs.
There are presently two well-studied and readily detectable eCBs: anandamide (a name derived from ananda, the Sanskrit word for bliss) and 2-AG (short for 2-arachidonylglycerol), each is generated in cells by specific enzymes in response to activation signals. In other words, cells generate and release anandamide or 2-AG when they receive particular signals to do so.
In the brain, for example, if one neuron (electrical cell of the brain) barrages another neuron with excitatory electrical activity, the target neuron may respond by generating and releasing eCBs from its cellular membrane.
The eCBs travel “backwards” across the synaptic cleft separating the two neurons, where they find CB1 receptors waiting. Through the molecular signaling of these strategically located CB1 receptors, the release of other, more principal neurotransmitters is momentarily paused. The eCBs act as a negative feedback, to say, “Whoa! That’s enough input, now slow down!” Because eCBs travel opposite the conventional neurotransmitter pathway across synapses, they have been dubbed “retrograde messengers.”
A given neuron releases eCBs in order to continuously regulate and tune its own synaptic inputs. This process, where synaptic connections between neurons are weakened or strengthened, is referred to as synaptic plasticity, a mechanism by which learning and memory occurs at the cellular level. The feedback mechanism of eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity is important not just for computational processes (how we think and feel and learn), but as a matter of cellular survival; too much excitation is deadly to cells. Thus, an apparently major function of eCBs, and a major effect of cannabinoids from marijuana, is neuroprotection—that is, protecting brain cells from too much excitation (known as excitotoxicity), which is a serious contributor to the brain damaging effects of stroke, epilepsy, and other neurological disorders.
NEURONAL FREQUENCY & SYNCHRONY: SETTING TEMPO WITH eCBS
What we have just described is that eCBs are used by the brain to dampen patterns of neuronal electrical activity, and one of the therapeutic effects of cannabis is to mimic this property. Yet this is only half the story. The eCBs also work the opposite way, releasing the neuron to fire more freely, a process called disinhibition.
This is another way that eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity appears to be adaptive for healthy brain function, though its ef fects vary based on the area of the brain. In a brain area called the amygdala, eCBs purge the memory of fearful experiences, helping an individual move past emotional trauma. This action helps explain the apparent utility of cannabinoids (including herbal cannabis) as a treatment for some cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Large-scale population studies have failed to find any link between cannabis smoking and lung cancer or other respiratory ailments. By contrast, in the area called the hippocampus, tightly controlled eCB signaling allows cells to fire in coordinated synchrony, setting up the brain rhythms that are important for orienting oneself in physical space. Marijuana is thought to interrupt spatial memory by simultaneously flooding all the cells in this rhythmic engine with THC…um, where did I put that pen that was just in my hand? Similarly, the so-called somatic symptoms of a marijuana high—feelings such as floating, sinking into your seat, or altered balance, are likely due to the THC-sensitive circuitry of yet another brain region, the cerebellum.
To summarize, eCBs can either inhibit neuronal activity by slowing down excitatory synapses onto that neuron, or they can disinhibit (excite) neuronal activity by slowing down inhibitory synapses. Both of these are physiological actions that contribute to normal brain function. The fact that CB1 receptors can orchestrate the tempo of brain cells in either direction—faster or slower—surely helps to explain how cannabis can have such wide ranging, even opposite, perceived effects in different individuals and circumstances.
The story of eCBs is not just about the brain, though. Important therapeutic properties of cannabinoids are mediated by the CB2 receptors on immune cells. Immune cells promote inflammation during the course of fighting an infection, an important adaptive property; however this action also can be a source of pain, tissue damage, and an obstacle to healing and well-being. Activation of CB2 receptors throughout the body (including the brain, where immune cells are called microglia), either by eCBs or the cannabinoids in marijuana, tells the immune cells to slow down releasing the chemicals that trigger inflammation.
This effect is directly analogous to what we described for the brain, where eCBs serve as a brake to the release of neurotransmitters. Clinically, the need to control swelling, itching, and pain is the reason why corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are such widely used medicines.
Cannabinoids offer a different molecular approach to these same problems. Recent research findings suggest that cannabinoids may be especially promising in reducing dangers of chronic inflammation in the brain, which is believed key to many serious neurodegenerative diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s dementia to Parkinson’s Disease and related motor disorders. The immune modulating effects of cannabinoids also appear to hold promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The cannabinoid system appears to be primordial, since it exists in nearly all species of animals so far investigated, even very simple ones like microscopic hydra.
Methods of Administration
How THC operates in our bodies is better understood with each new study. But marijuana is composed of over 400 compounds, including at least 88 cannabinoids other than THC.
Cannabis is used by inhalation (smoking or vaporization), ingestion (eating, drinking, or absorption through the mucus membranes of the mouth) or, more rarely, topical application (rubbing into the skin).
Inhalation is a considerably more rapid and efficient delivery method than ingestion, since the cannabinoids, terpenes and other chemicals pass readily across the lining of the lungs straight into the bloodstream. The effects and quality of the high are also somewhat different.
Vaporization (or ingestion) is safer for the respiratory tract than smoking and creates a far less telltale odor. Burning cannabis (or just about anything else for that matter) creates harmful chemicals, known as reactive oxygen species, that may damage the mouth, throat, and lungs. However, heating cannabis in a controlled manner to a temperature just below ignition of the plant material releases the lighter chemicals (including the cannabinoids) without actually burning anything or creating the reactive chemicals found in smoke.
Vaporization may also provide a different quality of high, since it may produce a different mixture of volatilized compounds. Interestingly, though prolonged smoking has been shown to damage lungs and bronchial tubes, large-scale population studies have failed to find any link between cannabis smoking and lung cancer or other respiratory ailments.
As rapid as the onset of effects is when cannabis is inhaled, it is slow when eaten. When cannabis products are ingested, the cannabinoids pass first through the stomach then are absorbed across the lining of the intestines into the blood, which passes through the liver and changes most of the THC into 11-hydroxy-THC. While 11-hydroxy-THC is also psychoactive, it may create a different kind of high. Because absorption from the intestines is relatively inefficient and slow, larger doses must be taken if ingested rather than inhaled, and the effects last longer but are delayed for 30-90 minutes after ingestion. This delay can lead to inadvertent excess dosages, since you can’t tell how much you have on board, unlike inhalation, which allows for easy and immediate dosage adjustment.
For some this cannabinoid does not seem to produce the full spectrum of effects, though for most it is incredibly potent.
Peace,
DigitalAlch
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Indeed. Hope things look up for all.