This past week I spent a lot of time outdoors doing gardening stuff because it was so unusually cool. We just had a week of temps in the 70's and 80's which is unheard of around here during summer. This week we're warming up but nice and slowly and it shouldn't hit triple digits until next week sometime. This has also allowed us be so frugal with using outdoor water that, if we could stay on track, we'd use 50% less water this July compared to July 2013, which is the "yardstick year" being used as the mark to which we need to save 36% of total water usage. Wouldn't that be amazing? It won't happen though.
We also drove to Grass Valley, CA to visit our medical marijuana doctor. Actually he might have retired for good having had a back surgery last November wherein he had 8 vertebra fused in his lower back (I can't imagine). He's the type of guy who has no intention of ever stopping, but he is in his 80's now. We got word that he's walking around and riding his bike, which he loves, so he must be doing OK.
Another doctor very like-minded took over the practice. We drive all the way there (about 1 1/2 hours) because he (now she) isn't screwing around. They are real doctors who give you a very thorough examination and spend plenty of time talking with you and assessing you medically.
One thing we got was a lot of information that was new for both of us about all the different substances in marijuana besides THC and CBD which you always hear about. There are fascinating medical uses for each substance, including the terpenes. Each various fraction of the oils in pot has specific medical uses. With the new attitude about pot sweeping the nation (well, most of the nation that is) actual real in-depth study can now be conducted.
Cannabis Sativa which grows very tall and willowy
This is right up my ally. I'll list some of the different substances in pot and some of their medical uses. Everyone knows about THC. It gets you stoned. Actually THC is the active form of THCA. You must heat it or burn THCA to make THC, hence the reason you light up a joint. If you want to make THCA become THC you heat it at 240 degrees F in an oven for 25-30 minutes. Then you can add it to anything as it's activated. THC itself, besides getting you stoned, is used medically to reduce vomiting and nausea, stimulate appetite and suppress muscle spasms.
THCA, which you get if you simply ingest pot without cooking or burning it aids sleep and inhibits cancer cell growth. What about THCV? (I never heard of it before.) It reduces convulsions and promotes bone growth.
CBD, of course, is used to stop seizures and epilepsy. In some cases it's the only thing that does the trick. It will not get you stoned at all. It's also used for many other things including treating migraines, cramps, hypertension (it's a vasorelaxant), anxiety stress, PTSD, and PMS. It's also a neuro-protectant so it's useful for such things as MS and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's and Lupus.
Cannabis Indica which grows short, stout and has huge buds
What about CDG? (I never heard of it before.) It slows bacterial growth, inhibits cancer cell growth and aids in sleep.
What about CBGA? (I never heard of it before.) It really helps muscle spasms and also aids in sleep.
What about CBCA? (I never heard of it before.) It treats fungal infections and is great at reducing inflammation.
There are many more substances in pot including CBDA, delta8-THC, and a ton of terpenes. I don't yet know what the terpenes treat. Delta8-THC is primarily used to treat pain.
When they say this isn't your dad's pot, they really mean it.
Size difference of the three cannabis strains
We all know there are two main strains of marijuana, those being Sativa and Indica. There's another type you never hear about called Ruderalis, which is native to Russia. Sativa and Indica grow when there is more than 12 hours of light each day. This is called "the vegetative state." They bloom once there is less than 12 hours of light each day. Ruderalis is totally different. It blooms at a set time after the plant sprouts from seed. It produces extremely little THC and is very small in size. It is of no use in getting stoned, treating medical conditions or in any industry that uses hemp such as in making rope or cloth. However, it is now being crossed with other strains to create plants that flower at a set time so you can grow as many as six plantings each year.
Cannabis Ruderalis which grows quite small and has no real usefulness
We also learned that some strains such as Harlequin and Charlotte's Web produce CBD/THC at a ratio of 30:1. For severe seizures obviously you want the highest CBD content. A strain named Cannatonic has a 1:1 ratio, so you'll get some buzz but not totally stoned out of your gourd. Most of the strains that have the word Haze in them have ratios of 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1, so they are primarily used by folks who need the medicine but don't want to get high.
Last year I grew one plant of the Haze variety just to see how it went. It's name was Chaze which stands for Chico Haze as it was created right here. I only grow a couple plants for medical benefits. Chaze grew tall and lanky. It's leaves had only three or five segments. It was quite susceptible to aphids, more so than any other I've grown.
This year I'm growing only a couple plants of the strain called Pineapple Haze.
Another very cool thing is you can now have your marijuana analysed. If you want to know about the CBD and THC amounts you use Green Style Analytics of Yuba City, CA (about 45 minutes from here). It's the cheapest of the labs and likely gives you all the info you really want to know. If you want a much more in depth analysis of all the different oil fractions you use Steep Hill Halent of Berkeley, CA. This company offers even DNA analysis for those wanting to create plants with definite properties. If you want super in depth analysis of everything that's in your pot including all the terpenes use SC Labs of Santa Cruz, CA.
What do you want to kibitz about tonight?
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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