Green Thumbed Girl

Ooh yes please 🦄🏆 What are you doing this August?

SAVE THE DATE UNICORNS!!!! AUGUST 12-14TH, 2022!!

We are so excited to be back this year to bring you more magical experiences in the beautiful lakeside setting of Rosebud Lake in BC! We had an incredible event last year, even among the lockdown and isolations of 2021 and this year we are planning on blowing it up.

We will be announcing our headliners for our music event soon as well as who we've got lined up for cannabis education and topics this year! Our Cannabis Comparison was a huge success and our guests left knowing more about cannabis, how to assess it and the skill and talent in the local craft cannabis community. This year, we are taking that to the next step and we can't wait to announce it!

Picked up this 1:1 body rub today. Anyone else get aches and pains when the weather changes and the rain comes down hard? My right hand and knee are the treatment zones tonight. I'll keep you posted on how fast my aches fade 🙂

Some of my favourite terpenes are linalool, limonene and beta-caryophyllene. Lavender, lemon and black pepper are some of the plant scents that share these compounds with some strains of cannabis. Terpenes haven't been as studied as much as cannabinoids yet but some research shows that they also have an effect on the body. These aromatic compounds are now believed to have an effect on the behaviour of brain cells outside of olfactory sensational effects of mood and memory.

Have you seen, "The Scientist: Are We Missing Something?" - it's a film on YouTube. It's in large part about Professor Rafi (Raphael) Mechoulam the 'grandfather of THC'. He was born in Bulgaria and moved to Israel after WWII. THC was isolated and named (discovered) in 1963. Mechoulam then proceeded to provide the first 10 grams to a pharmacologist in the USA (after being approached by the man who had seen his rejection in 1962 for a grant from NIHA). As a result, he later provided all the THC to the USA's research for about 40 years.

However there is still a lot of unanswered questions on cannabis in US research. They only tested on mice for the majority of those 40 years. Human clinical trials still need to be done. In mice it has been shown to protect against ALS definitively though.

Have you heard of anandamide? It's a human brain chemical that is a natural endocannabinoid within the brain. The mood created by this biocompound is bliss, and the system built around this compound is the endocannabinoid system. Discovered by the scientists that worked with Professor Raphael Mechoulam, Bill, who studied eastern philosophy, got to name the compound after isolating it and used the Sanskrit word 'Ananda' - meaning extreme bliss, as his inspiration. Check it out on YouTube sometime!

The Scientist “The Scientist” is a documentary that traces the story of Dr Mechoulam from his early days......as a child of the Holocaust in Bulgaria, through his immigrat...

Here's a cannabis plant that I've been growing outside this summer. I'm not sure what cultivar it is but it smells lovely. The blue colour only just appeared as the weather turned cooler the other week! This is my first time growing the plant so I'll be reading up on how to harvest and dry it in the next few days. Please wish me luck on avoiding mold!

The second most common active cannabinoid in the cannabis plant is CBD, cannabidiol. You may have heard of it before as it's becoming very popular in health and wellness products. Unlike THC, it's not considered impairing or a euphoric. It can also be harvested from h**p which means it should be even easier to find and cheaper in the future. When CBD is in a product alone it doesn't need any restrictions on use or licensing. You can even find it in skin products, bath bombs and pet products. Always consult a doctor before making cannabis products something you use regularly as they do have some contraindications with pharmaceutical products.

CBD oil is extracted from the cannabis or h**p plant then diluted with a carrier oil such as h**p seed oil or coconut oil. It can create a relaxed feeling by lower inflammation and loosening tight muscles and joints. In the body it doesn't bind to the CB1 and CB2 receptors the way THC does. Research is lacking at this point as to how it works, but it can help with anxiety, depression, arthritis and seizures. Let's look forward to better understanding how CBD works so that it can be used for more health benefits.

Can you say, cannabinoids? It's a word that doesn't quite roll off the tongue but one you get the hang of it, it is fun to say. There are over 100 different cannabinoid compounds to be found in cannabis. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) are the ones that get labeled on packaging, but many more are being studied. Products that claim 'full spectrum' are aiming to keep all the minor ones present in their products, whereas extractions and isolates don't focus on that. Cannabis can be described as a holistic plant that has many small parts that add to its full uses. As more studies are done we can hopefully understand how the other cannabinoids work together to support CBD and THC when consumed, applied topically or inhaled.

THC is the cannabinoid that's psychoactive and produces the feeling of "being high". It can bind with both of your body's endocannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, which gives it a broad range of effects on the body. Some may be pleasant and some may not be. Always start low and move slow with cannabis products that are new to you. Intoxicating and impairing, never drive or operate heavy machinery when consuming THC. The mode of consumption will change how your body absorbs THC. THC potency is listed on packaging as milligrams per gram, mg/g, or as a percentage of mg/g. For example 10% THC, and 100mg/g means it has 100mg of THC per gram of cannabis.

Everyone's body is different and will respond differently to cannabis. Keep this in mind when you're experimenting with new products and start with the lower levels of THC in a safe and responsible way until you know more about how it's likely to effect you. Always read the label as different batches of the same strain will have some variations in cannabinoid levels.

There's now DNA tests that can match you with your body's complimentary terpenes! Emprise Canada, based in Alberta, is one such company that helps take the guess work out of which products will be right for you and which terpenes to avoid. Their test kit is based on over 1,000 scientific research papers and studies spread over 22 years.

They will also be releasing a variety of beverage products infused with cannabinoids in the future. Taken from their website (shop.emprise.ca):
"Second facility launching Spring 2021 is adjacent to our JV partner Paradise Mountain Organic Coffee that has processing capability of 10million lbs of green bean roasting capacity. We will be utilizing our proprietary powdered nano introducing a full line of single serve coffee infused with CBD and THC, Decaf with CBD / THC, Cold brew coffee CBD / THC infused beverages, Sparkling flavoured beverages and kombucha inspired Sparkling sodas."

Have you heard of terpenes? These are the compounds in and on plants that give them scent. Ones that are good for us also tend to smell quite attractive. Roses, lavender, lemon trees - their flowers and fruit, pine, spruce, cedar, mint, cocoa, cinnamon are just a few favorites. Terpenes and terpenoids make up essential oils of many types of plants and they can attract pollinators and contribute to the plant's defenses. There are estimated to be over 55,000 terpenes. Evolution has shaped plants and animals and perhaps influenced scents to an extent as well.

Terpenes and trichomes in cannabis exist in large amount on the surface of the buds and fan leaves in a sticky crystalline form. They produce different scents depending on the cultivar/strain. There's over 100 terpenes in cannabis. This is is no doubt why we have so many strains to choose from.

Licensed producers are starting to put the top terpenes of their strains on the packaging. This allows consumers to find new products with their favorites ones more readily. The cannabis industry has made 4 basic categories for ease of shopping: sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. Smells can give us different physical effects, on mood, mental status, even pain. If you have any plant allergies it can be a good idea to find out which terpenes to avoid.

What does cannabis mean to me, as a user, student, educator and Canadian?

It's a plant with amazing properties for health, life, and bio-material use (h**p) that's been grossly misrepresented in the last 100 years due to the US war on drugs. I want to bring to light why it's been such a historically widespread medicinal plant, and overcome the cultural ignorance in North America and treat people with it.

Advocation – a plant that gives more then it takes in so many ways
Education – benefits of all its forms, amazing versatility as a fiber ex. h**p-cret
Replace a section of big pharma – such an agreeable option for so many diseases