Hydrolife Magazine April/May 2016 (USA Edition)

Cannabis has been used as a natural,
effective, plant-based medicine for at
least 7,000 years, which is as far as back
as we can determine using historical
dating. Use of the plant likely goes back
even further than this, but it’s nearly
impossible to gauge how far given that
researchers are dealing with rapidly
decaying archeological records.
Chemical analysis of Egyptian and
Peruvian mummy bones and tissues
has revealed cannabinoid compounds
dating as far back as 2,900 BC.
Hieroglyphic evidence of therapeutic
administration is consistent with this
time-dated analysis. In 1993, a team of
German anthropologists published the
results of an analysis of various tissues
from 72 Peruvian mummies circa
1,800-500 BC. The bones from 20 of them
contained cannabinoids. In addition,
an MRI analysis of a 2,500-year-old
Mongolian princess mummy revealed
she died from breast cancer and was
buried with cannabis in her tomb.
The cannabis was recovered and its
psychoactive compounds were still
active. In fact, the secretory reservoir
on the trichomes had fossilized and
turned bright red.
Following the Cannabis Trail
Many people believe the cultivation of
naturally occurring landrace varieties
of cannabis began in the Hindu Kush
mountain range in Asia, and moved
out via trade routes—southwest into
Egypt, east into Mongolia, west into
the Mediterranean, and as far north
as England and Scandinavia—all by
the time of the Roman Empire. A substrain
called C. Ruderalis, which is
self-pollinating and is not photoperiodsensitive,
evolved in southern Russia.
Today, cannabis use is global, and
its application in spiritual ceremonies
and applications by shaman healers
are well-documented. My work focuses
on the chemical analysis of landrace
varieties from Afghanistan (Hindu Kush),
Morocco (Atlas Mountains) and South
Africa (Kwanza Zulu). These are all pure,
ancient, isolated, unadulterated strains
of indicas and sativas. I am using
these strains to develop a baseline
cannabinoid distribution analysis. I will
use my analysis to compare modern
hybrids as they relate to the distribution
of different compounds in the landraces,
and how they are expressed in modern
cross-pollinations to create such
varieties as Blue Sky Cotton Candy
or Orange Bud. For instance, there
may be a way to associate their
therapeutic effects with their
terpene compounds.
Understanding Receptors CB1 and CB2
As the human race has grown up,
cannabis use has grown along with
it. Cannabis plants and humans are
genetically and biologically compatible
due to the receptor sites in the human
body. One might make the case that
the cannabis plant is genetically one of
many ancestors of the human genome.
There are two types of cannabinoid
receptors in the human body—
cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1)
and cannabinoid receptor type 2
(CB2)—that sense molecules outside
the cell and activate inside signal
transduction pathways and cellular
responses. As they are coupled with G
proteins (guanine nucleotide-binding
proteins), they fall into the category
of seven-transmembrane receptors,
meaning they pass through the cell
membrane seven times.
“
It is the stimulation of the CB1
receptor that gets people
high and leads to things like
increased appetite, mood
elevation, stimulation of
thought and creativity, and
enhanced sensory sensitivity
and perception.”
The CB1 receptors are approximately
473 amino acids in size and are
located primarily in the central and
peripheral nervous systems. They are
activated by the endocannabinoid
neurotransmitters anandamide and
2-arachidonoylglycerol, and by plant
cannabinoids. CB2 is a cannabinoid
receptor, approximately 360 amino
acids in size, from the cannabinoid
receptor family that, in humans, is
encoded by the CNR2 gene.
CB1 receptors are primarily
located on nerve cells in the brain
and spinal cord, but they are also
found in some peripheral organs
and tissues such as the spleen,
white blood cells, endocrine gland
and parts of the reproductive,
gastrointestinal and urinary
tracts. In the brain, CB1 receptors
are abundant in the cerebellum,
basal ganglia, hippocampus and
dorsal-primary afferent spinal cord
regions, which is why cannabinoids
influence functions such as memory
processing, pain regulation and
motor control. In the brain stem, the
concentration of cannabinoids is low,
which may be why cannabis use is
not associated with sudden death
due to depressed respiration, as is
the case with heroin overdoses.
myhydrolife.com
grow. heal. live. enjoy. 65