by HempingtonPost | Jul 10, 2020
By Shish KaBob Seger
As global COVID-19 cases surpass 12 million, scientists are looking to the biological functions of cannabinoids as another tool in the fight against coronavirus mortality. The active molecular compounds in cannabis exhibit properties that could be useful against the inflammatory effects brought on by Covid-19 infection. Last April, a group of Canadian scientists claimed to have found particular strains that can both prevent and treat the infection by exploiting the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids such as CBD and CBN.
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This is not the first time that science has found credible evidence of CBD reducing lung inflammation. In 2019, the European Journal of Pharmacology published a study claiming cannabis reduces airway inflammation and fibrosis in experimental allergic asthma. The study determined that “CBD treatment decreased the inflammatory and remodeling processes in the model of allergic asthma. The mechanisms of action appear to be mediated by CB1/CB2 signaling, but these receptors may act differently on lung inflammation and remodeling.”
The same study concluded CBD reduced pulmonary fibrosis – a condition common among Covid patients where lung tissue is scarred hence reducing a patient’s breathing abilities.
The study claimed THC is also a promising anti-inflammatory yet is not as well tolerated as non-psychotropic cannabinoids. The researchers later noted that this “suggests its feasibility to reduce SARS-CoV2 induced lung inflammation/ pathology and disease severity.”
To be clear, science has come to no final conclusions regarding the efficacy of cannabis as a coronavirus treatment. The ‘catch 22’ is that until federal limitations on the study of cannabis as medicine are lifted, America will continue to play catch up with the rest of the world.
From the editor: if you can grow you can juice your own cannabinoid rich nutrients for the full spectrum entourage effect!
by HempingtonPost | Jul 7, 2020
With the decriminalization of cannabis in many parts of our world has come an influx of new commentary and attention. But those new to cannabis may not realize that the plant’s use is almost as old as history itself. While the human race’s relationship with many different plants goes back quite far, our species seemed to adopt cannabis use particularly early on.
It’s estimated that our cultivation of cannabis arose shortly after the dawn of cultivation itself—that is, after the beginning of agriculture. At that time, circa 9,000 BCE, language itself was new and fluid and constantly evolving. This level of linguistic flux makes elucidating the first mention of cannabis cultivation difficult.
To find definitive answers, historians and linguists have dug deep into the etymology, the study of the origin of words.
Cannabis Etymology From East to West
The first culture to make mention of cannabis appears to have been the ancient Chinese. In 2737 BCE, Emperor Shen Neng of China recommended cannabis tea for the “treatment of gout, rheumatism, malaria and, poor memory.” Radio-dated samples are now able to confirm this early medical cannabis use.
Prior to that, the plant’s appearance was limited to more symbolic depictions. History holds that the Celestial Emperor Fu Hsi, who lived around 2800 BCE, created China’s first written script. The Chinese letter Ma, which comprises half of the word for cannabis, seems to depict hemp plants hanging upside down to dry.
From China, cannabis use spread west. One paper, published in the “Vegetation History and Archaeobotan” journal, studied fossilized pollen samples from 470 locations to trace the plant’s cultivation from Asia to Eurasia to mainland Europe.
Even the ancient Egyptians had a word for cannabis: shemshemet. The first references began to appear around 2350 BCE, when a mythological king is described tying the cords of the shemshemet (cannabis) plant. Medical papyri throughout the coming centuries would greatly expand on the medicinal uses of cannabis, describing everything from suppositories to creatively-mixed poultices.
As Dr. Ethan Russo notes in a detailed study titled “History of Cannabis and Its Preparations in Saga, Science, and Sobriquet,” cannabis use shines through the etymological choices of many primordial cultures.
As you can see, everyone from the Sumerians to the Persians to the Hebrews had a word for cannabis. But the Hebraic term, kaneh bosem, has a history that’s especially intriguing.
Kaneh Bosem: Hemp and the Hebrews
As it turns out, cannabis—or kaneh bosem as the ancient Hebrews would have called it—may be a hidden ingredient in the holy anointing oil of Hebraic priests.
Let’s take a look at a passage from the Torah, Exodus 30:22-25:
Moreover, YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant canetwo hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.”
For centuries, one of these ingredients confounded translators: “fragrant cane.” Like much of the scriptures, the initial Greek to English translations of this particular segment were done on behalf of King James VI and I in the early 1600s.
Though skilled in linguistics, these early translators weren’t quite as skilled in botany, and consequently they assumed that fragrant cane referred to a plant called calamus. But we now know that calamus contains a chemical called asarone that makes it mildly toxic, especially if ingested.
For obvious reasons, it wouldn’t make sense for the Hebrew priests to include a toxic plant in their holy oil. So it follows that somewhere along the line, the translation went off course. It’s also possible that even earlier translations like the Hebrew-to-Greek Septuagint were the first to get it wrong.
So…if not calamus, what could “fragrant cane” be referring to?
In 1936, a Polish etymologist named Sula Benet proposed that it was actually “קנבוס” or “KaNaBoS”, which itself comes from the even older Hebrew term “קנה בשם” or kaneh bosem.
Her argument was logical enough: קנה, or kaneh means a strong reed or stalk, while bosem means fragrant or aromatic. Kaneh bosem—cane that’s fragrant.
With that discovery, it makes much more sense. Though once thought to be derived from the Scythian language, it turned out that the term cannabis probably goes back further than that: all the way back to ancient Hebrew!
It was as if an elusive puzzle piece had been found. Once Benet knew the correct term to look for, she noticed it popping up throughout the rest of the Bible. As Chris Bennett’s 2001 book “Sex, Drugs, and the Bible” notes, “this word appears five times in the Old Testament; in the books of Exodus, the Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.”
What could such a powerful cannabis-infused oil have been used for? We can look again to Exodus Chapter 30, beginning with verse 26, to answer that.
“With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony (…) You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. (…)You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me.
Interpreting this through the lens of modern science is surprisingly insightful. Cannabis is a known antimicrobial and antibacterial agent, as are some of the other ingredients in the anointing oil, like cinnamon. That could help explain why the Hebrews took to applying their oil to all sorts of inanimate objects. And one couldn’t be blamed for assuming this practice would also make things smell good.
Yet the anointing oil was clearly used on the priesthood, too. Might it have provided its users with any psychotropic effects? Possibly.
While we can’t determine what the oil’s exact cannabinoid ratios would’ve been, we do know that cannabis from ancient times was generally rich in CBD. And modern research shows that this cannabinoid penetrates the skin much better than THC does. Levitical priests would have at least been getting their daily dose of aromatherapy according to the biblical description.
Some people today are actually replicating the anointing oil’s recipe. With a blend of bioavailability-boosting terpenes, partially decarbed cannabinoids, and pure carrier oils, science is now able to validate this sampling of ancient wisdom.
Some advocates ascribe spiritual meaning to cannabis use, even today. Dr. Yosef Glassman has spent decades pouring over ancient Jewish texts to learn more about his culture’s use of cannabis. As he told Haaretz Magazine, “There is no question that the plant has a holy source, God himself, and is thus mentioned for several ritualistic purposes.”
In recent years, Dr. Glassman has been lecturing on these subjects at Massachussett’s New England Sinai Hospital. “The goal is to educate practitioners on the rich cultural history behind the use of cannabis as a medicine, explain its mechanism of action, and dispel myths about its safety profile,” he reports.
Cannabis: Modern Use, Millenia-Old Origin
Though the world of cannabis has done much changing within the last couple millennia—let alone the last couple decades—the etymology of the term itself has remained mostly untouched. Indeed, it’s easily traceable back to Ancient Greece’s kánnabis.
Hebrew’s kaneh-bosem was among the first terms for cannabis, and it spread more than a few etymological offshoots in the process. Even words like ‘candy’ and ‘canal’ may trace their origin back to kaneh, that ancient Hebraic prefix.
From there came Scythian adoption of cannabis-related terminology; the Scythians differentiated between industrial-type hemp, Sanskritśaṇa, and narcotic hemp [ie, cannabis], Sanskrit bhanga.
Other ancient cultures made room for cannabis and hemp’s differences, too. Typically prefixes ken or kan implied fiber-type plants, while kana or bhang implied high-THC cannabis.
Our current English word for hemp likely has the same kan-type source. It seems to have arisen out of the Persian term kanap and been adopted into old German as hanaf before slowly mutating into hanf… and then finally into hemp. (Mirriam Webster)
The Persian word kanap split into two groups over time, eventually evolving into our modern-day term cannabis, too. As you’ll see, cannabis is actually a Latin term; it has stuck around virtually unchanged since before 300 AD.
Unknown Scythian/Thracian term >
Kanab / Kanap (Persian) >
κάνναβις (Greek) >
Cannabis (Latin)
Today the relationship between the terms hemp and cannabis is different. No longer are the two words mutually exclusive. Instead, cannabis is somewhat of an umbrella term that includes everything in the Cannabis Sativa family, fiber-type hemp included.
This story first appeared at Cannigma.com
by HempingtonPost | Jun 22, 2020
Volatility driven by overproduction, trade wars and ever-more fickle consumers has American farmers and ranchers facing the largest financial crisis in a generation. Searching for alternatives, many U.S. farmers are scrambling to add hemp to their crop rotation. It’s the start of what could become a revolution to traditional agriculture at a time when many farmers are financially desperate.
A new survey conducted by Farm Journal and Drovers finds that among those now considering growing hemp, additional revenue and profits are the driving factors. For instance, one respondent voiced a common theme: “If I could be certain it was low in THC and it was more profitable (to grow) it would be okay.” Another said: “If it has uses, is okay for the environment, if there is a market, if I can make money, then yes.”
Livestock producers will play a crucial role in the success or failure of hemp, as the crop holds many potential benefits as a feedstuff. Some states have already set in motion programs to analyze hemp’s safety and practicality as a livestock feed. Two years ago, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill creating a working group under the Commissioner of Agriculture to study the feasibility of hemp as animal feed. As of January 2019, 40 other states have given hemp the go ahead.
As cattle feed, scientists believe hemp can benefit health and increase performance. Hemp seed, for instance, is high in much-desired fatty acids, such as Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9 and GLA. It is also very high in proteins, which contain every amino acid.
Hemp seeds are also high in fiber, aiding an animal’s digestive system. It also is a good source of minerals, such as: Copper, Iron, Boron, Zinc, Manganese, Nitrogen and Zinc. Hemp will be given to animals in Colorado, via crushed seed meal, pellets or oil given as a supplement.
The distinction between recreational marijuana and hemp, and how that factors into cultivation of the crop should be noted. Hemp and marijuana are from the same Cannabis Sativa family, and they share similarities. However, the notable difference is the amount of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which pro- duces a high. The references here for agricultural uses are only for hemp, which contains less than 0.3% THC. For comparison, marijuana contains from 5% to 35% THC.
With the door now open for hemp cultivation and feeding, Farm Journal and Drovers surveyed farmers and livestock producers to gauge their attitude about the use of the crop many consider controversial. We found a majority of both farmers and ranchers are amenable to using hemp, yet conservative rural values remain among the majority of respondents.
Check out the figures below that reveal cattle owners’ level of interest in growing hemp and using cannabis in animal feed.
The 2019 Farm Journal/Drovers Cannabis in U.S. Agriculture Study surveyed farmers and ranchers to gauge their interest in growing cannabis. Here’s what we learned.
Reposted from February 5, 2019 04:47 PM https://www.drovers.com/article/facts-and-fiction-about-hemp-animal-feed
by HempingtonPost | Jun 8, 2020
A team of students in Morocco have successfully developed an environmentally sustainable home made almost exclusively from hemp and solar panels.
The building was erected as an entry into the SUNIMPLANT project’s ‘Solar Decathlon’, a competition organized by the United States Department of Energy and Morocco’s Centre de recherche en Energie solaire et Energies nouvelles to encourage construction of solar-powered buildings.
This design is unique and was built from only locally sourced hemp, vegetable-based bio-resins, and other non-synthetic materials found in the region.
“This ‘spaceship’ is advanced in time and reflects a turn not only in North Africa but in hemp construction, which doesn’t have comparable prototypes anywhere in the world.” — Monika Brümmer, German Architect and Project Leader
Monika is also the co-founder of Adrar Nouh, a Spain-based NGO with a focus on using hemp to build environmentally sustainable homes in Morocco’s poor and rural High Rif region.
The spherical home spans 90 square meters (approximately 969 square feet) and features 24 photovoltaic solar panels with a total price tag of only $120,000. The structure actually costs less than half of the most expensive entries in the competition.
According to Brümmer, the building could be optimized even further if hemp-clay boards were installed as internal partitioning walls and floors. Although funding restrictions did partially obstruct their original goal, the home features some interesting innovations such as hemp wool-derived panels which protect the underside of the solar panels against extreme weather conditions, an important inclusion for a region which reaches up to 114°F in the shade during August and September.
Other contestants included students from Morocco’s National School of Architecture and National School of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics, located in Germany.
Monika’s building offers the opportunity of an entirely off-grid experience, unencumbered by the need for outside electricity while maintaining the comfort of a modern lifestyle.
“The cylindrical envelope of the circular building, with minimal exposure of the 24 exterior panels, gives interior comfort through optimal damping and thermal phase shift, and osmosis of the components in the hempcrete formulation,” said Monika Brümmer, as reported by Hemp Today.
Demand for hemp-based building materials has been high lately, especially as more people learn that ‘hempcrete’ can replace traditional fiberglass, sheetrock, and drywall and offers superior temperature control, flame resistance, and noise reduction.
The product also has the potential to be carbon-neutral, but US-based growers tend to focus on growing hemp for CBD and other compounds instead of hempcrete, which requires taller and more fibrous hemp stalks.
Despite technical difficulties, this Moroccan ‘hemp house’ shows the world that environmentally sustainable construction is possible.
Phillip Schneider is a student as well as a staff writer and assistant editor for Waking Times. If you would like to see more of his work, you can visit his website, or follow him on the free speech social network Minds.
This article (Moroccan Students Build Off-Grid ‘Hemp House’ Made Almost Entirely from Hemp and Solar Panels) as originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Phillip Schneider and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.
by HempingtonPost | May 7, 2020
Aromatic oils that give cannabis its signature taste and smell might have a role to play in fighting the coronavirus.
Israeli researchers at the forefront of cannabis research are now investigating the potential of a formulation of cannabis terpenes in treating viral infections, COVID-19 included.
Is cannabis effective against COVID-19? Researchers want to know
Secreted in the same glands that produce cannabinoids like THC and CBD, terpenes are aromatic oils that are responsible for the taste and smell of cannabis — but that’s not all that they do.
Research suggests that terpenes play a considerable role in not only tempering the intoxicating effects of THC, but also creating synergy with phytocannabinoids and even increasing their therapeutic value.
In the context of the coronavirus crisis, researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology are testing the therapeutic potential of cannabis terpenes.
During previous severe coronavirus outbreaks, such as those caused by the SARS coronavirus in 2002-2003, researchers found that cannabis terpenes reduced disease severity and impact in both in-vitro and in-vivo. In a 2007 study published in the Journal of Medical Chemistry, Chinese scientists concluded that the terpenes blocked a certain protein that allows the virus to replicate its genetic material.
“Our lab has been approved to operate as a corona lab, and in doing so, we are promoting two studies based on existing cannabis studies,” Professor Dedi Meiri of the Israel Institute of Technology said in a statement for Health Europa.
“First, we will try to identify the plant’s own molecules that are capable of suppressing the immune response to the COVID-19 coronavirus – which causes inflammation and severe disease – to lower the immune system response without suppressing it, thereby providing better complementary treatment to the steroids, which completely suppress the immune system.”
Meiri and colleagues hope that the terpenes might modulate the effect of cytokine storms –– the overreaction of the body’s immune system that can cause complications and multiple organ failure.
The novel formulation is designed to be administered by direct inhalation.
Cytokines are small proteins released by many different cells in the body, including those of the immune system where they coordinate the body’s response against infection and trigger inflammation.
It’s believed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can trigger cytokine storm syndrome, attacking healthy lungs, eventually causing their collapse.
Besides looking into terpenes’ potential to lower the immune system response, the Israeli researchers are also investigating how these cannabis molecules interact with the ACE2 receptor. It is thanks to this receptor, which is abundantly found in cells in the respiratory tract, that the coronavirus enters cells and begins replicating its genetic material.
“There is a process that examines the effect of cannabis molecules on proteins as well, and we are now examining which ones are relevant to the same receptor, with the goal of reducing its expression, making it difficult for the virus to enter the cell and proliferate,” Meiri said.
Previously, researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, found that certain Cannabis sativa extracts could be used in treatments to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
A word of caution
The results of these preliminary studies shouldn’t by any means be considered an endorsement of cannabis in these trying times. COVID-19 is a severe respiratory illness that is known to aggressively attack the lungs. As such, those who smoke tobacco or marijuana might be at particular risk.
Research on cannabis as a COVID-19 treatment is still ongoing and it will likely take a long time before we have clear answers. In the meantime, don’t self-medicate and risk making matters worse.
This story first appeared at ZME Science.
