What's new
  • Please note members who been with us for more than 10 years have been upgraded to "Veteran" status and will receive exclusive benefits. If you wish to find out more about this or support IcMag and get same benefits, check this thread here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

"Categorizing Cannabis Strains According to Benefits"

Skip

Active member
Veteran
Not a bad idea. However, we can't get into trouble "prescribing" strains for specific ailments. I really don't know how the dispensaries get away with it. My sister has an herb shop and she cannot "prescribe" or recommend anything for specific problems while she is working there. She can only do it when her shop is closed in a separate workshop or whatever.

However, anyone can go comment on a strain and say what they use it for. This won't be as good as searching for an illness and coming up with a list of strains.

Somehow it doesn't seem right to me to let "laymen" (or any man) prescribe different strains for those who might have serious medical conditions. I suppose if ppl already have a dr's recommendations, then it only remains to figure out which strain would be best.

It does seem that the big difference is between sativa and indica strains. Other than that it's more of personal preference, rather than unique characteristics of a given strain.

I see this more of a way for ppl to hype their favorite strains rather than providing definitive unbiased info.
 

ItsAllOver

Devil's Advocate
I'm with you on that. I honestly never really considered it that way because I almost think that there's no way to make absolute statements about effect of cannabis strains anyway because things change on a person to person basis.
 

ibjamming

Active member
Veteran
Why not? Herbalists do it all the time...got nausea?...try this...depressed?...make tea from this.
 

ChiHealthAlt

New member
I'm planning on starting a dispensary after the law passes in my state and I plan on having a directory of sorts for patients to provide feedback on the strains they are using. It will give better recommendations to other patients from other patients without those recommendations being from the dispensers. Also, cannabis treatment is like acne treatment (as silly as that sounds). You work on providing a regimen that works best for each person. Though, unlike acne treatment, it usually it goes sativa in the morning, indica at night, and whatever keeps them happy, comfortable, and healthy in between.
 

Flying Goat

Member
Exactly correct, Chi...

That's what makes cannabis so difficult to categorize - each person is an individual environment with no two alike...

Which is exactly why Big Pharma wants to keep prohibition - it would be so expensive for them to try to develop formulae for the masses... Years & years & billions & billions...

The CannaPharmacist knows our plant must go thru a period of trial & error with each individual patient (based on recommendations as a guide), to determine the medicinal effects specifically for that patient.

Only by 1 on 1 testing, breeding & stabilizing will we be able to provide medicine for patients...

I have not found seed descriptions to be very useful to this end... But that is marketing...

One reason I'm interested in the AFs is that for minimal investment & time & can test on specific patients & determine & quantify my results... for that patient ONLY. One can use anecdotal "evidence" as a guide, but nothing beats experience.

I rather like the idea of having a fully stocked "medicine cabinet," allowing me to blend a bit of this, a bit of that, until I get the mix right for the patient... Then, focus on breeding a plant for that patient's specific needs.

Of course, unlike Chi... we have LEO looking over our shoulders all the time down here in the severely repressed South...
 
Chi- I feel exactly as you do, although I have found that some people act differently than others to the same strains. One strain I developed for most people, after the first 2 hits, each hit after that is how many hours you will be glued to the surface you were sitting on when it went into effect... but for 2 of my patients, then they had the same strain were bouncing off the walls while the rest of us were trying to talk to them with our minds.

Everyone cannabanoid receptors are different, but I have found through my decades of dedicated research that there are definately some better than others. I have found the best medicines for me, but I am always looking for my patients, and of couse I like variety, so it would be nice to be able to chose more than one type of strain out of the "medicine cabinet" for nausea or for joint pain, or muscle spasms, or insomnia, or if you're just feeling blah. It's much better than those anti-depressants that even advertise may casue psychosis and suicide as well as siezures and hear attack in young adults who may either turn into Lizzie Borden or some kind of cute cuddly mindless disney creature or something to that effect.... so puffing on some herb when having a specific sympom is seems like the much better route to go.

I'm not old by any stretch of the imagination (well, I guess to a 4 year old I might seem really old)and now thanks to "Big Pharma" my body can no longer retain potassium, I get extreme edema (swelling) in my legs, hands, feet, face, earlobes (LOL) and last year my doctor informed me and my husband that I am no longer healthy enough to have a child (40 is a few years away for me still) and it is because of phamramcuticals that I am worse off today than before I started taking them.

I'm lucky, my doctor has been constantly going to bat for me for 10 years. Funny, first it was to make sure I was getting painkillers because the orthopedic doctors wouldn't prescribe anything harder than celebrex, and worked with me when I thought my tolerance was getting too out of hand and we've tried all sorts of non traditional treatments to help deal with the pain. He was totally on board with signing the reccomendation for me to go on MMJ and said I'd be a perfect candidate for it. Over time he and I have talked more and ore about marijuana and how much it has been benefiting me. Me before MMJ is a totally different miserable person slowly being killed by big pharma. I still h ave to take pain medication, but not nearly as much, and there are even day and sometimes I have been able to go an entire week without having to use painkillers.

My Dr tells me many times that I will give him information about marijuana that surprises him, and he is usually pleasantly surprised. He doesn't write a lot of reccomendations for MMJ, and he is nervous about it and will only write the reccomendation for someone who h e has a real dr patient rlationship with and who really does need it. I was at the point that I looked like death was at my froont door banging loudly with a warrant to open up and now I look healthy and have color in my cheeks and a persoanlity that isn't reminiset of a t-rex.

Ok.. I'm uber stoned, so I hope this was somewhat helpful. Sometimes I can't tell.

And FG-I got your package girl, thanks for the cheese and nuts.
 

PoopyTeaBags

State Liscensed Care Giver/Patient, Assistant Trai
Veteran
i talked to skip about this about 4 months ago he said he added it to the search function... but i never heard or seen anything about it since... good that someone got it going again... it needs to be in there after all its the best medicine in the world....

umm i just read skips statement about it being not good about prescribing strains for ailments... wtf skip??? you told me it was a great idea... and you were adding somehting to the search function.... im so confused now...

wtf happened?
 
Sounds like it would be a great platform for some one to have a seed bank that is for med growers only, liscensed peeps that is, that can do away with the descriptions that are designed to sell. It would be a bit of work to start, but you could do a sampling fairly easly to come up with a basis for what med quatlity a strain may possess. By eliminating casual smokers, and biased reviews, and focusing on good growers and honest feedback I think that you really could create a list of prescribable strains, or at least help narrow down the selection process for patients. Just my two cents..... thoughts?
 

Cindiwaa

Member
I think everyone is different. A lot of people say they will medicate because of headaches, it just makes my head ache more. I do find it soothing for chemo, not sure what it does for me but it just takes the edge off a long chemo day. It doesn't make my appetite go out of control, but I have somehow been able to keep myself at a steady weight during chemo, so I have to say that medicating must help with that. I hurt my back really bad the other day and I will definately say that medicating helped me with that.

With that being said, I have a friend that owns a dispensary and she never, ever gives out adivce on how to medicate and what to medicate with, although there are classes for that. She will however recommend what other patients have said for instance. "I have had customers say that this certain strain helps with nausea" etc....She is very good at listening to her customers and what they have to say about her medicine. She is also very good at saying that everyone is different and a person may have to try different strains, ways to use the medication to find what benefits that individual. I have been to other dispensaries where they will actually point out a certain strain and say "this works for nausea, this works for back problems, etc" which kind of bothered me because what they were pointing out is the most expensive medicine of course. My friend does not do that.
 

Spiritchild

New member
I have a question. High Times magazine ran a huge centerfold type picture of Lemon Skunk and in the article they refered to it as "geneticly engineered". When I looked it up on the strain guide here, it said it came from "old Amsterdam genetics". Which is correct? I have noticed that in the MJ world, the incorrect term "clone" is used when refering to simple cuttings. Is the "engineered" word used by High Times also without an understanding of what it really means? I will not grow genetically modified plants of any kind. Can anyone shed any light on this?
 

Gert Lush

Active member
Veteran
Is the "engineered" word used by High Times also without an understanding of what it really means?
I'd put money on that!

The amount of rubbish I've read in so-called cannabis "publications" just defies belief.
Keep a nice level-headed skeptical attitude like that and you'll be fine.
Or, even better, just don't read that shite... :D
 

El Toker

Member
One of the downsides of the growing acceptance of medicinal cannabis will be this kind of snake oil bullshit about different strains based on anecdote, guesswork and wishful thinking. It won't be long before the new age alternative medicine folk are creating a whole body of pseudo-scientific bullshit knowledge on this.

No doubt there will be new, very expensive strains specially produced to treat disorders of the rich.
 

silverhazefiend

"Aint no love in the heart of the city"
Veteran
I read somewhere they have new starins coming out that wont get u HIGH..but its full of cbd's ...i think that is supposed 2 be the new movement of mmj ..with that said how do u guys feel about that? and is it gonna put a ban on strains with THC in them?
 
I think the talk about new strains coming out for the medicinal community without THC and high in other cannabinoids is ludicrous! Although each cannabinoid has its own unique effect they all work together in different ratios to complete the "Cannabis Experience", which includes medicinal benefits.....there MUST be THC.

I don't think a CBD-only strain, used in edibles would have the proper chemical make-up to be "BAKED" (lol) into the Hydroxy component which is MUCH more medicinally beneficial than smoking Cannabis.
 

Gert Lush

Active member
Veteran
It won't be long before the new age alternative medicine folk are creating a whole body of pseudo-scientific bullshit knowledge on this.
I don't think you need to worry too much about the new age pseudo-scientific bullshit, at least not yet.

For the time being, the scientific and business community is doing pretty well putting out real-scientific bullshit. :D

Some of the crap I've heard about Sativex.... sheesh....
And I think it was them that started the current CBD-craze nonsense, as they were spinning it to avoid the UK's high-THC, psychotic-killer-skunk, gutter-press image.

Funnily enough, IIRC, the strains they're using are those well known low-THC high-CBD cultivars, White Widow and Northern Lights! LOL :D

I seem to remember reading that a while back, but I'm open to correction.
 

silverhazefiend

"Aint no love in the heart of the city"
Veteran
Its economics 2..if the money is there THE GOVERMENT WANTS IT..so if the market for the drug is there then anything can be possible...they also stated some dont like the psycho activity of thc so its gonna be more for them ..either it sounds a lil crazy 2 me..WEED THAT DOESNT GET U HIGH..:((
 

Snowberry

Member
Silverhazefiend....

If you really want to try out weed without thc in it, try industrial grade hemp grown for the fiber and oilseed.

You will most likely find your answer there.:laughing:

Just because you read something somewhere does that mean it's true?

Brothers Grimm had an entire collection of fairy tales as well.

Nuff said....Snowberry
 

FuknRowdy

New member
Eh, I have only tried two of the high cbd strains, one called harlequin and the other was blueberry og kush or something. The harlequin gave me a headache that lasted ALL day. the THC was around 4% and the CBD was at 9%, and i couldn't finish the gram I was given lol. The blue (as I'm too lazy to type all the rest) was more balanced 11% CBD and 9 or 10 % THC, and was actually pretty pleasant. It was very body focused and did get me "high" mentally, but not in a way I can describe other than just feeling "different" in a neutral way. Utterly neutral. I found it was nice to blend in with some quick finishing strains or with a nice racy sativa to unlock my knees.

The key from my extremely limited experience and anecdotaly would seem to be a close thc/cbd ratio, and potency becomes a much bigger factor apparently. Recreationaly it doesn't hold any value to me, but I can see the value, just not enough yet to make it into my garden or spend any on it lol. I imagine with good breeding anything is possible.
 
Top