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Has the medicinal effect of cannabis been scientifically proven?
Is THC the only medicinal cannabinoid?
I would like to use cannabis oil but I do not want to be stoned. Now what?
Is getting stoned through cannabis oil as pleasant as by smoking cannabis?
Does smoking it also work medicinal?
Are there other ways to take in THC?
Can I take cannabis oil if I still have to drive by car?
Can I take cannabis oil in addition to other medicines?
Can I stop taking other medications if I notice that using only cannabis oil is enough for me?
Does cannabis oil have any side effects?
Is the use of cannabis as a medicine new?
I have cancer. Can I use cannabis oil besides my chemo or radiation?
Is cannabis oil addictive, either CBD or THC?
Can tolerance occur with the use of cannabis oil?
How long does the effect of cannabis oil last?
Should I start with CBD first or can I start with THC right away?
My doctor thinks that cannabis oil is not a good idea. Now what?
Does my health insurance cover for cannabis oil?
Can I also use cannabis oil preventively, for example to prevent cancer?
Can you give cannabis oil to animals, for example to a dog or cat that has cancer?
If I use cannabis oil, can I just take an alcoholic drink from time to time?
There are two types of cannabis plants, Indica and Sativa. What is better to make cannabis oil?
What's the percentage of THC in the oil from your oil makers and how is that measured?
Why is weed oil often diluted?
 Oil glands on a cannabis plant |
What is cannabis oil?
Cannabis oil is the liquid that is found in the trichomes (resin glands) of a fully ripe cannabis plant, especially on the buds and highest leaves. Through various extraction methods such as alcohol, gas or CO2 this "oil" can be extracted from the resin glands. This fluid contains all kinds of different medicinal substances called cannabinoids.
Has the medicinal effect of cannabis been scientifically proven?
Yes. Worldwide, hundreds of scientific studies have been done that demonstrated the effectiveness of cannabinoids such as THC and CBD in the therapeutic treatment of various diseases, from cancer to brain diseases. These studies are available to everyone on scientific platforms such as PubMed.
Claims of the American government and other authorities that the effect of medicinal cannabis "has not been proven", are therefore simply not true. Or as the University of Toronto, Canada put it, who in 2014 researched the medicinal qualities of cannabis and the question why this despite all the scientific evidence is not yet widely accepted by the (medical) establishment: "Ignoring cannabis as a medicine probably should not be considered a scientific issue, but a political one."
What is THC?
THC stands for the molecule tetrahydrocannabinol and is obtained by heating or drying the organic molecule THC-A (also called "decarboxylation"). THC-A is one of the most medicinal of all over 110 known cannabinoids, the active agents in the cannabis plant. THC-A, which is already wholesome, is made even more potent by the heating/drying process.
Although THC was already known in science, its medicinal properties only became clear for the people whenin the late 90's the Canadian Rick Simpson made an extract (oil) from the resin on the buds and leaves of a THC-rich cannabis plant. He did this as an experiment to treat his persistent headaches and incipient skin cancer. To his own surprise he healed from both ailments in no time.
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Then he also treated friends and people in his environment, often with the same good result. It was not only helpful in pain and cancer, but also in many other conditions such as rheumatism, MS, diabetes, epilepsy, insomnia, Lyme, skin problems, warts, Parkinson, Alzheimer, ALS, nausea, phantom pain, etc. Many patients stated that THC seems to have the wonderful feature of looking directly for the place where things are going wrong in the body, and taking action there.
The scientific explanation for this is that THC works in our body as a powerful neurotransmitter that supports our own endocannabinoid system. Through directing the body's own cannabinoid-like agents, called endocannabinoids, this system controls almost all of our bodily functions, such as digestion, the sleep-wake rhythm, our immune system, etc. Something can go wrong there, for example due to poor nutrition or stress. Phytocannabinoids (cannabinoids of the plant) can reinforce or restore these functions then. Moreover, they help to repair damaged DNA. In other words, through phytocannabinoids like THC our whole body, from head to toe, in principle works better.
Enthused by so many positive reactions, Rick Simpson tried to convince the medical authorities in Canada of his find, but they weren't interested. In fact, the harder he tried, the more opposition he encountered. They even took legal action against him because he would treat people 'non-scientifically'.
Though baffled about this state of affairs, he did not settle down and made a film about his cannabis oil, called "Run From The Cure". This name is a pun on a phenomenon that is often held in America and Canada, the so called "Run For The Cure", a sponsored run to raise money for cancer research. The film has now been viewed by millions of people worldwide on YouTube.
Is THC the only medicinal cannabinoid?
No, more than 110 different cannabinoids have been indexed, and many of them seem to be doing "something" for the body. However, there are two that stand out: THC and CBD. CBD is somewhat milder than THC and stands for cannabidiol. The main difference is in the operation. Where THC mainly comes into action in physical ailments, CBD seems to work better in mental illnesses such as depression, psychosis, lethargy, anxiety, etc. Also in epilepsy, CBD oil often gives good results.
What is also striking is that THC and CBD strengthen each other's effect in the body. It is therefore good to use CBD oil in addition to THC. Many THC oils also partly contain CBD, so then you don't have to take it seperately. The weed oil maker can inform you about this.
What dose should I use?
That's different for every person. You can only find out by trying it yourself. As Wernard Bruining of the Dutch Medicinal Cannabis Foundation (Stichting Mediwiet) puts it: "I saw large men flattened from one drop of cannabis oil, while I saw grandmothers take in five drops without any problem." Moreover, the need for THC and CBD can also change during the course of one person's illness.
So follow your instincts and listen carefully to your body. Your body knows best what it needs. You don't have to take cannabis oil on a set schedule (although many people do this for convenience), you can also do it only when it's needed. It usually works pretty quickly, within an hour.
A manual for taking cannabis oil can be found here.
I would like to use cannabis oil but I do not want to get stoned. Now what?
Many people take their drops of cannabis oil before bedtime. Then they notice nothing of a possible "trip". The next morning, these effects have been worked out for a long time. Cannabis oil often works well to fall asleep, so in that way it's also good to take it before you go to bed. Another way to not get high is to take the THC through suppositories.
Is getting stoned through cannabis oil as pleasant as by smoking cannabis?
No, getting stoned via cannabis oil is often not experienced as pleasant. So you really have to use it as a medicine. Besides, we do not supply cannabis oil to people who want to use it for recreational purposes.
Does smoking it also work medicinal?
Through smoking cannabis you also take in cannabinoids, so this also has a somewhat healing effect. But this is much less concentrated than cannabis oil, so certainly in the approach to serious diseases such as cancer, smoking is insufficient. Moreover, smoking is of course not good for your lungs.
Are there other ways to take in THC?
Yes, in fact every way you can get THC-A or THC in your body works more or less medicinal. You can eat the cannabis plant raw (if there are no pesticides on it), you can juice it, you can make an ointment that is absorbed by the skin (this works especially well in skin cancer), you can take it via a vaporizer, you can make tincture and you can take it as a suppository. The latter works especially well for people who do not want to be stoned and seems to work extra medicinal in diseases in the lower body, such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer.
Can I take cannabis oil if I still have to drive by car?
Although cannabis oil in small quantities does not in itself prevent you from being a gentleman or a lady in traffic (pot smokers are usually known to be more cautious on the road than reckless, unlike alcohol users) it is of course never a good idea to take the car after using any mind-altering substance.
The cannabinoids you get through cannabis oil are traceable in your blood for a long time if you get a blood or saliva test. The punishments can then be substantial. It is therefore advisable to be careful with traffic participation if you regularly consume cannabis oil.
Can I take cannabis oil in addition to other medicines?
As far as we know, cannabis oil can be safely used alongside other medicines. This is because phytocannabinoids connect seamlessly to the endocannabinoid system that every human being already has in his body. It therefore has an immune system strengthening effect, which is why it helps against so many different ailments.
Can I stop taking other medications if I notice that using only cannabis oil is enough for me?
This is indeed a much seen phenomenon (and probably also the reason why the pharma is so opposed to cannabis medicines). Many people who use cannabis oil notice that other medicines that they use are simply no longer needed. Of course we can't say anything about this on forehand, it is always best to do this in consultation with your doctor.
Does cannabis oil have any side effects?
The only known side effect of cannabis oil with THC (not with THC-A or CBD) is that you can get stoned if you take too much orally at once.
If you're just starting with cannabis oil, it is important that you build up the daily dose slowly, with one drop more per day. If you start with large doses right away, your body may get off track. You can feel unpleasant, dizzy, or nauseous. In exceptional cases people even experienced panic and a very dry mouth and throat.
If you've never smoked pot or been high, this can be a frightening experience. You can feel lost or get hallucinations. These symptoms usually disappear within a few hours, but this underlines the importance of starting with no more than one drop a day.
If you ever get high involuntarily anyway, take some sweets (such as chocolate) or some CBD oil if you have it on hand. This makes it go away faster.
Another additional phenomenon may happen is that you feel more emotional than normal. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that a sick body feels that (finally) the right approach has been chosen, and that the recovery can really begin. As said, cannabis seems to be looking for the core of the problem. If that problem is an excess of stress or a trauma (see our user manual) this realization may suddenly come up strongly and you may react emotionally. The best thing is to just let it happen and start dealing with it as soon as possible.
Medicinal cannabis also has a detoxifying effect, especially in the form of cannabis oil. So you can also get a bit feverish, sweat excessively or get diarrhea. After all, these toxins are released from your tissues and organs and first have to enter your lymphatic system and the bloodstream before they can be worked out.
Certainly if your body contains too much poison, as is often the case after a long period of medication or chemotherapy, the detoxification process can sometimes take rather violent forms, which also involve vomiting.
But all these side effects usually disappear within a few weeks.
Some cannabis oil users experience that they seem to dream less during their sleep than before, or at least recall the dreams less clearly when they wake up. This is probably because the REM sleep lasts shorter when you use cannabis, and REM sleep is the phase in which dreams are the clearest and best remembered.
During the deep sleep that follows REM sleep, we probably dream as much as during the REM phase, but we can hardly remember it when we wake up. Although this side effect of cannabis oil use can't hurt at all (it's a sign that a deep sleep is quickly reached), it is sometimes perceived as a pity.
A persistent misunderstanding about cannabis is that you can get psychoses from it. Although this has already been refuted via scientific studies, some hardened blowers can indeed suffer from memory loss and psychotic disorders. But this seems to be the result of the constant flow of pesticides that they ingest by smoking dirty weed.
Is the use of cannabis as a medicine new?
No. Although it has been gaining more attention in recent years, especially thanks to the Internet and Rick Simpson, medicinal cannabis is almost as old as mankind itself. You could see the cannabis plant as the faithful companion of man throughout history, until the government banned it at the beginning of the last century. Traces of cannabis use in ancient times have been found all over the world. Even in tombs of thousands of years old, cannabis was found.
Not only the medicinal species was used, but also hemp, the cannabis variant with strong fibers that can be used to make clothing, rope, building materials, etc. It is estimated that cannabis can be used in over 50,000 ways. Cannabis grows in almost every climate (even on the bare Rif mountains in Morocco, where it is diligently cultivated by local farmers) and has the nice characteristic that it leaves the soil richer with minerals than before, unlike most other crops. Moreover, the plant grows large and ready for harvest in no time, it often takes only 3 to 5 months.
The plant seems to have been made to assist man in his health, not only his physical health, but also spiritually. Although getting 'high' has a bad rep in the media, many people who use mind-altering drugs do not see it that way at all. A rush or trip can give you insights that you would otherwise never get, for example about personal relationships, the choices you make or even for your spiritual life. That is why psychedelic drugs are increasingly used in psychological care, for example in the treatment of trauma.
What is being high like?
It is different for every person, but usually within 15 minutes to one hour after ingestion physical and mental sensations occur that are experienced as strange and unreal. It often works mood-strengthening, so if you feel well and relaxed, you will feel truly wonderful and super-relaxed afterwards. But if you already felt bad, you can start to feel even worse by weed (which is probably never a good idea).
You can get a distorted view of reality, literally, so you can, for example, see extra depths and dimensions that are not normally there. Or you see shapes and colors in things that are normally flat and even. Your consciousness changes, you can lose your sense of time and see dream images, for example with lots of eyes looking at you. Or you think in a language that does not exist, or you get memories of something that you had already forgotten long ago. Situations that you worried about in daily life or that you preferred to ignore, can suddenly be clearly seen through. Physically you can experience tingling, a dry mouth or a warm feeling. A whole trip usually takes a few hours.
In contrast to other mind-expanding substances such as ayahuasca, iboga or some magic mushrooms, it is almost impossible to go so deep that you barely know anymore what's going on around you. So you could call it a "trip light". However, it usually is still undesirable if you don't do it at the right time, for example if you have other people around you or you're at work. So build up your dosage slowly. This way, you first get to know your body a bit better in this area.
I have cancer. Can I use cannabis oil besides my chemo or radiation?
Apart from the question of whether chemotherapy or radiation is the wisest choice when diagnosed with cancer (but that's a different story), cannabis oil is indeed often used in addition to regular cancer treatments. Cannabis oil strengthens the immune system where chemo damages it, and it also affects the pain and nausea that often come with chemotherapy. The Israeli scientist Raphael (Ravi) Mechoulam was the first to do experiments in this area, with good results.
Is cannabis oil addictive, either CBD or THC?
No, cannabis oil does not have an addictive effect.
Can tolerance occur with the use of cannabis oil?
That also differs per person, but in general not much. Some people have to take a little more droplets over time to keep the same effect, but there are also people who never need to take more than one droplet in order to suppress their pain or to sleep better.
How long does the effect of cannabis oil last?
Again, this varies from person to person, but on average about a day. For example, some people who need a bit more take THC once a day (usually before bedtime) and during the day they take some drops of CBD, so they do not get high but still get active cannabinoids.
Should I start with CBD first or can I start with THC right away?
That doesn't matter. Many people start with CBD because you can buy that easily and legally online or at drugstores. But CBD often doesn't work sufficiently in serious conditions, so then THC must be used.
My doctor thinks that cannabis oil is not a good idea. Now what?
There is a big difference in how doctors deal with cannabis oil. During their studies in medicine, they don't learn anything about it, so it is entirely up to your doctor whether he / she wants to do some research on this on the internet or is open to learning from patients who speak about cannabis oil. Many GP's are encouraging the use of cannabis oil nowadays, but actually prescribing it often remains a problem. There are doctors who do sign statements saying that the patient needs medicinal cannabis medicine, making his or her case stronger when they get into legal trouble, for example if the patient grows cannabis plants himself.
If your doctor discourages cannabis oil, ask him or her why. If there is no clear answer, or something along the lines of "You better not experiment yourself" or "That is quackery" you know that he probably just doesn't know much about it. Again, your doctor didn't learn anything about cannabis oil during his studies, and even during further training courses there's usually no attention for it at all. The medical journals also largely ignore it (although there is enough scientific evidence for it).
The only way your doctor can learn something about cannabis oil is by taking initiative himself. And many doctors don't have time or fancy doing this, especially because they often can't imagine that there would be some type of panacea for so many ailments and they wouldn't know anything about it as a medical graduate. That can cause conflicts with their mindset.
During his training, a doctor learns which (chemical) medicines should be prescribed for which ailment. No attention is paid to naturopathic or homeopathic medicine or the influence of diet on health. That's because of the enormous influence that Big Pharma has on our current medical system, and Big Pharma has only two interests: profits and patents. The industry determines what 99% of the medical research in the world is about, even at universities, which they control through sponsoring.
That's not all that pretty of course, but the good news is that the industry cannot determine what you choose yourself. So do your own research, look for the experiences of other patients with cannabis oil (especially on YouTube there are a lot to find) and when your doctor is reluctant, simply ask questions. If you have a good doctor, he / she will honestly admit that cannabis is not his or her expertise.
Does my health insurance cover for cannabis oil?
As far as we know, very few people have succeeded in getting cannabis oil reimbursed by their health insurer. Although many health care insurers fully or partially reimburse natural medicine in principle, they usually want to see proof of this, for example in the form of an invoice. But producing strong cannabis oil is illegal for companies in most parts of the world and private cannabis oil producers usually don't provide invoices because they want to stay under the radar.
In most countries, cannabis products aren't available at the pharmacies and if they are, they're usually treated with gamma radiation first, which diminishes much of its power.
According to the authorities this irradiation, the effects of which on the product have hardly been studied, is for "preservation purposes". This, however, seems questionable, since both dried weed and cannabis oil can be kept almost indefinitely. So it seems more likely that the strong lobby from the pharmaceutical industry to sweep the benefits of cannabis (oil) under the rug as much as possible, is at work here.
In view of the commercial nature of health insurers, however, it can certainly help to ask your insurer to reimburse this medicine. After all, it could save them a huge amount of money if they included this relatively low-priced drug, which often works much better than synthetic medicines. Moreover, they could distinguish themselves from the competitor. So don't hesitate to contact your health insurance company! (and to keep us informed of your findings) :)
Can I also use cannabis oil preventively, for example to prevent cancer?
Yes, that's even better than starting with it when you're already ill. Prevention is always better than extinguishing. You also need lower doses to prevent diseases than to cure them. Often one or two drops a day are sufficient to keep all kinds of diseases away from your doorstep.
Can you give cannabis oil to animals, for example to a dog or cat that has cancer?
Yes, experience so far has shown that (domestic) animals respond to marijuana oil just as well as people do. They have an endocannabinoid system just like we do which responds just as well to the fytocannabinoids from the plant.
Cannabis is illegal in my country, can I or the person who sends it get into trouble when I order it?
Apart from the countries where cannabis has been or will soon be legalized (such as Uruguay, Jamaica, various states in the US, Canada, Mexico), cannabis products with a high THC content are still generally regarded as 'drugs'. Since so many patients could benefit from this medicine, this stand from our "representatives" could of course be considered as morally quiet questionable. But as these changes usually go slow, we and others will certainly keep working as hard as we can to keep these medicines available to patients all over the world. We do this as anonymously as we can, so don't worry about us, the oil makers.
As far as the safety of the person ordering the oil is concerned, it's always up to him (or her) to make an estimation of the risk involved in his country. Countries can differ very much from each other when it comes to their (soft) drugs policy and the way they maintain it. Ordering a small amount first is always a good idea, to see if it arrives safely. We on our side do our best to keep the risk for the buyer as low as possible. Of course we can't elaborate too much on this, as other parties are probably reading this too :)
If I use cannabis oil, can I just take an alcoholic drink from time to time?
Yes. Alcohol and cannabinoids don't bite each other, although few people enjoy using weed and alcohol at the same time. On the contrary - more and more people use cannabis to get rid of their alcohol addiction.
Can I make hemp oil myself?
Sure. It's not very difficult and often a lot cheaper than buying it. If you can get your hands on some good cannabis plants or grow them yourself (don't use any pesticides!), anyone can do it.
The size of the plants doesn't matter, so if you prune the plant at the top so that it runs wide, you can grow a fairly large plant in months from which you can get oil for a year. The seeds can be simply be bought online.
Dozens of good instructions on how to make oil can be found on the internet, for instance on YouTube.
There are two types of cannabis plants, Indica and Sativa. What is better to make cannabis oil?
Although good results have been achieved with Sativa here and there, Rick Simpson himself recommends always using Indica plants. This is because Indica often has a soothing effect, which is good for a recovering body. Sativa works a bit more arousing.
What's the percentage of THC in the oil from your oil makers and how is that measured?
The oil from our oil makers usually contains about 15-20% THC. For this purpose cannabis strains are used that growers have already established to have a high THC content, such as Lemon Kush. Our oil makers usually grow the plants themselves, so they are sure that it is biologically done and that no residues of pesticides or fungicides end up in the oil.
After extraction, the pure oil contains a very high THC content of often 80% or more. This is usually diluted with olive oil and / or hemp seed oil. Our oil makers regularly have their oil tested in laboratories such as Cannabytics to be sure of the result.
Why is weed oil often diluted?
The pure cannabis oil is often diluted in a ratio of, for example, 1:4 or 1:6 with olive oil or other oils because then it can be dripped. This makes it easier to dose.
I would like to do the Rick Simpson Treatment, so with the pure undiluted weed oil or paste. Do you have that too?
Yes, several of our oil makers also offer the pure oil. This is the most expensive way to use weed oil. The total amount for a full Rick Simpson Treatment with pure weed oil can be around 1,500 euros.
However, we recommend not to do this. For some people, after all, it is not the product they are looking for, for example because they react too strongly to it, or they find it difficult to dose the pure pasta properly. Pure Rick Simpson oil is extremely concentrated after all, and is usually stored in a syringe. Then you use too much easily, and you can get high. Our oil makers usually do not take back used products, so then it's a shame to have spent such a large amount in one go.
It's much better to first start with a small bottle of normal (ie dripable) THC oil. Then you can see how you like it, and you can increase the dose later if you want. After all, it is not about how you take the THC, whether via pasta or oil or salve or capsules, but about how much THC you get in total. And this is the hardest to dose precisely with pure pasta.
What does it cost?
For a 10 ml bottle with 200 mg THC you pay an average of around 35 euros at our oil makers. There are approximately 200 droplets in a 10 ml bottle. Most people need just a few drops a day for their condition, so they do a few months with one bottle.
Unfortunately, weed oil is not reimbursed by practically any health insurer. Hopefully, with the increasing awareness of the medicinal properties of this plant, insurance companies will see that there is a huge amount of money to be saved if they include natural, medicinal cannabis oil in their packages.
It probably helps to call and write insurers and the government as much as possible about the desirability of this. Because usually these things don't happen all by themselves!
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