What are High CBD Strains and How Do They Differ from THC?

[wildbilln864]

"It was initially thought that cannabidiol’s main function was to counter the psychoactive effects of THC, but more evidence seems to show that medically, CBD packs quite a punch on its own. It looks to be especially promising for conditions that are difficult to treat such as Crohn’s disease, PTSD and multiple sclerosis. Lately, it is one of the rarest of these conditions, Dravet’s Syndrome, that is getting a lot of attention from both the medical community and the public. Dravet’s Syndrome is an especially debilitating form of epilepsy that affects children and is notoriously resistant to current approved treatment methods. Sufferers are plagued by seizures, often up to hundreds a day that worsen as they age and can be life-threatening. Currently, treatment methods include having the child wear an eyepatch, specialized diets and brain surgery, but all have mixed success rates."
more here.

[Boxerfan]

1. In simplistic terms high CBD strains have never been sought after-therefore are somewhat rare.

While I can't give an actual answer-I can talk a bit from experience.


And the more there is actual science involved in the study of this plant we will "discover" these amazing things .

Since CBD does not give much of a high the weed has often been discounted as poor quality. So it has just lately been re-discovered that Marijuana has more benefits than previously thought.

Or maybe its a marketing ploy to sell low THC weed? It wouldn't surprise me to be honest...

Also-there are strains that have both high THC & high CBD. And how it interacts for medical use is just now being understood.

That being said its all very new to me. I just know that the current theory that the weed nowadays is more potent than ever is frankly bunk. The stuff in the 60's to early 80's was amazing. Long lasting high & very strong compared to todays best offerings.

There may be high THC strains but my old school sativa blows them away in the long run for medical use. I just knew I preferred the more cerebral style & cultivated all the old genetics I could get. This was at a time when everybody was doing skunk strains & thick indica's.

In the last 2 years I have seen an appreciation for the older strains & some interesting genetics are being brought to light. And whenever I get a promising strain I make some new genetics. The plant trains us very well to cultivate its best-just like grapes for wines.

So the latest thing is CBD's...I can't say for sure but I'd wager the sativa strains have more than indica strains.

[kestrel91316]

2. Indicas tend to be higher in CBDs and lower in THC.

Sativas are higher in THC with variable CBDs.

420.com has lots of info on various strains and their relative medical benefits.

I really like Auto Mazar, an autoflowering hybrid that is heavy on the Indica. Great for neurogenic pain and insomnia.

I have to watch out for the Sativas and Sativa-dominant hybrids because they keep me awake.

[alittlelark]

4. The 2 I have experience with - Canna Tsu and K2

are both primarily Sativa by leaf structure and growth patterns, but both are very high CBD.

[liberal_at_heart]

3. there aren't many specific CBD strains out there right now.

Most people just smoke or eat whatever they can get their hands on to alleviate their symptoms. But as more research becomes public and people learn that there are certain strains or certain cannabinoids that can help their specific symptoms the more these strains and different cannabinoids will be in demand and the more collectives will carry them. My husband is hoping to find strains that have CBG in them because they are suppose to help with interocular pressure.

[RainDog]

5. What I understand

as others have noted - indica's tend to contain more CBD.

Just like any other kind of plant breeding, people who grow mj get all sorts of interesting mutations when plants are allowed to pollinate and create seeds.

The brothers who created Charlotte's Web (the weed everyone is talking about for Dravet's), happened to get a plant that, when it flowered, had a high level of CBD. They could grow the seeds from that plant, plus keep one of the plants alive like this and grow clones of it and then breed those until, over a few generations, they would have a plant higher in CBD that would grow "true" to that level.

(mj used for recreation tries to eliminate seeds entirely by only growing female plants, or only letting females grow to maturity)

I read that parents are migrating to Colorado, once they heard about Charlotte's help with her seizures. Utah parents have asked to treat this particular strain like hemp to allow them to import it to Utah.

One thing people emphasize is that cannabis has a lot of cannabinoids and chemists don't know the full function of them yet - and this is why the whole plant is better - b/c of the synergistic effect.

[Shampoobra]

6. My recent experience with CBD

I've tried the following: CBD-only capsules, capsules with CBD + THC, and I smoked bud that was high in CBD with virtually no THC.

My general impressions:

Imagine the mind/body as a "white board." On that white board are messages like, "I don't feel well; I'm bored; I'm sad," and so on.

CBD erases the white board.

Normally, then, THC will start re-writing the board: "I'm hungry; let's turn on some music; wow, (she or he) is hot."

Taking CBD alone will erase the board and allow you to write your own messages, without THC's influence. (Not that I don't love THC.)

I admit this is all anecdotal on my part, but from what I can tell, CBD kills the pain and THC gets you high.

Both are found in cannabis, but strains have been developed to emphasize one over the other. The capsules that contain both THC and CBD are a lot of fun, but strike me as recreational instead of medical. (However, I'm not suffering the way other MMJ patients are, and those combo capsules may be exactly what some people need to alleviate their pain.)

This chart shows THC and CBD percentages. Scroll down to Ruby Slippers: that's the CBD/THC combo pill...

http://analytical360.com/access-points/listing/mountain-medicine-clinic

Ruby Slippers: 1/19/14, 5.02 THC, 10.66 CBD

The bud that was high in CBD with virtually no THC was a strange experience for me. Smoking something that tastes like marijuana, but doesn't get you high, is unnerving. I found myself annoyed, unlike the experience of taking the CBD-only capsule.

[ShadyAftermath123]

7. Nice

Enjoyed your post. Sometimes anecdotes are the most useful. I suffer from some anxiety that's been exacerbated by high THC ratio bud over the years as I was unaware of CBD. Do you think to conquer anxiety one could smoke 1:1 CBD-THC marijuana (or maybe 2:1) for like a month and then taper off the following month. And after that 2nd month, only use CBD-only capsules when needed? or what do you think? My intuition tells me that this might work for me but I'm kind of just guessing. I guess it depends on whether smoking a 1:1 bud everyday for a month would regress my anxiety.

edit: I feel like if I was to just fly up to Colorado and buy some CBD-only capsules, that it would only mask my anxiety when I take them situationally. Opposed to diving in head first and using CBD everyday for 30 days or so, and tapering down to the day when CBD-only capsules do the job of masking my (hopefully at that point) very limited anxiety.

[Shampoobra]

8. The CBD capsules have a potential downside for recreational users

Nothing too serious, but being a medical user and a recreational user simultaneously can get complicated.

I've found that, when I stock up on CBD capsules with the intention of using them instead of THC, they tend to run out quickly.

The reason they run out quickly is because they so thoroughly compliment the THC experience. Pop a CBD before using THC, and you'll find yourself in the midst of a serious high. Ten dollars worth of CBD disappears a lot faster than ten dollars of "dry meds" (cannabis buds).

However, if you have the self-discipline to stick to the plan, taking a CBD capsule every day is risk-free. Other than the cost (I spend $2 per capsule), I've yet to discover any negative side effects (no munchies, no lack of motivation, no cognitive disruption).

As to ratios like 1:1 or 2:1, here's a resource that can help you map out a CBD/THC plan:

http://analytical360.com/m/flowers/184684

That links to the test results for one particular strain of Pineapple Express. The site's home page:

http://analytical360.com

And here's a less scientific site that discusses the attributes of the various strains, using Master Kush as an example:

http://www.leafly.com/hybrid/master-kush

More strains:

http://www.leafly.com/explore