With the onset of Spring, everyone looks forward to the magical festival of colours – ‘Holi’ – celebrated in large parts of India. It is a fun carnival, with everyone coming together to express joy and celebrate life - intertwined with the mythical stories of victory of good over evil. Regardless of age and social status, people come out on the streets to play with powder colours, or get drenched in coloured water squirted by naughty revellers. A unique spirit of bonhomie takes over as people sing and dance, offering specialty foods and drinks to each other. A traditional drink savoured at this time is ‘bhang lassi’, which is made by mixing Cannabis paste with milk, in combination with ghee (clarified butter) and spices. Cannabis buds and leaves are also added to savoury snacks like ‘pakoras’ (fried balls of gram flour with fillings). ‘Bhang golis’ are chewy little balls of bhang mixed with ghee and sugar. Whichever way it is consumed, ‘bhang’ adds to the heightened fun and laughter that marks this Spring festival.
Cannabis (or Marijuana) has been known for centuries and has been used for recreational and medicinal purposes. Native to the mountainous regions west of the Himalayas, where it is often seen growing freely along the roadsides, Cannabis is now widely cultivated in many parts of the world. Traditional healers have used Marijuana buds, leaves and resin for wide-ranging benefits - as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anesthetic, anti-convulsant, anti-emetic (stops vomiting), anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac, hypotensive, appetite stimulant, sedative, bronchial and vaso-dilator, euphoric and a hallucinogen. Marijuana seeds were also used as a laxative and a demulcent (to relieve irritation). Marijuana has always found favour with a large number of artists, philosophers and spiritual practitioners. It can loosen inhibitions and relax the brain. There is increasing scientific validation that Marijuana can indeed act as a cognitive catalyst that can trigger heightened free-associative creativity, increased pattern recognition, and insight, helping us increase the novel ways in which we find connections. Creativity is essentially about ‘early pattern recognition’ and ‘seeing new perspectives’. On the contra side are the ill-effects that Marijuana can have on the brain development of younger folks, especially if it becomes an addictive habit early in life. Cannabis entered the western world in the 19th century, and ever since has had a chequered history. Between 1840 and 1900, over a hundred published medical papers recommended Marijuana leaf for various uses - such as pain and nausea relief, and as a sleep aid. Although very often it is smoked as weed or pot, Marijuana can also be consumed as a food, made into a tisane (tea) or an alcohol-based tincture, or used as a sub-lingual spray. It also has topical uses. However, in the early part of the 20th century, Marijuana got banned in most countries. As expected, it promptly went ‘underground’ and continued to flourish. In recent years, thankfully a fresh perspective is being taken. With more results coming in from trials, ‘medical’ Marijuana is now being prescribed for chronic pain from serious life-debilitating diseases, muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, poor appetite and weight loss caused by chronic illness, seizure disorders and Crohn's disease. Many states in the US and Canada, as well as an increasing number of EU countries, have either already enacted laws to permit the use of ‘medical’ Marijuana, or are actively considering doing so. Patients can now get a ‘Marijuana Card’ under certification from a doctor, to permit them to to buy it from an authorised seller - a dispensary.
Tip of the Week
A healthy way to take ‘medical’ Marijuana involves vaporisation, or as an alcohol-based tincture. Sub-lingual administration of the whole Cannabis plant extract, with fixed concentrations of Cannabinoid components, has the added advantage of the addictive potential being considerably lower than that of other prescribed drugs (or substances of abuse). Although Cannabis leaves can be boiled in hot water as a tisane (infusion), the psychoactive properties do not fully emerge till the active ingredient is dissolved in either fatty liquids (like butter) or alcohol. The smoked version of Marijuana is also psychoactive and seems to be preferred for recreational use. But like tobacco, smoking (Marijuana) can have harmful effects associated with long-term addictive use, especially if the dosage is not calibrated. Because of possible side-effects, it is recommended to avoid driving or to undertake any activity that requires fast reaction times, after taking Marijuana.
Nature’s Wonder Food of the Week: Marijuana or Bhang or Cannabis Sativa
The active ingredients in the buds, resin and leaves of Cannabis are Cannabinoids. In addition, they contain several essential oils, alkaloids and calcium. The Marijuana seed, on the other hand, contains protein, lipids, inositol, choline and enzymes. Patients take Cannabis primarily for its ability to reduce chronic pain and anxiety. Pain Management improves a patient’s quality of life - especially in serious diseases like Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis or AIDS. Cannabinoids can contribute to pain modulation through an anti-inflammatory mechanism. They have a stimulatory effect on appetite and increase the food intake, in addition to also offering amelioration to patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Cannabinoids may have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumours.
Registered Holistic Nutritionist (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition). For education purposes only; always consult a healthcare practitioner for medical conditions
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