Time to grow a CBD strain!

Author: Gweedo Expert in growing, processing and applying cannabis

CBD cannabis or CBD weed, you've probably heard of it. Cannabis strains with a high CBD content, with or without a high or low THC content. The CDB strains are on the rise throughout Europe, partly due to the legislation that no cannabis can be grown and sold with a THC content higher than 0.5%. But what to do with it, it doesn't get you high or stoned, I hear you say.

It's definitely a must to grow a CBD strain someday

But with the various new CBD strains from many seed companies, there are more and more tasty strains on the market with a wide variety of CBD and THC levels. The application of CDB cannabis is versatile and can be very effective. In this blog I want to go deeper into what CBD is and what you can do with it. With even a recipe to make your own CBD oil.

View all medical CBD seeds from all brands.

What is CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of hundreds of cannabinoids that a cannabis plant contains, just like THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is one. And like that THC has an effect on the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies and thus affects our body's own cannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system. Unlike THC, CBD is a non-psychoactive substance, so it doesn't get you stoned or high. But by affecting our endocannabinoid system, the body is better able to increase its self-healing powers. There are several studies and researches that show that CDB brings a great benefit. It is therefore applied to insomnia, multiple sclerosis, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, parkinson's and schizophrenia, among others.

CBD vs. THC

Cannabis grown outdoors is generally more balanced. Due to the longer growth and flowering time, more THC will be converted to CBD and other cannabinoids. The same is true of traditional foreign hashish from Morocco, India, Nepal, etc. which generally also has a higher CBD content. This is because the plants are grown outside and often they are also dried in the open air. The sunlight during the drying process further accelerates the process that converts THC into other cannabinoids, in particular CBD. This also explains why traditional hashish is less strong than cannabis grown under a lamp. If you feel uncomfortable after smoking a slightly too thick joint, take a few puffs of a CDB joint and the unpleasant feeling goes away. CBD stabilizes the effect of THC, which results in a good high and a nice feeling.

Also interesting: "CBD, THC and other Cannabinoids"

CBD history

At the end of the nineteenth century, it was quite common to use cannabis as medicine for numerous ailments and diseases. In the 1930s, cannabis was banned in America. Soon the rest of the world followed, whether forced or not, with bans on cannabis. And with the advance of the pharmaceutical industry, cannabis as a medicine also soon disappeared. After all, a plant that someone could grow themselves and which made them feel good was a direct competitor for the pills of the industry. Many pills, powders and drinks from this industry have an addictive effect. Which in turn is a big advantage for selling them. Cannabis was dismissed as a drug and its medicinal properties were not recognized. Israel did many studies on cannabis. These studies were mostly commissioned and financed by America. The aim was to prove that cannabis had no medicinal value. People like Rick Simpson and later also the Dutch Wernard Bruining, brought the attention back to the special influence of cannabinoids on the human body.

In the beginning it looked more like a Tel Sell commercial. People miraculously recovered from cancer, tumors disappeared and chronically ill patients regained some quality of life. Only because of this oil! It was around the year 2010 that the story of Charlotte Figi came out. A girl who came into the world as a perfectly healthy baby, but a few months after her birth suddenly developed epilepsy. As she grew older, the frequency and severity of the seizures also increased, until eventually she was having as many as 300 seizures a week. After years of tests and examinations, it turned out that Charlotte suffered from a rare form of epilepsy for which there was no medication. The girl's parents were desperate when they saw something on television about medicinal cannabis and CBD. After finding a doctor willing to prescribe CBD for the girl, the effects on her proved miraculous and the seizures stopped immediately. A legal American cannabis producer, Stanley's Farm, selected and grew a cannabis strain with high CBD and low THC content especially for her. The strain is therefore also named after her, Charlotte's Web, and is the first patented cannabis strain in America.

CBD now and in the future

Now that the World Health Organization has decided that CBD is not a drug and states that it cannot lead to abuse or dependence, this has opened many doors. The organization also recognizes that it has therapeutic effects against epilepsy and other related conditions. This is also the reason why cannabis is being grown and sold in more and more countries around us. This is exclusively CBD cannabis with a THC percentage of less than 0.5%. In Switzerland this is even available at the gas station as a tobacco substitute. Okay, a weed with 0.5% THC will not really do it for a seasoned blower like me, but it is another step towards the legality and recognition of cannabis. What does worry me greatly, however, are the stories of contaminated CBD cannabis. With CBD cannabis being widely grown in many countries in the EU, the retail price of this product is very low. Some cannabis has just a little higher THC content than the 0.5% allowed and therefore cannot be sold as CDB cannabis. Criminals buy up these harvests and add synthetic THC to them. A very harmful and toxic substance that results in serious health risks. Memory loss, confusion, a diminished sense of reality and identity. Real poison, yes! In the beginning I thought this was only happening on the black market, but this weed has also been found in several coffee shops in the Netherlands. Another reason to grow on a small scale.

Blow without getting stoned, what good is that? 

When I gave up smoking tobacco, I benefited greatly from a weed with lots of CBD and little THC. CBD inhibits the craving for nicotine and replaces the blissful and calming effect of the cigarette. Quitting tobacco was much more enjoyable this way. Because the weed is less strong, you can smoke comfortably without the addictive substances and without being apestonished all day. Which is also a great benefit for patients who can take the active cannabinoids to themselves and still be able to do something for the rest of the day. By consuming CBD cannabis, you lower your THC tolerance. This means that you become more sensitive to THC again, which in the long run will cause you to consume less. Without tobacco, it is impossible to turn a good piece of hash into a joint. So what I do is make a hash joint with CBD weed. This way you can enjoy the characteristic effect of good hashish.

Also interesting: "Cannabis as (self) medication"

Make your own CDB oil

Supplies

• 10gr. CBD cannabis buds
• 120ml. consumption alcohol of minimal 95%
• 10ml. olive oil
• A grinder
• Coffee filter
• An electric stove
• One pan
• Heatproof bowl to heat au bain-marie in the above pan
• Glass beaker, empty jam jar or something similar
• A spoon

Use only alcohol suitable for consumption and not synthetic isopropyl alcohol. And always use an electric hotplate. avoid sparks, flames and open flames because the alcohol vapor is very flammable with a risk of explosion! Therefore, do this in a well-ventilated area and preferably outside.

Preparation method

1. Grind the cannabis finely with the grinder and put it in the glass cup.
2. Carefully pour a small amount of alcohol into the cup, so much that the alcohol just rises above the cannabis.
   The resin of the plant, which contains the active substances, will be soaked off by the alcohol within seconds.
3. Shake slightly and carefully pour the alcohol with the absorbed resin through the coffee filter into the heat-resistant bowl, but leave the cannabis still in the cup.
4. Repeat step 2 with the rest of the alcohol.
5. Now pour the alcohol through the filter again and also put the plant material into the filter.
6. Drain the filter into the heat-resistant bowl. Close the filter at the top and gently squeeze the "filter bag" until most of the liquid is out.
7. Fill the pan with water. Be careful how much water you use so that the bowl is stable during the bain-marie heating process.
8. Heat the water, but do not let it boil.
9. Place the cup with the mixture of resin and alcohol in the pan of water and heat au bain-marie. Make sure that not too much water evaporates from the pan. If this does happen you can just top it up.
   The evaporation of the alcohol will cause small bubbles to form, which looks like a layer of foam. Please note that the alcohol vapor is flammable!
10. When about half the volume is left from when you started heating, add 10 ml. of olive oil.
11. Heat gently, stirring frequently with a spoon until it becomes an even liquid
12. Do this until no more bubbles appear. Then you know that the alcohol has completely evaporated.

What you have left now is about a 1 in 10 diluted pure full spectrum CBD oil. So not only cannabidiol but also the many other cannabinoids that the plant is rich in and are good for our endocannabinoid system. Not just CBD but all the compounds together give the best balanced effect. This is also called the entourage effect. That's why I prefer to eat oranges and tangerines for the vitamin C than a pill with only vitamin C in it.

You can pour the oil into a dropper bottle for on the go. You can also just leave it in the container it was prepared in and use the narrow back of a spoon to easily take a small amount out of the container. Start with one small drop and wait an hour to see what it does to you and then take the amount that makes you feel good. Close the container with a piece of silver foil and even at room temperature it will keep for months.

Maybe a little redundant, but I want to end with: Caution! Not suitable for children!

Gweedo Expert in growing, processing and applying cannabis

Gweedo is a true cannabis expert. This includes growing, processing and applying cannabis. With over 25 years of experience, he is a walking encyclopedia for all things cannabinoids.

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