Can Cannabis Help Treat Depression?

There’s much more to it than taking a hit when you’re blue

By Dan Reich

Depression is a pervasive health issue, affecting an estimated 260 million people worldwide. Patients suffering from depressive disorders experience a wide range of issues, including sadness, anxiety, guilt, irritability, impaired memory, thoughts of death and suicide, loss of motivation, disturbed sleep or appetite, as well as tiredness, neglect of responsibilities, changes in personal appearance, and withdrawal from others. Current antidepressant medications often fail to offer long-term relief, as perhaps a third of all patients develop resistance to the medications, which can take weeks to offer relief from symptoms and come with unpleasant side effects, including weight gain, loss of libido and more. Given this spotty history, many people with depression have difficulty finding relief via conventional treatments. Often an unpleasant experience using high-THC cannabis will mean there is resistance to trying a cannabis treatment for depression but CBD is not psychoactive and doesn’t induce anxiety.

A fair amount of research has gone into determining whether CBD has promise in improving the lives of those suffering from depression. Depression is believed to be caused – at least partly – by a lack of serotonin in the brain. CBD doesn’t necessarily boost serotonin levels, but it may affect how your brain’s chemical receptors respond to the serotonin that’s already in the body’s system, as it binds to serotonin receptors.

Researchers have discovered that CBD can be effective in addressing many conditions that contribute to depression, such as stress, insomnia, anxiety and PTSD. A 2018 NIH study concluded that CBD has anti-stress effects, which may reduce depression related to stress. Both CBD and THC have shown effectiveness as a sleep aid, and research has shown that CBD can reduce levels of anxiety significantly. In a clinical trial carried out in adults diagnosed with PTSD, CBD plus psychiatric medications and psychotherapy reduced the severity of PTSD symptoms after 8 consecutive weeks of treatment.

At the very least, the calming and sense of well-being that CBD can induce has produced a lot of anecdotal evidence that people with depression can obtain relief from CBD, or even from balanced cannabis strains that combine CBD and THC in a 1:1 ratio. (The CBD counteracts the anxiety-inducing properties of THC for many people.)

“Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent," says Erin L. Martin, a PhD candidate at the Medical University of South Carolina. "Traditional antidepressants may effectively treat these disorders in a lot of people, but they do not work for everyone and can have unpleasant side effects. Medicinal cannabis products, especially products high in CBD, may help to treat symptoms of depression, improve sleep, and increase quality of life. There is also some evidence that medicinal cannabis may alleviate symptoms of anxiety, particularly if administered over an extended period of time, but this is less clear from our results and warrants further study.

Getting the right balance of THC to CBD is important. "When it comes to sleep, generally that means identifying a strain that contains relaxing terpenes, and a balance of CBD and a not-too-high concentration of THC," says Michael Breus, PhD, the resident sleep expert on WebMD.

Terpenes that show particular relaxation properties include Limonene, a citrus-flavored terpene found in citrus peels as well as in cannabis and other plants, which has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress. Limonene may also have anti-depressant effects. Scientists think its calming, mood-lifting effects come from limonene’s ability to elevate serotonin levels in the brain.

Linalool, a lavender-scented terpene found in hundreds of plants, including cannabis, is an established relaxation and sleep aid. Studies show linalool can lower anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as help guard the immune system against damage from stress.

Synergy Wellness has a reputation as a specialist resource for CBD-rich supplements, curating many CBD-rich cannabis strains, including the Synergy -Tsu strain which was developed in-house and tests at 22:1 CBD/THC. A daily protocol of a high CBD preparation can yield significant results in mood enhancement without unpleasant side effects. A dose of CBD-rich tincture taken sublingually and then swallowed will elicit a rapid onset within twenty minutes, quickly relieving anxiety and tension. Similarly CBD-rich raw capsules are useful for delivering long-lasting relief from symptoms. CBD-rich cookies are a tasty popular choice with a sustained effect, while others prefer the rapid onset of a CBD-rich vape pen. Different CBD-rich strains have various terpene and cannabinoid profiles which is why Synergy Wellness is proud to offer such variety in their products.

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Suppositories: A Secret Success Story

Our cultural inclination for modesty explains why suppository medicine is seldom discussed in public or private. The very mention of rectal or vaginal suppositories will invariably lead to blushes and embarrassed giggles rather than a robust conversation. Nevertheless, the suppository method for delivering cannabis medicine, both rectal and vaginal, has been in practice for thousands of years. Recipes recorded on Egyptian papyrus dating from 3000 BC recommend both rectal and vaginal use of cannabis suppositories for a variety of complaints, from hemorrhoidal discomfort (rectal use) to uterine pain (vaginal use).

Suppository use is often preferred when ingestion or inhalation are problematic, this might be a result of an inability to swallow, digestive issues, nausea, compromised lungs or a desire to eliminate the psychoactive side effects of eating or smoking cannabis. Absorption of cannabinoids through both the rectum and the vagina bypasses the digestive system and the liver and thus THC is not given the metabolic opportunity for activation. This means that higher doses of THC-rich cannabis, indicated for chronic pain and cancer sufferers, can be taken without psychoactive side effects. In 1996 a clinical trial revealed the bioavailability of rectally administered THC-rich medication can exceed that of medication taken orally, exceptional and unexpected news!

Suppositories are often prescribed for the treatment of localized pelvic pain in male patients, hemorrhoids, fissures, enlarged prostate, Crohn's Disease and post-operative discomfort, all respond positively to the medication.

Suppositories are also prescribed for a range of women’s reproductive health issues, period cramps, vaginal dryness and endometriosis as well as issues with painful sex. There are significant clusters of CB1 receptors in the vagina and vaginal suppositories have a conditioning effect on the entire vulva. Anecdotally, suppository use for interior dryness and irritation of both the vulva and vagina comes highly recommended. Dosage varies with each unique case, for menstruation pain an ‘as needed’ prescription will be effective. For pernicious dryness of the vulva daily application until symptoms abate will yield the best results.

So what exactly is a cannabis suppository? Essentially, a small cone shaped parcel made of cannabis infused oil, kept refrigerated until use, the suppository enters the body in solid form and then dissolves inside the body allowing the cannabis extract to be absorbed with the carrier oil.

Synergy Wellness has been making suppositories for over a decade and has developed a formula designed for effectiveness, comfort and purity. Synergy suppositories typically contain a 1:1 blend of CBD/THC extract (CBD to alleviate inflammation and THC to combat pain.) The cannabinoids are suspended in pure organic shea and cocoa butter, both easily absorbed through the soft tissues of the rectum or the vagina.

In his consultancy role, our founder Leonard Leinow has found that the high dosage recommended for shrinking tumors, cancer remediation and extreme pain can be achieved without the psychoactive effects that some clients would rather not explore by using suppositories rather than oral forms of treatment. Since the medicine travels through the lymphatic system, and not the blood, it reaches all parts of the body without the sometimes undesired psychoactive effects.

Synergy offers a range of suppositories in varying strengths; 200mg, 100mg and 50mg. Leonard recommends dosage based on the individual case, the greater the discomfort the larger the dose. Cancer sufferers are often advised to take the largest dose to ameliorate pain levels and to allow the constituent cannabinoids to work on the malignancy itself: THC shrinks tumor mass, while CBD inhibits the growth of new cancer cells. The synergistic effect of THC, CBD and the trace element CBG has been shown to encourage the apoptosis (death) of cancer cells while preserving healthy cells. We have many anecdotal cases of suppository treatment for various types of cancer; breast, lung, even brain cancers, most with very positive results: from our records we see that a three month course of daily 200mg suppositories yields very significant tumor shrinkage.

Our cultural reticence around suppository use is changing and Synergy members are finding that this delivery method has many advantages. Issues with the actual application invariably resolve quickly, insertion is easy and painless and detailed application instructions come with the medication.

This coming month Synergy Wellness has a special offer for members interested to experiment with this delivery method. The “Suppository Starter Pack’’ containing five suppositories of 50g, 100g or 200mg can be purchased until August 31st, 2022.

Healthy Home-made CBD-infused Hummus

Tasty snacking food is especially welcome in the summer months when the heat can wreak havoc with appetite.

Garbanzos are my favorite legume, offering vitamins and minerals, protein and fiber in high quantities with many benefits for overall health. Easy to digest and rich in B6 and B9 (folate) a dish of hummus is sustaining and easy to eat with crudites, crackers or bread. Adding a therapeutic dose of CBD with either olive-oil or sesame oil based CBD tincture compliments the flavor profile of hummus as both oils are already recipe ingredients.

Ingredients

• I cup dried Garbanzo beans (soaked overnight or 8 hrs)

• I heaped tablespoon of Tahini paste

• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

• ¼ cup of Olive Oil

• 20-30 drops CBD-rich olive or sesame oil.

• 1 cup or more, filtered water

• Salt

• Pepper

• Parsley Sprigs

Method

1.) First soak the garbanzo beans overnight, discard the soak water, then cover the beans generously with salted fresh water, boil until soft, then drain. You’ll see that white skins come away from the cooked beans, discard as many of them as you can, further rinsing helps separate the skins.

2.) Add the cooked garbanzos to a blender and add all the other ingredients, add the water in ¼ cup increments adding more water until you have the consistency that you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with parsley and serve with crudites, crackers or bread.