Tetrahydrocannabinol
First was isolated by Raphael Mechoulam, Yechiel Gaoni, and Habib Edery from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel in 1964. In pure form, it is a glassy solid when cold, and becomes viscous and sticky if warmed.
An aromatic terpenoid, it has a very low solubility in water, but good solubility in most organic solvents such as butane or hexane.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is also a neuro-protective antioxidant.
Is it toxic?
There has never been a documented fatality from Tetrahydrocannabinol. Absorption is limited by serum lipids, which can become saturated with Tetrahydrocannabinol, thus the inherent solubility may mitigate toxicity. In order to create a lethal overdose in a human, one would have to consume 1500 pounds in under 15 minutes.
Benefits
A number of studies indicate that Tetrahydrocannabinol may provide medical benefits for cancer and AIDS patients by increasing appetite and decreasing nausea.
It has been shown to assist some glaucoma patients by reducing pressure within the eye, and is used by a number of multiple sclerosis patients, who can use it to alleviate neuropathic pain and spasticity. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is currently supporting research into these uses.
New scientific evidence is showing that Tetrahydrocannabinol can prevent Alzheimer’s Disease in an animal model by preventing the inflammation caused by microglia cells which are activated by binding of amyloid protein.
Research in rats has indicated that Tetrahydrocannabinol prevented hydroperoxide-induced oxidative damage as well as or better than other antioxidants in a chemical (Fenton reaction) system and neuronal cultures.
Tetrahydrocannabinol may also be an effective anti-cancer treatment, with studies showing tumor size reduction in mice conducted in 1975 and 2007, as well as in a pilot study in humans with glioblastoma multiforme (a type of brain cancer).
Thoughts?
