Plant Medicine Thank You Day: 5 Plants to Say Thank You – Cannabis | weed | marijuana

February 20th is Plant Medicine Thank You Day, when we celebrate the benefits and healing properties of plant medicine.

Of course, this is a grassroots movement.

The United Nations declare May 12 “International Plant Health Day” when they seek to raise global awareness of “how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, reduce biological… protecting diversity and the environment and boosting economic development”.

Note that “medicine” is missing from this list. Not only does the UN believe that we can feed billions of people on a plant-based diet, but it does not consider psychedelic substances like ayahuasca, psilocybin and iboga as medicine.

The United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs lists these substances as Schedule I drugs, meaning they have a high potential for abuse and no recognized medical use.

Despite a growing body of research examining the therapeutic potential of these substances, particularly for treating depression, anxiety and PTSD.

The United Nations is as helpful on herbal medicines as it stopped George W. Bush’s illegal invasion of Iraq.

So while others focus on the popular herbal medicines that produce psychedelic effects, I want to focus on five other plants we should be thankful for. Some of these plants are so common that we can easily take them for granted.

Today, on Plant Medicine Thanksgiving Day, I thank these five plants who, without them, who knows where we would be.

Thank you Plant Medicine Day: Cannabis

This one should be obvious, right? While Thanks You Plant Medicine Day focuses on psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms, if you’ve ever ingested a large amount of THC, you know that cannabis can become like a mild psychedelic.

But even if you microdose THC, if you’ve ever had a stressful day at work, you know how cannabis heals.

And while CBD is hardly psychoactive, let alone psychedelic, we have every reason to thank CBD-rich cannabis plants on Thanks You Plant Medicine Day.

Whether it’s a double-blind study showing CBD can reduce anxiety or promising research showing CBD blocks COVID infection, cannabis is perhaps the most versatile of our herbal medicines.

Thanks cannabis.

Thank you Plant Medicine Day: Coffee

The coffee plant, also known as coffea, is a shrub or small tree native to the tropical regions of Africa. The fruit of the coffee plant is a small, red or purple berry called a coffee cherry that contains two seeds or beans. The beans are harvested, dried, roasted, and then ground into a powder to make coffee.

Of course, I don’t have to tell you that coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Caffeine is a natural stimulant that helps increase alertness and cognitive function.

In fact, research has shown that coffee can reduce the risk of several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and some cancers. Studies have also linked moderate coffee consumption to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

And like cannabis, coffee is a rich source of antioxidants that help protect against cell damage and reduce inflammation.

Where would we be without this essential plant medicine?

thank you coffee

Thanks Plant Medicine: Coca

Legal cocaine from yesteryear

Say what? Thanks, plant medicine, coca? How about cocaine?

Traditionally, doctors used cocaine as an anesthetic for medical procedures. Today they have replaced it with other “safer” anesthetics that are more ideologically sound than scientifically sound.

A few studies have examined the potential therapeutic uses of cocaine in specific medical settings. But given its reputation, most people don’t thank cocaine on Thanks You Plant Medicine Day.

But why not?

Cocaine is a natural product obtained from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America.

The coca plant has been used for centuries by the native peoples of South America for its stimulating effects. The leaves are chewed or made into a tea to relieve fatigue, altitude sickness, and other ailments.

In addition to cocaine, the coca plant contains several other alkaloids, including caffeine, theobromine, ecgonine, and tropacocaine.

Researchers are currently studying these alkaloids for their potential use in treating pain, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Unlike cannabis, cocaine tends to alter our mesolimbic pathway, giving the substance its reputation as “highly addictive.”

However, I have used cocaine numerous times without having to use it on a daily basis. Some people I’ve shared these experiences with haven’t been able to moderate like that. One was nearly fired from his job for staying up all night drinking cocaine.

But I also know people who have lost their jobs because they stayed up all night playing video games. And video games don’t “hijack” our dopamine pathways the way experts claim cocaine does.

Addiction has little to do with the pharmacology of the drug. Don’t let decades of drug war propaganda fool you about the medicinal and therapeutic uses of the coca plant.

Thanks cocaine

Why should I thank tobacco?

Continuing with our controversial Thanks You Plant Medicine Day crops, tobacco is next. A plant that almost no one thanks or considers as medicine.

And for a good reason.

The CDC reports that 1,300 Americans die from tobacco-related causes every day. But when it comes to the drug war, some nuance is required.

1,300 Americans die each day from smoking chemically enhanced cancer rods. Can you imagine going to the pharmacy for a pre-roll, but instead of getting pure cannabis, you get a joint mixed with sugar, cocoa, liquorice or menthol?

It is possible to find “organic” cigarettes and cigars made from 100% tobacco. But even if you burn this facility, you will breathe in hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, lead, benzene, arsenic, ammonia, and radioactive elements like polonium-210.

So why include tobacco in Thanks You Plant Medicine Day? Two reasons. And the first should be obvious.

The same “experts” who warn us about tobacco smoke warn us about cannabis smoke for the same reasons. Some even claim cannabis smoke is more deadly than tobacco smoke.

But not all cannabis products are created equal. Likewise, when you grow tobacco for personal consumption, you have complete control over your plant health, including use of pesticides.

Instead of relying on Big Tobacco.

But the main reason I added tobacco is because of its nicotine content.

Studies have shown that nicotine in isolation may have some potential health benefits — for example, potential cognitive benefits, including improving memory, attention, and focus.

Researchers have also been studying nicotine for its potential therapeutic effects in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

And of course, the benefits of nicotine must be weighed against the significant risks associated with smoking tobacco. Therefore, the most effective way to get nicotine benefits is through products such as nicotine gum, lozenges, or patches.

Thank you Nicotine

Thanks, poppy plant?!

This might be the only online blog that uses Thanks You Plant Medicine Day to say thank you to the poppy, which is the plant that gives us opioids.

Aren’t we in an “opioid crisis”? Why the hell should I thank opioids?!

Of course, people with extreme anti-opioid positions probably don’t know much about this class of drugs.

Often used to treat pain, opioids work by attaching to specific receptors in the brain and spinal cord. While opioids can be very effective at relieving pain, they can lead to serious health problems when misused.

But aren’t they super addicting?

Have you ever been given morphine in the hospital? Add an acetyl group and you have heroin. Why would adding an acetyl group to morphine make the substance super addictive?

What magical power is acetylation capable of turning medicinal painkillers into street-legal murderers?

And why did Vietnamese vets who used heroin recreationally during the war return to America without treatment and recovery?

The fact is, opioids are extremely effective in treating pain. So much so that people struggling with pain and suffering in their lives (whether mental or physical) tend to make their opioid use a daily habit.

For some people, especially politicians, it is easier to blame drugs, especially opioids, for the country’s cost of living, inequality and mental health problems.

It’s an effective propaganda tool, but all it is is a scapegoat.

People are dying of drug ignorance and spoiled supplies. On this Thank You Herbal Medicine Day, I ask that we clean up the remaining traces of drug war propaganda and find the real killer.

Thanks heroin You may not be for me, but I will not judge others who use you to find comfort and relief.

Just as ayahuasca doesn’t appeal to me, I won’t judge you for doing what you believe is best for your life.

End the drug war

Plant Medicine Thank You Day is an excellent way to promote the various herbal medicines and their uses in our daily lives. Although the day started out promoting psychedelic therapy, I’m tired of this bias towards psychedelics and against “hard” drugs like cocaine or heroin.

Almost every plant on the planet can heal or kill us. Even poison ivy has medicinal uses. Preliminary research suggests that it may have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, and may help treat arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

So on this Plant Medicine Thank You Day, think of the misfits. Anyone who has been on a psilocybin trip knows its potential to solve mental health issues.

But heroin as a stress reliever at the end of the day? (How do some of us use cannabis?) Or cocaine as a fun, relaxing stimulant to overcome social anxiety at a party? (Like how some of us consume alcohol?)

Thanks You Plant Medicine Day shouldn’t be exclusively reserved for psychedelics. Many plants have the potential to heal. And thank you for that.