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Taken from: http://www.cannabisculture.com/backissues/cc07/ss1.html
The hash brownie, hilarious party favour and folk medicine of
thousands, has attracted the attention of the white coats. On August 21, a
trio of non-governmental pharmacologists at the Neurosciences Institute
of San Diego announced that chocolate prolongs and intensifies the good feelings of THC,
something
cannabis
consumers have known for decades.
The special effects resulting from the combination of marijuana and
chocolate are
due to the subtle interplay of anandamide,, an organic chemical that by
the grace of God is present in the natural human brain, and most curiously,
within that of the humble sea urchin as well.
Israeli biochemist Raphael Menchoulam first isolated the premier
psychoactive delta-9 THC in 1964. In 1989, US scientist William Devane
tracked down the anandamide receptor sites that interact with the THC
metabolites that the brain persuades the hands to put into the body.
Anandamides appear to have an almost universal effect. Tiny amounts
of purified anandamides were given to lucky laboratory animals, and a
euphoric high was induced. Anandamide has now been shown to be present in
chocolate as
well.
"In principle, one could have a synergy between the two, but the
effect of the hashish would still be overwhelming" says neurosciences
researcher Daniele Pionet. Sounds like she had a bit too much fun at
the staff picnic, but not to worry.
"It occurred to us that many
cannabis users
experience
chocolate cravings. We were intrigued by the correlation,
particularly because
chocolate is rich in fats and anandamide is itself a fatty
substance. We hypothesized that anandamides might be present in
chocolate."
The team analyzed dark
chocolate from
three different confectionary
chocolate
manufacturers from three different countries. They found that the levels of
anandamides varied greatly between samples, with the highest level
being ten times greater than the lowest. The researchers declined to
say which brand of
chocolate melts in your mind to best effect, for fear that their
discovery would lead to a run on the market.
The research team also discovered two additional cannabinoids that
occur naturally in
chocolate. In the lab, these new substances dramatically slowed
the breakdown of anandamides. This suggests that these choco-cannabinoids
don't create a new high so much as they tend to prolong the old one. Hence,
the long smooth buzz after chowing down a good wack of homegrown
baking.
Traditional Chinese medicine has known for centuries that certain "magic
plants" such as
cannabis and
ginseng will amplify the physical effects of other plant drugs. Thus their
herbal prescriptions are usually a blend of herbs, unlike Western
medicine which tends to use a single substance in concentrated form.
And so we see that modern pharmacology is starting to take notice of the
untapped potential of
cannabis as a legitimate medicine, even if they are only tickling it
with a ten foot pole and dipping it in
chocolate to
appease the DEA.
If you would like to contribute to the world fund of knowledge and want to
try this at home, start with good
cannabis and
the best chocolate.
Shop for chunks of dark bitter baking
chocolate or
the darkest and most pungent cocoa powder you can find, avoiding cheap
candy bars which are full of wax filler and sugar.
In order of potency, the best
chocolates are:
Baker's, Fry's, Cadbury, Hershey, Nestle, Rowntree. They will all differ in
anandamide intensity because cocoa is sourced from many different parts of the
globe.
~ Dr Alexander Sumach
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