Back to the Past and Beyond
I always encourage my patients to find Sativa/Indica tinctures. These generally come in some sort of spray mechanism or sublingual preparation.
The advantage of using tinctures should be obvious, but let me list some reasons to be clear: tinctures allow for a more steady release of the medication which results in sustained benefits, no smoking is required, and your privacy is maintained. If we are to medicate ourselves during the day we generally do this quietly and personally – as we should. With a tincture or capsule, privacy is possible to have while medicating with cannabis. Now cannabis patients can be like patients using anti-anxiety medications by discretely taking a pill/tincture during the day.
You might be surprised to find out that tinctures are not new. In fact, in 1837 there were six hundred various cannabis tinctures available in pharmacies. U.S. Pharmaceutical companies produced them all. I suppose it would be fair to say, “Pharma met Karma”.
Anyway, the physicians of the time, (from the early 1800′s to 1942 when it became criminal), were certainly recommending lots and lots of medications which contained Cannabis in many forms – from pills to tinctures. These were all “Over-the-Counter”. Reviewing many of these doctors notes, it is clear they were using Cannabis as we are beginning to, as well, it was used for the same ailments we use it for now.
We can all take lessons from the doctors and patients from nearly 200 years ago. If you are a patient, encourage your dispensary to carry new and innovative Cannabis tinctures. At the very least, let’s get back to the past. One never knows, perhaps we will move beyond the 1800′s?
