THC/CBD strains

[daniegirl6224]

What THC/CBD strains have you found most helpful for your autism symptoms? I’m hoping to find something to help with the following:
A) socializing, social anxiety
B) task initiation
C) agitation due to overstimulation

Thank you

 

[Magna]

Are you asking for comments on Indica, Sativa or Ruderalis, the three "strains" or "types" of cannabis? Or are you asking related the commercial names given to cannabis such as: "Apple Fritter", "Tropicana Cherry", etc by different growers?

How a person reacts to certain "strains" is so individual I don't know that it would be possible for someone to give you information that would reliably affect you in the same way it affects them.

That being said, in a general sense, Indicas are widely considered to be more relaxing and mellow (hence the nickname "Inda-couch") whereas Sativas are widely considered to be energizing and more cerebral.

Terpenes play a huge role in the overall effects a person feels as well. As such, there can be two different pure Sativa strains that have different types or different levels of terpenes respectively and can therefore have different effects for the individual. Same for Indicas with different "terpene profiles".

 

[daniegirl6224]

Specific names

 

[Magna]

Specific names

If you have an interest in cannabis then you should start by looking for a Sativa strain and an Indica strain and try a small bit of each and see how they affect you. It's almost impossible to buy pure/singular Sativa or Indica strains from dispensaries since most cannabis sold commercially is a hybrid of the two primary strains.

Actually, they're often a hybrid of the three primary types including Ruderalis. Ruderalis is the type of cannabis that grows wild in northern climates including Siberia. It's an "auto-flowering" strain which means the plant blooms based on length of time that plant has grown. It grows and blooms very rapidly. Whereas Sativas grow wild at or very near the equator and their blooming is dictated more by the amount of sunlight it receives. Since sunlight is more consistent year around at the equator, wild Sativas take many many months to bloom.

 

[Magna]

What THC/CBD strains have you found most helpful for your autism symptoms? I’m hoping to find something to help with the following:
A) socializing, social anxiety
B) task initiation
C) agitation due to overstimulation

Thank you

Also, you may end up needing different strains for different situations. If you'd asked for a strain that helps with agitation due to overstimulation, many would recommend you seek an Indica or Indica dominant strain. Indica is widely considered to have more effects of relaxation.

But if you'd asked for a strain that helps with socializing and social anxiety, then it's possible that a Sativa or Sativa dominant hybrid strain would help since Sativa is widely considered to have more "energizing" effects.

People will often report that Indica makes them want to just "chill" and do little whereas people will often report that Sativa makes them want to go out and do things, be active, etc.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

If you can find a good dispensary with a knowledgeable staff, you can simply describe some of your symptoms and they may have products for you to try. There are several different hybrids of Cannabis, each bred for their specific bioflavonoid, THC, and CBD blend. Then there is the processing and concentrations of these compounds that make it into various products. It's become more of a science at this point. Knowledgeable staff should be able to make appropriate recommendations. You may have to sample a few different ones before finding one you like.

Personally, I am not a Cannabis fan, as I don't like the way it makes me feel, the dry mouth, and it disrupts my sleep cycles. I actually prefer "psilocybin" mushroom (I grow my own) + lions mane mushroom + niacin, called a Stamets Stack, named after the famous mycologist, Paul Stamets. It keeps me in a positive mood, my mind sharp, helps me with temperance, patience, empathy, executive functioning, and self-control. I generally feel and function better with this combination. Basically, I'm a better person. PM me for more info if interested in learning more.

 

[Outdated]

I've smoked dope all my life but I don't try and kid anyone that I'm "self medicating". For me THC makes video games and a lot of other fun activities more exciting and that's why I smoke it. I only smoke the Sativa strains as the others don't affect me as strongly.

It amplifies any social anxiety I might be feeling and reduces my ability to control conversations and social situations.

It dramatically improves my ability to hyperfocus. I had a long term girlfriend who never smoked it but she mentioned a few times that she preferred it when I smoked dope before driving because I was much more aware of what was going on around me and up ahead. She felt safe in the car with me when I was stoned, safer than when she was driving herself.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I used to smoke regularly. 14 years over the course of 18. Different strains over that time.

What I found:

A) socializing, social anxiety - made anxiety a lot worse
B) task initiation - made me lazy and procrastinate more
C) agitation due to overstimulation - made it worse.

I persevered through intense anxiety because of addiction. After an hour or so of mad anxiety and aches and pains, i could enjoy the tail end of 90 mins high.

 Ed

 

[SusanLR]

I've never smoked it, but I have taken dispensary CBD with low amount of THC oils and didn't like how it made me feel. I felt nothing for a few weeks, then I started feeling very wired and hyper. Couldn't sleep. It didn't increase anxiety, but it didn't relax me either.
It was Indica and Sativa mix.

I do find CBD lotions really help with my leg neuropathy sensations.
If I didn't have it to apply liberally, I wouldn't be able to sleep.
The strain in that is Sativa.
It gets into the system when used regularly and I do feel more relaxed with the use of it topically.

 

[Magna]

I'll add a bit more info about Terpenes. Terpenes are not unique to cannabis. They're present in most plant life as aromatic compounds. The smell of a fresh lemon peel? Limonene. The peppery smell of black peppercorns? Caryophyllene. The pine smell of crushed pine needles? Pinene. The list goes on and on.

Aromatherapy is based on the usage of plant terpenes to illicit desired responses in the body/mind.

Cannabis strains can have combinations of many terpenes found in other plants. Different terpenes can have different effects on a person.

The solvent Turpentine? Composed primarily of pine terpenes.

 

[Outdated]

The solvent Turpentine? Composed primarily of pine terpenes.

Only Europe and North America natively have pine trees. Around most of the world we use Mineral Tuprentine - a petrochemical product. If we wanted to produce it naturally here it would have to come from different types of cypress.

 

[TBRS1]

Get 2-3 different strains, and alternate weekly.

Body adjusts & strain stops being effective. The slight change in chemical balance in each strain acts as a slight reset.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

I'll add a bit more info about Terpenes. Terpenes are not unique to cannabis. They're present in most plant life as aromatic compounds. The smell of a fresh lemon peel? Limonene. The peppery smell of black peppercorns? Caryophyllene. The pine smell of crushed pine needles? Pinene. The list goes on and on.

Aromatherapy is based on the usage of plant terpenes to illicit desired responses in the body/mind.

Cannabis strains can have combinations of many terpenes found in other plants. Different terpenes can have different effects on a person.

The solvent Turpentine? Composed primarily of pine terpenes.

Magna, this is so interesting. I had no idea. I dearly love all those smells and sniff them whenever I can. Key lime peels? Delightful. Pine, wonderful. So many harmful chemicals like turpentine. I love the smells and have to be careful using them.

It never occured to me that aroma therapy might have some biological basis instead of just smelling good. Thank you.

 

[Magna]

Magna, this is so interesting. I had no idea. I dearly love all those smells and sniff them whenever I can. Key lime peels? Delightful. Pine, wonderful. So many harmful chemicals like turpentine. I love the smells and have to be careful using them.

It never occured to me that aroma therapy might have some biological basis instead of just smelling good. Thank you.

A relatively new way* to consume cannabis is to vaporize the dried "herb" and by doing so, not only avoids combusting the material, it also preserves more of the terpenes in their unburned state making it more flavorful. It's also the healthiest way to consume cannabis through the lungs. Perhaps it could be argued that ingesting cannabis would be the healthiest way to consume it, but it's then processed by the liver. I don't know the answer to that.

The process I describe above is not referring to any other type of THC product such as oils, distillates, etc that are often processed into a cartridge form similar to an E-cigarette. I personally have no interest in such a method because the manufacturing process may include impurities, etc.

As an aside, simply ingesting dried (or fresh) cannabis won't result in any effects; in essence, it's inactivated in that state. The herb must first be decarboxylated by heating it to a certain temperature for a certain amount of time. Pre-baking it in a sense. Baking it into brownies applies necessary heat for that process to "activate" its efficacy.

One other benefit to vaporizing the dried herb is that the leftover toasted material can be made into an oil or tincture by soaking the ABV (Already Been Vaped) herb in a grain alcohol (e.g. vodka) for maybe a month and then filtering it out into a dropper bottle and to be taken orally, usually in a glass of water or other kind of liquid. Some people prefer this because of the ability and consistency of starting drop by drop and ultimately "dialing in" a dosage. Some people prefer to use such a small number of drops that they have no perceived effect, but still feel benefits.

*Technically vaporizing cannabis herb has been done for many decades with the first mass produced/marketed product still being made today (along with many hundreds of similar products from as many companies). However it hasn't been as widely used back then as it is today.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

A relatively new way* to consume cannabis is to vaporize the dried "herb" and by doing so, not only avoids combusting the material, it also preserves more of the terpenes in their unburned state making it more flavorful. It's also the healthiest way to consume cannabis through the lungs. Perhaps it could be argued that ingesting cannabis would be the healthiest way to consume it, but it's then processed by the liver. I don't know the answer to that.

The process I describe above is not referring to any other type of THC product such as oils, distillates, etc that are often processed into a cartridge form similar to an E-cigarette. I personally have no interest in such a method because the manufacturing process may include impurities, etc.

As an aside, simply ingesting dried (or fresh) cannabis won't result in any effects; in essence, it's inactivated in that state. The herb must first be decarboxylated by heating it to a certain temperature for a certain amount of time. Pre-baking it in a sense. Baking it into brownies applies necessary heat for that process to "activate" its efficacy.

One other benefit to vaporizing the dried herb is that the leftover toasted material can be made into an oil or tincture by soaking the ABV (Already Been Vaped) herb in a grain alcohol (e.g. vodka) for maybe a month and then filtering it out into a dropper bottle and to be taken orally, usually in a glass of water or other kind of liquid. Some people prefer this because of the ability and consistency of starting drop by drop and ultimately "dialing in" a dosage. Some people prefer to use such a small number of drops that they have no perceived effect, but still feel benefits.

*Technically vaporizing cannabis herb has been done for many decades with the first mass produced/marketed product still being made today (along with many hundreds of similar products from as many companies). However it hasn't been as widely used back then as it is today.

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I am approved for medical marijuana in all its various forms for pain. I tried an oral tincture and that didn't seem to do anything. I can smoke it, but it really hurts my lungs and results in just putting me to sleep. Which isn't a bad thing, depending on what one wants.

I did a quick google search and now they are saying that vaping does have serious health consequences. I tend to not believe anything, having grown up with all the drug misinformation that was handed out in the past.

I thought maybe I would try edibles next. The directions for preparing the cannabis before baking it seem complicated. I thought you could just dump some in a brownie mix.

The law in Florida is quite weird. They limit the amount of tincture, edibles, etc. but I can have virtually unlimited dried herb.

 

[Magna]

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I am approved for medical marijuana in all its various forms for pain. I tried an oral tincture and that didn't seem to do anything. I can smoke it, but it really hurts my lungs and results in just putting me to sleep. Which isn't a bad thing, depending on what one wants.

I did a quick google search and now they are saying that vaping does have serious health consequences. I tend to not believe anything, having grown up with all the drug misinformation that was handed out in the past.

I thought maybe I would try edibles next. The directions for preparing the cannabis before baking it seem complicated. I thought you could just dump some in a brownie mix.

The law in Florida is quite weird. They limit the amount of tincture, edibles, etc. but I can have virtually unlimited dried herb.

Baking it long enough into brownies would negate the need for preparing it with heat on its own. I would google a cannabis brownie recipe.

Vaping nicotine in liquid form as well as vaping THC when it's similarly manufactured is generally regarded as harmful. There's a significant distinction between those man-made chemically manufactured products with multiple ingredients being vaped to vaporizing the unadulterated dried cannabis. I don't intend to give the impression that it's unquestionably harmless, but vaping a manufactured chemical composition is not near the same thing safety wise as vaping the dried herb itself. It's by personal choice.

 

[Outdated]

A relatively new way* to consume cannabis is to vaporize the dried "herb" and by doing so, not only avoids combusting the material, it also preserves more of the terpenes in their unburned state making it more flavorful.

I have a dry herb vape but I don't use it very often, it's much easier on old lungs but I found myself building a high tolerance very quickly like that. Perhaps there's a grain of truth in an old joke, that it's not the weed that get's you stoned, it's oxygen deprivation from all the coughing.

The directions for preparing the cannabis before baking it seem complicated.

I used to grow my own all through the 80s and 90s. We smoked the flowering heads and we used the leaves to make Dope Butter which could then be used in almost any recipe or just spread on bread like normal butter.

1lb of leaf to 1lb of butter + 1 cup of water. Put the whole lot in a slow cooker on it's lowest setting and just let it go for 18 to 24 hours. Warning - it stinks your house out and it's not a pleasant smell, sort of reminiscent of sweaty socks.

After it's had it's time in the slow cooker lift the ceramic dish out and put it in the fridge to set. The butter of course is by now bright green and floating on top, all the leaf matter has turned black and sunk to the bottom, once it's set very firmly run a knife around the edge of the ceramic dish to free it, lift it out and rinse it under running water to get rid of the black gunk that's coating the bottom of the slab.

I used to make Vanilla Biscuits, a very simple recipe and very tasty. The girl I was engaged to told me after we split up that she tried one of my biscuits once, she had never smoked dope in her life but she had a day off work she intended to use training her horses and she thought she'd try just one to see what it was like.

She knew I always had two before going to play golf, she ate one, and there was a broken half of one in there too so she ate that as well. They were really nice biscuits though, so she lifted them all out of the container to get the crumbs in the bottom as well, and she found the other half of the broken one and ate that too.

She didn't get to her horses, she got half way there and felt too weird so she turned around and came home again, spent the whole day sitting in the lounge reading a book.