Sprinkled on this earth are many species of plants that have a phytocannabinoid system. Every vertebrate has an endocannabinoid system(ECS). Your endocannabinoid receptors receive phytocannabinoids that are present in cannabis and several other plants. Phyto- means plant- Endo- means within.
You evolved to consume phtytocannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids act like keys that fit the locks of your endocannabinoid receptors. Much of the (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5576607/) current research suggests that a depleted ECS is a condition that leads to chronic disease. Cannabis has been the basis for much research into possible treatment for syndromes and diseases. It has been hypothesized that our current health crisis stems from the fact that hemp was taken out of animal feed in the 1930’s. By eating meat and eggs, from animals that ate hemp (Cannabis sativa), you were getting your dose of cannabinoids.
Non-cannabis phytocannabinoid rich plants are currently being studied and are a valuable addition to any herbal pharmacopeia, and easier to procure legality wise, than Cannabis. Here is an article that lists some of the non-cannabis plants with phytocannabinoids and how these plants’ internal chemistry reacts with your endocannabinoid system.
https://www.prima.co/magazine/top-5-plants-with-cannabinoids/
I found the handy dandy picture (to the left) which shows some of the non-cannabis and cannabis phytocannabinoids and their chemical cannabinoid structures.
The bottom line is- cannabis has the most complete cannabinoid profile, but if legality is an issue in your area, I’ve come up with some recipes for non-cannabis salves and tinctures. I will share my pain salve recipe below- I find that it is very effective. The downside to this recipe is it involves many ingredients, and ingredients most of us can’t grow because of environmental conditions. Cannabis is the most cost effective solution to many issues, and easiest to grow in large quantities. I will offer this alternative, which makes quite a bit of salve, you can share it with friends and neighbors.
*****Just be warned that if you suffer from an auto-immune disease, do not use echinacea or black pepper. They turn up your immune system, which is not a good idea!*****
CANNABIS SUBSTITUTE PAIN SALVE
(WITH CBD& CBG ISOLATE)-see resource page for ordering from Potluck Expo
(PLEASE READ THROUGH ENTIRE RECIPE BEFORE ATTEMPTING)
All Ingredients need to be dried and ground with a coffee grinder or heavy duty blender like a Vitamix
- 1 Cup Ground Hemp Seeds
- 2 Cups dried and ground Echinacea purpurea and angustifolia roots and leaves- (if you have an auto-immune disease substitute with a combination of Frankincense, Turmeric, and White Willow Bark)
- 1 Cup dried and ground Spilanthes (Electric Daisy)- note* (I grew this successfully-germination was a little tricky, so please follow the directions exactly)
- 1/4 Cup Black Peppercorns- grind the peppercorns fresh for this recipe
- 1/2 Cup 100% Cacao Powder
- 1 Tbsp. dried and ground Comfrey leaves (easy to grow)
- 1 Tbsp. dried and ground Milk Thistle leaves (easy to grow)
- 1 Tbsp. dried and ground leaves and flowers of Wild Yarrow (easy to grow)
- 1 Tbsp. dried and ground Arica Flowers- or more, this is a very valuable ingredient for pain relief
- 1 Tbsp. dried and ground Liverwort-hard to find, if you can’t find it, use extra comfrey
- 4 Tbsp. dried and ground Helichrysum italicum- or 2 drops of the essential oil added at the thickening stage of the recipe.
Note* If you have trouble sourcing some of these ingredients, you can try omitting them and substituting with extras of the ingredients you do have.
DIRECTIONS:
- Put above dried and ground ingredients in a crock pot and cover all ingredients with a combination of Avocado and MCT oil. For an extra boost see if you can find some Copaiba oil, and if you can, use about 1-2 Tbsp. per batch in the oil mix.
- Stir, and steep in the crock pot on warm for a week, stirring daily.
- After a week, strain all solids by using a coffee filter. I use a Kajava Mama (see resource page), pour over coffee dripper over a wide mouth mason jar with a coffee filter inside, when the herbs are close to being done being filtered, I place another coffee filter over the top and a rock that will fit in the Kajava Mama to get the last drop of oil out, all you should have left is a very dry cake of solids.
- Next add 1 Gram of CBD isolate, and a pinch of CBG isolate to your oil, which you can purchase from Potluck, info on the Resource page.
- Whirl the oil and isolates up in a blender.
- In a small pan with a thick bottom, and on the lowest setting of your stove add 212 ml of the filtered oil with isolates added.
- Add 1 Tbsp. ea camphor and menthol crystals (absolute- must have ingredients-it’s my theory that the menthol and camphor open your pores so that the healing herbs can go into deep tissue).
- Add 200 ml Cocoa Butter
- Add 200 ml Shea Butter
- Add 2 Cups Beeswax granules
- After the menthol and camphor granules have melted, as well as all the fats, take the mixture off of the stove and add 2-3 drops of essential oil-(cypress, lavender, peppermint, Helichrysum, Cajeput, etc.)
- Now you are ready to pour into containers… I like deodorant or lip gloss applicators.
- These applicators are easy to find, we have a link on the resource page.
- They are easy to use and refillable when empty, and you can tuck them into a pocket or purse to use as needed.
- This salve is very effective and I find myself using it frequently when I’m gardening, especially on my lower back.
- Extra un-thickened pain oil can be stored in a glass container in a cool dark cupboard until you’re ready to thicken more.
It makes a great gift for everyone that has aches and pains!
Happy Salve Making! Let me know in the comment section if you tried this recipe, if you substituted any of the ingredients and what were your results.
Susan