EXPLORING THE CANNABIS TERPENE ISOPULEGOL
The precursor to menthol, the smell of Isopulegol is very strong and similar. Found in cannabis, it gives a somewhat minty smell to marijuana, and can also be found in mint, eucalyptus, lemon grass, and parsley.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF ISOPULEGOL?
STUDIES ON LAB RATS, BACK IN 2007, CONCLUDED THAT IT HAS A DEPRESSANT QUALITY THAT CAN SEEN AS A RELAXANT IN HUMANS.
BESIDES BEING A GOOD TREATMENT FOR STRESS, IT ALSO HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON SEIZURES. NOT ONLY DOES IT SLOW SEIZURES, IT CAN REDUCE THE TIME THEY LAST. IN FACT, THE PERCENTAGE OF DEATHS VIA SEIZURE WAS REDUCED IN LAB MICE.
ISOPULEGOL IS ALSO AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND IS A GASTROINTESTINAL PROTECTIVE COMPOUND, HELPING TO HEAL ULCERS AND REDUCE THE SYMPTOMS OF OTHER GI CONDITIONS, SUCH AS IBS AND CROHN’S DISEASE.
IN 2009, IT WAS LEARNED THAT ISOPULEGOL HAS STRONG ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES AND COULD FUNCTION AS A NEURAL PROTECTANT AS WELL.
IT IS SUGGESTED THAT ISOPULEGOL CAN BE USED TO TREAT THE COMMON COLD AND HELP BREATHING AND STUFFINESS TO BE EASED.
IT IS A NATURAL INSECTICIDE AND IS FINE FOR HUMANS BUT HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF IT COULD BE FATAL TO GRAZING ANIMALS SO PLANTS WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN FIELDS WITH GRAZING LIVESTOCK. ESPECIALLY THE PLANT PENNYROYAL.
WHICH CANNABIS STRAINS CONTAIN ISOPULEGOL?
Strains of marijuana testing high in Isopulegol are:- KOSHER TANGIE
- HEADCHEESE
- HEADBAND
- OG KUSH
CANNABIS AND CANCER
Because the antioxidant value of Isopulegol is so high, it is quite possibly an anti-cancer supplement and more research is necessary to conclude this. Scientists are interested in it for this particular reason, however.
It is believed that cancer is a byproduct of the oxidation of cells which causes the formation of free radicals. It is the free radicals that are suspected of causing cancer in humans. Oxidation of cells is a normal process but antioxidants are needed to safely carry this dead and dying tissue away and out of the body. When antioxidants are not in robust supply, cancerous cells can form.
Cannabis is full of compounds that are antioxidants, ranging from cannabinoids to terpenoids. There are many who have claimed that marijuana helped them beat cancer and there may be some truth to this but more research is necessary and it may lead scientists to find specific terpenes and cannabinoid combinations that become the holy grail of cancer research.
For now, researchers stay busy and report their findings via scientific journals and in peer papers that can be found within university websites. The pharmaceutical industry funds some of this research but much of it is done with donations at university level and around the world.