homeopathic cannabis

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The Use Of Cannabis As A Homeopathic Remedy

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. It is for educational purposes only. The author advises readers to consult with a qualified health care professional prior to taking any homeopathic remedies.

Touted by enthusiasts as harmless and a good way to relax after a long day, cannabis is the most commonly used recreational drug in the U.S. and many other parts of the world.

The flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant are used for their potential to induce feelings of euphoria (feeling high), a sense of well-being, relaxation and intensified sensory experiences. Colors are brighter, music is sweeter and food— oh, food tastes so good, you don’t want to stop eating! Pass the chocolate brownies, please.

Unfortunately, there is no free dessert in the world of mind-altering substances and that which goes up eventually must come down. From having a bad trip lasting a few hours to loss of motivation, lowered IQ and an increased risk of psychotic episodes, as well as transgen­erational effects in the offspring of cannabis users, cannabis can turn into the gift that keeps on giving, and not in a nice way.

Enter the dark side of cannabis.

THE DEMENTORS

Alicia, a fourteen-year-old girl, consulted with me regarding social anxiety. She stated, “I got social anxiety after smoking grass every day for a couple of weeks. I smoked it before, but not every day. Now I feel kind of paranoid; I think people are looking at me and talking badly about me. I can’t look people in the eye when I’m out on the street, in the bus or in a store.”

As if that weren’t bad enough, Alicia had also started to have frightening nightmares. She said, “I dream of evil spirits, ghosts, coming to get me. They are trying to get down my throat. I want to scream but I can’t. They remind me of the Dementors in the Harry Potter movies, except that they are not trying to suck out my soul but rather get into my body.”

Not only that, but Alicia could feel those spirits flying around her home: “I can feel them around me, especially at night. They are fly­ing through the house at great speed. It was so scary that I told my mom; she used a Bible and a rosary to try and exorcise them, and it kind of worked. I stopped smoking weed, but I still feel kind of paranoid. I also see things in the trees, like wolves—suddenly there is a face between the branches, looking at me and baring its teeth.”

Studies have shown that cannabis use can be linked to depression, anxiety and psychotic episodes, but it is not known whether marijuana is the cause or more of a trigger.¹

This young girl may have been affected by the greatly increased potency of cannabis; over the past few decades, the amount of THC in marijuana has increased to three times what it was twenty-five years ago.1 She may also just have been more sensitive to its effects because of her young age. Cannabis can have more of an impact on teens and young adults, as their brains have not fully matured yet.

Alicia got a homeopathic preparation made from Cannabis indica and after a few doses, she started to feel better. However, she had to continue to use it for the next several years; every time she was exposed to cannabis smoke when her friends lit up, even that level of expo­sure would again trigger her social anxiety and paranoia symptoms.

A DESTROYED WORLD AND “EVERYTHING IS OUT TO GET ME”

I saw another teenager, nineteen-year-old Emilio, because he wanted help quitting mari­juana. He had been smoking pot continuously since age sixteen. He reported, “I’ve gone into a dark head space, isolated, alone in the universe. I feel lost. After smoking pot, I feel depressed and have angry thoughts, even homicidal thoughts. It makes me go crazy! I lose motiva­tion. I feel small, like a little bug, not the same person. I’m really small and have no power, but I have to fight demons. I want to quit but it keeps sucking me in.”

Sometimes, things were beautiful. He noted, “I can have really positive dreams. A few months ago, I had a dream of a beautiful, French castle. I could see farms and sheep out of the window. There was a girl dancing the tango; it was like happily ever after.” But the castles had their pitfalls: “I’m in a black castle and I fall through holes, or a trap door in the dark. There are little gremlins walking around down there, with black eyes. It feels as if I’m in a game.” He added, “I’m in a post-apocalyptic dark area, a destroyed world, and everything is out to get me.”

Emilio got Cannabis indica 200C, 1M and 10M over the course of a few weeks. It helped him enormously with some of his dark thoughts and feelings as well as his nightmares, but he did not continue under my care, so I can’t be sure that it helped him to quit. Nonetheless, his experience provides a good description of the dark side of cannabis.

Cannabis can be like heaven or hell—lofty heights of beauty and sensory delights versus hellish apocalyptic realms filled with monsters and ghouls.

HOMEOPATHIC CANNABIS

In homeopathy, remedies made from both Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa were introduced in 1841 by Dr. Charles Friedrich Trinks (1800–1868), a follower of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy. It stands to reason that early homeopaths would have thought of creating a remedy from can­nabis, as the intoxicating effects of the drug were well known.

In case any readers are new to homeopathy, it is helpful to recognize that homeopathy is based on the similarity principle, meaning that a substance that can produce certain symptoms in a healthy person may be used to heal similar symptoms in someone already experiencing such symptoms when given in homeopathic, potentized form. A homeopathic remedy made from cannabis does not contain a single mol­ecule of actual cannabis in any potencies over 12C, it would just be an energetic imprint.

Even without prior use of cannabis, this can be a remedy for serious mental pathology. How­ever, the need for this remedy has most certainly increased with the progressive legalization and rise in the use of cannabis.

Symptoms² that may respond to homeo­pathic cannabis can include:

• Panic attacks, great anxiety and fearfulness
• Fear of insanity or “losing control”
• Paranoia of all kinds
• Feelings of disorientation and confusion;
• Theorizing (e.g., has a million ideas and explanations)
• Giddy, exhilarated and excited states;
• Causeless laughter;
• Delusions of all kinds
• Lack of a sense of identity
• Anger and rage
• Behavior disorders in children; annoying, spacey, loquacious kids

Homeopathic cannabis can, therefore, be potentially helpful to relieve symptoms caused by the use of cannabis (as in the two cases de­scribed); to potentially aid in breaking a habit for or addiction to

Both Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa can be a remedy for serious mental pathology and breaking the habit for or addiction to cannabis

; or to help offspring affected by cannabis.

OFFSPRING, YOU SAID?

Indeed, the effects of cannabis do not just stop with the present generation; they can po­tentially be passed along to children and grand­children. Cannabis used during pregnancy has been associated with longer-term developmental effects in children and adolescents, including hyperactivity, poor memory and reduction in reasoning and problem-solving skills.³

In my practice, I have seen that even can­nabis use before conception, by either parent, has led to various pathologies in offspring, as the case of Carl illustrates. Carl, an adorable ten-year-old boy, was brought to my office for chronic sinusitis of five years’ duration. He was always congested, had dark circles under his eyes and snored at night. Moreover, Carl was also highly dyslexic. He said, “I can’t read well because the words are always moving on the page. The words can jump up or down to another line altogether, which makes it hard to follow them.” He also easily mixed up the letters “b” and “d” as well as “p” and “q.”

In math, Carl was often spaced out and in his own world. “I can hear the teacher talking, but the words don’t make any sense,” he commented. The teachers thought he had a visual processing disorder. Carl was slow to answer questions and seemed a bit spacey. He had dreams of floating and flying in a world of shapes and colors, and he was afraid to go to sleep at night. “I see things in the dark, and I’m scared of ghosts!”

Carl’s mom confirmed cannabis use before conception. Amazingly, just one dose of Cannabis indica 10M greatly helped his dyslexia symp­toms! At the next follow-up, Carl happily reported: “The words don’t move on the page anymore! I can read easily now!” The words now behaved and stayed on the same line, as they were supposed to.

Carl’s sinus problems also improved. On this note, Cannabis indica may be helpful for chronic sinusitis as well as various genitourinary problems, such as kidney and bladder disorders and even gonorrhea. Chronic prostatitis may likewise respond to Cannabis indica, if other symptoms fit.

WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN

Cannabis can have harmful effects on people, especially teenagers and young adults, as their brains have not yet fully matured. Cannabis can be linked to social anxiety, panic feelings, paranoia, depression and loss of identity. “4:20” (slang for pot consumption and for April 20, “marijuana culture’s high holiday”⁴) may accidentally turn into “4:ever”—whether the substance is smoked or eaten as brownies or other edibles.

Fortunately, homeopathic cannabis may be helpful for those affected by adverse effects of cannabis as well as for children or grandchildren of cannabis users who display various physical, developmental or behavioral symptoms that may be linked to cannabis.

Again, homeopathic cannabis does not contain any active compounds of cannabis. It is inexpensive and available at various online homeopathic pharmacies or from professional homeopaths. It is always best to consult with a professional homeopath for serious physical, mental or emotional conditions or challenges.

REFERENCES

1. Know the risks of marijuana. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, updated Feb. 27, 2023. https://www.samhsa.gov/marijuana (retrieved November 11, 2023).
2. Morrison R. Desktop Guide to Keynotes and Confirma­tory Symptoms. Hahnemann Clinic Publishing, 1993.
3. Health effects of cannabis. Government of Canada, updated Aug. 26, 2022. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/health-effects/effects.html (retrieved November 11, 2023).
4. Johnson G. How pot holiday 4/20 came to be. Associated Press, Apr. 20, 2023.

This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Winter 2023

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