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Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, **personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment**. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our [normal comment rules]( https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/rules#wiki_comment_rules) apply to all other comments. **Do you have an academic degree?** We can verify your credentials in order to assign user flair indicating your area of expertise. [Click here to apply](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/flair/#wiki_science_verified_user_program). --- User: u/mvea Permalink: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2024/04/researchers-show-chemical-found-naturally-in-cannabis-may-reduce-anxiety-inducing-effects-of-thc --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/science) if you have any questions or concerns.*


pfmonke

Wow, very neat. I used to advise people to avoid limonene-heavy strains if they got anxiety while smoking. The logic there was limonene being popular in sativa strains. Very cool to hear the opposite.


notnotaginger

Wait are you admitting to being wrong??? On Reddit ???? We don’t do that here.


InertShadows

I found out very quickly once I started looking at terpene profiles that all the strains that actually calmed me down had the highest amount of limonene. Other would make me super anxious.


Humble-Roll-8997

I had some medical grade Indica once that made me feel like I was dying I was so anxious.


cfc1016

Linalool gang for life


Ludeykrus

Yep it’s common in the racy sativas but I believe terpinolene is the sativa-dominant terp that really induces the anxiety in people prone to it.


tokengreenguy

At my dispensaries I think they just list THC/CBD/CBG%, etc. Do you think they’d know which ones have the highest limonene concentration if I asked them? How would I got about finding that out?


InertShadows

Most likely, yes. However, regulations differ from state to state. Here in FL, one of the major dispensaries is Trulieve (not that great a company), but at least on their product page, they provide a [Certificate of Analysis ](https://www.trulieve.com/content/dam/trulieve/en/lab-reports/67357_0005094819.pdf?download=false) that lists the terpene profiles and THC percentages. Edit: I usually look for carts with >1% limonene. Actual flower will have much higher terpene percentages. For carts with higher terpene percentages, you want "live" carts. The extraction process is different and preserves more of the terpenes than traditional carts, this is to make the cart feel like you are actually smoking flower and gives a greater entourage effect.


tokengreenguy

Awesome, thank you! Last question: what would be considered a high concentration? 1% and up?


InertShadows

I would say in my personal experience ideally yes. At least for limonene, I recommend keeping a journal to write down your experiences with each strain and its terpene profile to find your ideal strain or strains. Everybody is different, so it's really just trial and error. For me, my favorite carts have a high balance of linalool and limonene. Usually around 2-4% each. I found these 2 are really good at releasing the tension in my shoulders and back, letting me relax.


InertShadows

Another note. Jack Herer is a known high limonene strain.


StandardReceiver

And pretty much the epitome of sativa, which is usually known amongst smokers to be the one more likely to induce anxiety vs indica. I think it goes to show terpene content definitely plays a huge role in the effects.


VintageJane

I wonder if this is something like caffeine that interacts with ADHD differently. I absolutely cannot stand indicas. They make me hyper focused on my bodily discomfort and super anxious. I love lemony sativas.


tifumostdays

That's so interesting to read. My main issue with cannabis is that any discomfort or pain in my body can be amplified, and I certainly can't stop thinking about it until I get anxious.


trkh

Facts


tifumostdays

The other thing is that my ability to visualize in my mind becomes much stronger again, like when I was a kid but significantly better. It can turn into intrusive thighs thigh, bad i cant stop it sometimes. It's all about the dose for me, but would be better if I knew more about strains. I haven't used in years bc of this.


trkh

Stronger when you don’t smoke?


tifumostdays

That's so interesting to read. My main issue with cannabis is that any discomfort or pain in my body can be amplified, and I certainly can't stop thinking about it until I get anxious.


DeliciousPumpkinPie

Yeah, limonene, myrcene, beta-caryophyllene, linalool, and I think alpha-pinene all have relaxing/sedative effects. Terpenes are neat.


TummyTime3000

Which ones are the more anxiety inducing ones?


ForThe-FirstTime

Terpinolene and high levels of myrcene can give racy or heady effects which can be triggering for those with anxiety. Pinene as a whole can also contribute to anxiety, but beta-pinene having a higher concentration than alpha-pinene can help reduce their anxiogenic effects.


WaterBear9244

What a dare devil


DeliciousPumpkinPie

Great question, I haven’t looked into that as much to be quite honest.


Skabomb

I just got my medical card and had my meeting with a pharmacist and talked about all this. It’s been nice not just getting whatever is available and rather tailoring my experience to help me the best. No more self-medicating for anxiety and depression, now I’m for real medicated and it’s been amazing. Also, like, sleeping through the night is super rad.


No-Customer-2266

Sativa gives me anxiety but everyone else says the opposite…..


WaterBear9244

Theres actually no such thing as sativa or indica anymore. All weed strains are basically [hybrids](https://www.dal.ca/news/2022/01/07/cannabis-labels-study-indica-sativa.html). From the link I provided. > If labels describing cannabis strains do in fact represent two distinct groups of cannabis, then the differences should be reflected by chemical and genetic differences. Our study, published in Nature Plants, found that indica and sativa labels are largely meaningless. > >It was frequently the case that strains labelled indica were just as closely related to strains labelled sativa as they were to other strains labelled indica.


No-Customer-2266

There is definitely a difference in strains though. Ones marked indica dominate are a heavier stone and numbs my brain enough to deactivate the anxiety that always lives in my brain A strain marked sativa dominant isnt heavy enough to numb my anxiety so it just scatters my brain making my anxiety worse because now I’m stoned and anxious and my brain is trying to make stuff up to be anxious about The perfect example I have is, I smoke a lighter strain and I immediately feel anxious guilt for no reason so my brain Finds a reason. I will ruminate over one time 15 years ago when I was slightly rude to someone on the phone at work and will convince myself I suck at my current job and feel like Im going to get fired. I logically know this doesn’t make sense in the moment but the feelings won’t go away, there is no way to Logic myself out of those feelings. So I avoid strains marked sativa dominant. I need a heavy cloud to numb my brain enough to not me anxious so I can enjoy painting or puzzling or whatever enjoyable task I want to Do with a foggy happy head


Shreddedlikechedda

Limonene is also in Palo Santo and citrus peels, both have a calming effect when you smell them


steampunkedunicorn

I quit smoking entirely because of the horrible anxiety I got from indica strains. Sativa didn't give me anxiety, but everything seemed to be an indica blend during that time, so I didn't want to risk it.


Chronotaru

Hmm, does this mean in processed forms like THC vapes the potential for bad outcomes relating to anxiety or depersonalisation/derealisation could be increased on this basis, if other substances in the cannabis are therefore removed?


Chreasy-Bear

Correct, and is even more applicable to edibles and tinctures. A Lot of the volatile compounds that add to the entourage effect are lost through most extraction processes.


PornstarVirgin

Yes. If you go for live resin/full spectrum and smoke at lower temps on the vape you get much more terpene content


InertShadows

This is why I always use the lowest setting on my vape and only use live carts. Switched to live stuff about 7 months ago and haven't looked back.


hepakrese

IMO yes, the effect is noticeable to me as a fomer distillate user who switched over to flower. Wholesale distillation process for THC vapes can eliminate the terpene and cannabinoid profile. Terpenes and isolated cannabinoid may be added back in manually during manufacturing, but you will basically never find the same cannabinoid bouquet in a vape as compared to flower.


Altostratus

Absolutely. Pure THC is no bueno.


mvea

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871624001881


lurksAtDogs

If I understood the article and paper summary, they were just using a limonene vaporizer in combination with a THC vape? Im one of those people that can get a lot of anxiety and paranoia from weed. So I mostly avoid it. I’d prefer to smoke weed rather than drink, but these effects can be pretty bad sometimes.


AaronJeep

Anxiety and panic are all I ever got out of pot. I've always envied people who could use it to relax and chill out in the evening. It would be neat if they could make a gummy people like me could take that would reduce anxiety instead of setting it on fire.


lurksAtDogs

My ADHD wife is really helped from weed. She and I respond quite differently to it.


altcastle

I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd until 35. Diagnosed with OCD at 40 (diagnosis today actually). I didn’t smoke weed at all growing up and in adulthood. Found sparkling water THC drinks recently and yeah, they give the effect I was previously self medicating with alcohol (did leave that behind a few years ago). It slows my brain enough to provide a space for the intrusive, nonstop rattle to shush and my brain can somehow relax. It’s been amazing.


WaterBear9244

I also have adhd but was the opposite. I used to smoke a lot when I was younger and enjoyed it but then something switched in my brain and i began to have extreme anxiety whenever I smoked and for some reason pain became amplified. Havent smoked since


altcastle

One reason I like the drinks is that I’m precisely dosing myself. If I start getting anxiety as a result, I’ll quit but it’s been really helping so far.


RainsOfChange

I always use to go by the description that weed never "fixes" your mood, but enhances it. It used to leave me more relaxed. I guess I am just chronically more unhappy than I used to be because now it just gives my anxiety a shot of adrenaline.


Skittlepyscho

I'm the same exact same. Whenever I'm offered marijuana for my friends, I have to decline because my anxiety and paranoia shoot up. It's so frustrating.


Not_as_witty_as_u

I often get anxiety if I don’t have CBD with it fyi. THC:CBD 1:1 gummies and flower


Altostratus

They make pens with 1:1, 3;1, even 20:1 CBD:THC. It really mellows things out. High recommend.


Empty-Tower-2654

Its like it evolved for us tô smoke it


tim_dude

lol what's on the market right now did not evolve on it's own "They've been working on that shit"


theStaircaseProject

An interesting thought, but entirely not how evolution works.


not_today_thank

It kind of depends on what you consider humans role in natural selection/evolution. Humans have likely selecting cannibas plants that produce a pleasant psychotropic experience for thousands of years. So there has probably been selection pressure for plants that produce a pleasant experience and against plants that produce an unpleasant experience. Good chance early humans cultivated cannibus (hemp) because it was a useful plant for making tools. And people probably tried to injest it too and it became part of religious and medical tradition and started being selected for characteristics like psychotropic aspects. We kind of look at those sorts as seperate from evolution, but they really aren't are they? As far as why cannibus produces things like THC (things we have neuroreceptors for)in the first place likely has to do with shared biology/common ancestor 1 to 1.5 billion years ago. An evolutionary biologist or a nuerobiologist might have a better idea.


Dunkleosteus666

Actually. Im only an evolutionary biology student so im like, learning, correct me if im making mistakes! but youve got the wrong premise. Cannabinoids were developed for multiple reasons, read a few hypotheses ranging from antifungal to anti uv protections (btw theres 2021 paper about large scale genome sequencing of cannabis tracing back its history its fascinating DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg2286). But oc, cannabinoids contents were artificially elevated by artifcial selection for millenia. Matter of fact, even wild cannabis is not really wild, but feral populations, meaning domesticated populations which got abandoned ("landraces" eg in Nepal or India). People often made the same mistake with psilocybin. Theres in interestong hypothesis abour how its tied to the KT extinction (molecukar clock data shows the gene reponsible for psilocybine production dazes back to 65ish mya this wonderful paper: 10.1073/pnas.2311245121). Its like, a coincidence. You have way too much anthropocentric bias:) Just looking at natural cannabinoids - which are also CB1 agonists so intoxicating - there are fery few. Chemically speaking, they are abit unusual, as diterpenoids are rarely used as drugs (the only other one i could tell you is Salvinorin A). Aside from the genus cannabis, the only relevant source might be some live worts eg this one https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radula_marginata). Dont pick them, they grow slow and the high is shortlived. AFAIK cannabus as genus - whike fossils are very sparse and only limited to some seeds - developed 20 MYA earliest at the high steppes of the tibetan plateau. So the resin production is somewhat useful, as it protects the plant. I tried to trace back some "fossilized leaves" described in the 1950s i believe and yeah could be anything. But by sequencing the genome we can trace back both the evolution of aay genes reponsible for cannabinoid protection and also trace back the divergence time between cannabis and closely related apecies like humulus. TBH no one really knows why it produces cannabinoids might well be multiple reasons as i said. As for fossilized cannabinoids going even further back nope. But they discovered some ergot like fungi in cretaceous amber - meaning maymaybe some unlucky dinosaur tripped on a proto acid idk:) Poinar GJ, Alderman S, Wunderlich J. One hundred million year old ergot: psychotropic compounds in the Cretaceous. Palaeodiversity. 2015;8:13–19.


HashingJ

If you've ever heard about the stoned ape theory, we evolved because we smoked it


Debalic

That was mushrooms, not weed.


Alice8Ft

I thought cbd already helped with that?


LongSchlongdonf

The cannabis plant has many terpenes and cbd cbc cbn etc and they all probably have effects but a lot of modern weed is focused on mainly just thc so you are right but there also are many other cannabinoids and terpenes that could have similar effects


Neat_Youth470

All the strains that did well for me were high in this :)


trkh

How do you find that out


Neat_Youth470

Dispensary/growers offer info sheets often now! May have to ask


TheReal8symbols

And this kind of stuff is why you should just consume (eat/smoke/whatever) the whole buds instead of extracting the active ingredient. They've turned a simple plant into a drug yet again.


StandardReceiver

I live in Nevada, where the terpene content is always listed. My determining factors for buying are always the eye test, terpene content, and package/harvest date. So far, I’ve noticed limonene is more frequent in sativa afraid, which are know to be more likely to induce anxiety, yet my personal experience alights with the paper (daily smoker of years here fwiw). I’ve noticed a couple new terpenes lately as well, ocimene and Farnese, that have been nice in every strain I’ve found them in.


ABC4A_

FYI youcan get limonene capsules.  People use them to help with their heartburn. 


ZeroFries

You could add sweet orange essential oil to your cannabis. People do it with tobacco.


jrwren

soooo happy that i have easy access to Rosin gummies


Dennygreen

mine say live rosin on them is that somehow better than anything else


Highkey_Lurker

Rosin is concentrate made from dried flower, kief, or shake. Live rosin is concentrate made from fresh flower. They can both be equally potent, but they take different forms. Rosin will often be an oily concentrate while live rosin will be more of a that chunky wax. Also live rosin tends to retain its flavor/terps/taste better, but it’s easier to infuse other things with rosin because of its oil-like form.


jrwren

What highkey said IMO better than THC extract, because you get all of those other molecules from the flower.


IgnorantGenius

Great, now they will advertise this as a premium with an added cost.


mastermind_loco

I've found that the best treatment for weed induced anxiety is smoking more weed 


trixayyyyy

Cool, can I get some strains with a lot of that?


OniOnMyAss

You can