So tonight. . . tonight I started myself on a terpene mix called GG4 by Floraplex. If you are into weed, you’ll probably be familiar with the “gorilla glue” strain which is supposed to make you feel glued to the couch. I don’t know much about weed or it’s variable strains. The first time I smoked weed I was 33. I’ve tried it twice since and it never had an effect on me - neither positive nor negative. I’ve tried edibles since, but at most they made me dizzy and nauseous. Bit paradoxical, eh?
Going with this stream of consciousness, I wonder if my ambivalence towards weed plays any role in my CFS. I am the only one in my very, very large family who doesn’t smoke weed on a regular (daily) basis. I am the only one with CFS. I am the only one who can’t keep up with daily chores. Well, I’m also one of the few without a record and with a job, so I don’t know - too many confounding variables. I was initially thinking of a family wide cannabinoid deficiency and my refusal to do drugs playing a part in my CFS, but really I’m a black sheep - I have nothing in common with any of them.
Back to the topic at hand: terpenes. I don’t have a firm grasp on what they are other than being extracted from plants. There are various compounds that are extracted and each have been studied for different uses. They can have anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anxiolytic, and even anti-tumor effects.
The terpene that I have read about the most on here and elsewhere is beta-caryophyllene. There is also a good deal of research on it. I came across a study from 2020 about it’s possible use for COVID for “inflammation, immunity, and infection,” (Jha et al., 2020). I didn’t read the whole article firstly because well I don’t have the cognitive stamina for it and secondly, because the conclusion section was a bit like a Big Pharma circle jerk - and I wholeheartedly hate Big Pharma.
Limonene and pinene were two other terpenes that had some research behind them. Limonene is anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and anti-cancer. Pinene is also anti-inflammatory and an anxiolytic, but has other properties such as being neuroprotective and it supports the respiratory system.
Searching for a blend of these terpenes led me to buy GG4, Yoda, and Cookies. I am starting with GG4 because it’s very high in beta-caryophyllene and has many other terpenes in the blend. And I would really love to feel “glued to the couch” in a relaxing way rather than in my typical “locked in syndrome can’t move my body and I’m stuck inside my brain nightmare.”
Alright down to the mixing. I have 2ml of GG4. Pure terpenes need to be diluted down to at least a 5% concentration into MCT oil, coconut oil, EVOO, or glycerin. I have a new 60ml bottle of StopLyme from Hawaii Pharm (great tinctures BTW). It’s a vegetable glycerin base. I somehow don’t have an empty bottle and dropper, so I’ll use what I have. I should note that I have had Lyme at least 3 times and I’ve been on conventional and alternative treatments for Lyme for over 3 years with no improvement - just a yearly gradual worsening of cognition and fatigue and a multitude of curiouser and curiouser symptoms every single year.
2ml GG4 into 60ml Stop Lyme (glycerin) makes a ~3% terpene concentration. I will be taking 0.5ml under my tongue every night for the next week or so. If I see any improvement then I will continue on this dose. If I see no difference I will increase to 1ml a night. If anything worsens I will decrease to 0.25ml.
That’s my plan. Two to three months on this, and if nothing improves I’ll try Mexico. Maybe a week at the Gerson Center. Something’s gotta break.
Going with this stream of consciousness, I wonder if my ambivalence towards weed plays any role in my CFS. I am the only one in my very, very large family who doesn’t smoke weed on a regular (daily) basis. I am the only one with CFS. I am the only one who can’t keep up with daily chores. Well, I’m also one of the few without a record and with a job, so I don’t know - too many confounding variables. I was initially thinking of a family wide cannabinoid deficiency and my refusal to do drugs playing a part in my CFS, but really I’m a black sheep - I have nothing in common with any of them.
Back to the topic at hand: terpenes. I don’t have a firm grasp on what they are other than being extracted from plants. There are various compounds that are extracted and each have been studied for different uses. They can have anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anxiolytic, and even anti-tumor effects.
The terpene that I have read about the most on here and elsewhere is beta-caryophyllene. There is also a good deal of research on it. I came across a study from 2020 about it’s possible use for COVID for “inflammation, immunity, and infection,” (Jha et al., 2020). I didn’t read the whole article firstly because well I don’t have the cognitive stamina for it and secondly, because the conclusion section was a bit like a Big Pharma circle jerk - and I wholeheartedly hate Big Pharma.
Limonene and pinene were two other terpenes that had some research behind them. Limonene is anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and anti-cancer. Pinene is also anti-inflammatory and an anxiolytic, but has other properties such as being neuroprotective and it supports the respiratory system.
Searching for a blend of these terpenes led me to buy GG4, Yoda, and Cookies. I am starting with GG4 because it’s very high in beta-caryophyllene and has many other terpenes in the blend. And I would really love to feel “glued to the couch” in a relaxing way rather than in my typical “locked in syndrome can’t move my body and I’m stuck inside my brain nightmare.”
Alright down to the mixing. I have 2ml of GG4. Pure terpenes need to be diluted down to at least a 5% concentration into MCT oil, coconut oil, EVOO, or glycerin. I have a new 60ml bottle of StopLyme from Hawaii Pharm (great tinctures BTW). It’s a vegetable glycerin base. I somehow don’t have an empty bottle and dropper, so I’ll use what I have. I should note that I have had Lyme at least 3 times and I’ve been on conventional and alternative treatments for Lyme for over 3 years with no improvement - just a yearly gradual worsening of cognition and fatigue and a multitude of curiouser and curiouser symptoms every single year.
2ml GG4 into 60ml Stop Lyme (glycerin) makes a ~3% terpene concentration. I will be taking 0.5ml under my tongue every night for the next week or so. If I see any improvement then I will continue on this dose. If I see no difference I will increase to 1ml a night. If anything worsens I will decrease to 0.25ml.
That’s my plan. Two to three months on this, and if nothing improves I’ll try Mexico. Maybe a week at the Gerson Center. Something’s gotta break.
