Posts by Steve Gold
Resin, Not Flower: Why Traditional Medicine Chose Resin
How early medicine prioritized reliability Traditional discussions of cannabis often begin with the plant itself. This perspective assumes that earlier medical systems relied primarily on cannabis in the form in which it was harvested. Historical practice reveals a different pattern. Across cultures separated by geography, language, and medical philosophy, practitioners repeatedly moved away from raw…
Read MoreThe Digestive Bottleneck: Why Oral THCA Disappears Early
How swallowed THCA is lost before absorption When THCA is swallowed, discussions of oral delivery often begin downstream. The focus typically turns to liver metabolism, circulating levels, or systemic bioavailability. This sequence assumes that the swallowed material arrives at the intestinal wall largely intact and that the primary limitation occurs after absorption. In practice, a…
Read MoreSerotonin During THC Recovery: When the System Loses Its Buffer
Why early recovery can feel persistently intense Early recovery after long-term THC exposure is often expected to follow a pattern of fluctuation. Many people anticipate waves of symptoms, gradual improvement, or periods of relief between difficult days. In practice, the experience for some individuals is very different. Instead of variation, the nervous system may enter…
Read MoreTHCA and CBDA: Similar Chemistry, Different Roles
How closely related cannabinoids behave differently At first glance, THCA and CBDA appear nearly identical. Both are acidic cannabinoids found in raw cannabis, and both are non-intoxicating in their natural form. Because they belong to the same chemical class and originate from the plant’s unheated state, they are often treated as interchangeable—different versions of compounds…
Read MoreO’Shaughnessy and the Birth of Cannabis as Medicine
How cannabis became a clinical subject Cannabis did not become medicine when it was named, isolated, or standardized. It became medicine when it was first treated as a clinical object rather than a cultural one. Long before Western physicians encountered it, cannabis was already embedded in regional systems of care, used pragmatically to manage pain,…
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