If cannabis is part of your wellness routine, it’s important to know exactly what to expect from each product you use, every time you use it.
With so many different strains, formulations, consumption methods and dosing options available, most users will take a journey of trial and error before landing on their preferences.
Cannabis doesn’t need to be a guessing game, though — whether you’re years into your journey or yet to take the first step, there are tools to help guide you towards your perfect fit.
Public education is the key to ensuring safe and positive cannabis experiences for every user. Farmers and manufacturers right here in British Columbia have perfected the craft of formulating products with a wide array of desired effects, but it’s up to the consumer to inform themselves of all the possibilities and decide what’s best for them.
Keeping wellness top of mind, we can take our cues from medical experts, who turn to clinical data as a tool to help determine their patients’ best options with any new therapeutic intervention.
What’s the medical consensus?
Clinical research into the precise medicinal effects of cannabis is still in early stages — particularly when it comes to CBD and minor cannabinoids — but its therapeutic potential is promising.
The biggest priority for scientists today is uncovering the many ways cannabis may be effective at improving quality of life for people around the world. Studies show considerable evidence for its potential in treating musculoskeletal, neurodegenerative, psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as immune deficiencies, pain and stress.
Some of the benefits of cannabis proposed by the literature include:
inflammation and pain relief
sleep regulation
appetite stimulation
neuroprotection and neuroregeneration
Looking closer
The answers to many of the mysteries behind cannabis are thought to lie in its chemical makeup. Understanding the whole plant and all its building blocks can help users make informed decisions before trying something new. Until more clinical data becomes available, we can look to other plant medicines for clues as to how phytochemicals affect our wellness.
At the molecular level, one type of compound in particular stands out as playing a crucial role in healing: terpenes. These same phytochemicals that give plants scent, flavour and pigment interact with complex processes in the body when metabolized.
Terpenes are being researched for their pharmacological potential, including pain-relieving properties, anti-tumor effects, anti-inflammatory benefits and more. They’re also what distinguish indica from sativa, contributing to the unique and distinct aromatic profiles of each strain.
Next steps
The latest Frontiers in Pharmacology outlines the importance of comparing different cultivars, product formulations, cannabinoids and terpenes to deepen our understanding of the biochemistry behind cannabis.
We use data from Strainprint Technologies to test our products against alternative formulations. Strainprint provides wellness tracking and reporting tools to patients using cannabis products for a variety of symptoms. These tools collect confidential and compliant analytics trusted by the policymakers and medical experts at Health Canada.
Kinloch Wellness specializes in premium products that are shown by Strainprint® data to create or enhance a mood state. Kinloch Naturals products target issues with rest, nervous energy, sore muscles and mental focus through data driven formulations of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and botanical terpenes. We support our mood effect claims through data and analytics compiled by Strainprint using real-world evidence and peer reviewed academic research on cannabinoids and terpenes.
Strainprint carries data on the preferred cannabinoids and terpenes of individuals with various symptoms, and which products usually deliver them. We use these insights to perfect our research and development.
This data also helps us build a framework for future research into the specific effects our products deliver.
Consumer reported data helps us build an understanding of how cannabis and products derived from it affect our moods and wellbeing. Reporting of real-world experiences with cannabis products provides researchers and clinicians with a foundation of understanding into the therapeutic potential of each ingredient.