This is a great video if you want information on the healing benefits of medical cannabis. Medical experts discuss various topics including the history of cannabis as medicine, as well as cannabis for various disease states. Learn more about the healing benefits of cannabis here at CannabisMatrix.com
This years cold and flu season is particularly nasty. If you haven’t noticed, the news lately is littered with health notices and stories about the “Super Crud” and it’s not a surprise, it’s flu and cold season. As a supplement or alternative to other flu/cold medicines, herbalists for years have recognized the Elder plant (Elderberry) as a terrific aid. Tea made from the flowers possesses fantastic and well documented immuno-protective properties. Tea of elder flower tastes good too and is safe for children!
The plant itself can range from a large shrub to a 30 foot tree. Flowering white, flat-top blossoms and berries that turn from green to red to black when ripe, is an easy indicator that you have found the this sought after helper. Sambucus nigra, or Black Elder, is most commonly used for medicinal purposes.
So what does this Elder plant do for you? Orally, use the elder flower to treat colds and the flu. Topically, it is used to treat wounds. Some research shows that a chemical found in the flower and berry could help the reduction in mucous membrane swelling and relieve nasal congestion. Elderberry also holds anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties.
Here is a short list of peer reviewed journal articles on the antiviral property of Elderberry. There are many more studies out there on this amazing plant. Enjoy!
Medical cannabis helps a 6 year old boy with seizures. Physicians prescribed 22 pills a day, which partially controlled the seizures but left 6 year old Jayden immobilized due to the side effects. Anti-seizure medications have serious side effects including potential long-term effects on child IQ. At his wit’s end, the father gave his son a liquid, non-psychoactive form of cannabis. For the first time since he was an infant, Jayden went through a whole day without a seizure. For more than a year, medical cannabis has helped the boy with his seizures.
It is important thing to note that this boy was given a non-psychoactive strain, one that does not give the child a head high because it is low in THC, though high in other cannabinoids such as CBD. I currently have many patients who are controlling their seizures extremely well using low doses of liquid cannabis tinctures. Strain selection and delivery methods are critical information that physicians should be providing for patients to ensure that they get the full value and healing potential from medical cannabis.
As we are experiencing in the Pacific Northwest, cold wet weather has finally begun to arrive. Fresh, brisk air greets us in the morning, the leaves are turning rich gold and red. However, something else has come to greet many of us at this rainy and cold time of the season, the pesky common cold.
Enter our herbal friend, peppermint. Peppermint, is a cross between Spearmint and Watermint. You might recognize the oval, toothed leaves similar to Lemon Balm. Small, violet flowers sprinkle the plant from July to September. Leaves and flowers give off a very aromatic fragrance. 
Peppermint is used for the common cold, cough, inflammation of the mouth and throat, sinus infections, and respiratory infections. It is also used for digestive problems including heartburn, nausea, vomiting, morning sickness, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Peppermint oil has been used for hives, poison ivy, and poison oak. Oil applications can also be used form muscle pain relief, toothache, and even repelling mosquitoes. If you are pregnant, peppermint tea might be a good option for calming morning sickness. Some women also choose to use peppermint for menstrual cramps.
Peppermint is not restricted to medicinal use, in foods and beverages, peppermint is a common flavoring agent. At the end of a delicious meal at your favorite restaurant, a check and peppermints find you at your table. Peppermint oil is also used in fragrances and soaps. Enjoy the refreshing aroma of peppermint, just as you enjoy the changes this season brings.
The juice of raw cannabis provides unique healing benefits. Plant chemicals known as cannabinoid acids such as CBD-acids, and THC-acids break down quickly after harvest, so these compounds are not available in traditional preparations such as cooked ‘medibles’, smoking, or vaporizing.
The healing benefits of cannabinoid-acids are only present for a short period of time before the chemicals break down, so juicing needs to be done quickly after harvest. Fan leaves should make up the majority of the juice, and adding a small amount of cannabis flowers can be beneficial. Cannabis roots can also be added to the mixture as cannabis roots contain CBD, even in non-CBD producing plants!
Cannabinoid acids have amazing properties including anti-inflammatory properties, nerve protecting properties, and pain relieving properties. In raw preparations, the THC has not been heat-activated so there is not the intense sedation that is found in conventional edibles such as pot brownies. This allows for patients to take much higher doses of cannabinoids without the overly sedating effects that would otherwise be a concern. Raw cannabis shows promise for patients with neurological diseases such as MS, as well as for chronic pain suffers, cancer patients, and patients with autoimmune disease such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
My patients are having fabulous success with raw juiced cannabis. The juice can be frozen to save preparation time. The freezing is typically done in ice cube trays, though it can also be blended with other juices such as apple juice and made into popsicles. Though it’s not yet being done, there is also potential to get the healing benefits of cannabinoid-acids from fresh freeze-dried preparations in capsule form. Topical application of a raw cannabis poultice is also very effective for pain from neuropathy, as well as musculoskeletal pain including arthritis pain.
Plants with high CBD content are best for juicing as they contain more CBD-acids than non-CBD producing strains.
Because of Washington state’s medical cannabis law, patients are allowed to grow up to 15 cannabis plants for their medical use. This means that patients in Seattle and throughout the state can have affordable, safe, and effective medicine for their own personal use without relying on more costly drugs with higher toxicity and side-effect profiles.
Dandelions, a sign of Spring’s arrival, is often singled out as a pesky weed to keep out of the perfectly trimmed lawn. However, Dandelion is an herbal gem to help anyone’s body function at 100%.
So why should you carefully plant dandelion around your home instead of doing everything to be rid of it? 
To begin with, dandelion is a great medicinal food that is easy to integrate into your diet. Young, spring leaves are a delectable add in to your fresh salad. Autumn Dandelion root can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The entire plant can be brewed to make beer, while the flowers can be used to make wine. Doesn’t keeping Dandelion around sound better already?
This herb is particularly rich in vitamin A, but it also is a source of vitamins B, C, & E all located in those green leaves. As the plant matures, the leaves will become strong and bitter, hence a young spring leaf is best for your salad. Spring infusions of the leaf are good for blood, lymph, and liver cleanse. Dandelion greens and root are aide in dealing with skin eruptions such as acne. Be sure to be mindful of where you plant dandelion, away from areas where the family dog might not use it as marker. When foraging for Dandelion, be careful to not choose plants that have been doused with “weed-killing” chemicals.
The root is most commonly used for medicinal purposes. Dandelion root’s high inulin content is great for diabetics or other blood sugar imbalances. It also benefits chronic or acute liver problems, spleen, kidneys, and gall bladder functions. Dandelion is an excellent diuretic that is gentle and good for long term use. Tinctures make a good sedative. Women will find that dandelion root is good for their reproductive health. Dandelion root is usually harvested for tincturing or drying while the plant is in flower.
Dandelion’s medicinal properties are not the only reason why you should think about keeping dandelion around. Dandelions are an important bee flower and some countries, such as Canada, have fields dedicated to dandelions because of this. So whether it is because of the medicinal aid of the plant or your desire to help keep bees present on our planet, smile when you see those little yellow flowers, instead of wishing their existence from your lawn away.
Graduate students from the Leadership Institute of Seattle ask Dr. Felice about a challenging patient suffering from chronic pain, Hepatitis C, osteoarthritis, opiate pain addiction, and alcoholism. Dr. Felice discusses the appropriateness of medical cannabis use including the use of topical cannabis in these types of patients.
Cannabis case study: How cannabis helps complex patients from DrJakeFelice on Vimeo.
It’s been a long day at the office; one of those nothing goes right the first time type of days and upon getting home a refreshing beer sounds great to start decompressing. This is not surprising since Hops, the active herb used to make beer, has been traditionally used for calming the stressed body.
The plant’s matured fruits called strobiles are small oval green cylinders that have been used medicinally for ailments such as relief from chronic insomnia, calming a nervous stomach, the restoration of appetite, as a diuretic, and as a painkiller. 
Hops are also used to help settle the “wired” feeling, whether it be from an excess of high energy or anxiousness. If you find yourself ready to stop taking a prescription sedative, you may find hops useful. Hops are stronger than other herbs used as sedative such as red clover, catnip, or chamomile.
Hops are highly potent in tincture form. Be mindful and careful after taking hops, as they make your reflexes sluggish, it is not recommended to drive or operate heavy machinery after taking hops, remember it is used as sedative. If you prefer not to ingest hops, try stuffing a pillow with dried hops and add lavender or another soothing, fragrant herb to the pillow mix. Replace the stuffing every few months as they lose potency.
We’ve all heard the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. Another good approach is when life gives you stress, use Lemon Balm. Lemon Balm, an herb of the mint family, is a tasty herbal remedy used largely for relief from stress caused by our busy hectic world.
This slightly sour, slightly sweet herb has deeply wrinkled leaves that range from dark green to light yellow and smell and taste like lemons. The plant’s flowers are little and light yellow and can grow up to two feet high. The leaves look very similar to mint leaves, as it is apart of the same family. Planted in your garden, you will notice an increase of bees as Lemon Balm attracts them.
Lemon Balm is a calming herb, is used widely as a hot tea. Use this herb to soothe anxiety, restlessness, headaches, depressions, hypertension, insomnia, and colds. Lemon Balm is often mixed with Valerian, Chamomile, and sometimes Hops to promote relaxation. Used as an essential oil, Lemon Balm is used topically to treat herpes. If you deal with hyperthyroidism, Lemon Balm can a great addition to your daily diet, found right here in Seattle.
People usually don’t like sticky. Burdock is often at first a scorned plant with sticky burrs, however, this plant’s medicinal properties are worth the aggravation. Found right here in Seattle and the surrounding Pacific Northwest, Burdock is easily spotted by it’s large egg shaped leaves 
and flowering pink to purple burrs. Used by the Sahaptin for whooping cough and arthritis, this herb is known for it’s assistance to the liver, digestion, and skin health.
An edible plant, Burdock’s properties are so highly esteemed that it has been domesticated as a garden vegetable amongst the Japanese. Diabetics can benefit from the nutritive medicinal use of Burdock as it contains inulin and high protein within it’s roots. The best time to harvest Burdock for diabetic purposes is in the fall, when the roots have the highest amount of inulin stored for the winter.
Internally, Burdock root and seed tinctures are known to be quite potent and used for skin problems such as eczema, acne, boils, burns, joint pain, respiratory infections, bladder and kidney problems, and even herpes when combined with echinacea root. Burdock is also used to get your body fluid’s moving, it is a sweat and urine inducer that is non-disruptive and a non-addictive laxative. Externally, leaves, soaked briefly in boiled water can be directly applied to the skin or made into a poultice for relief from minor burns, low fevers, headaches, ringworm, and other fungal conditions.
Whether you need relief from a headache, a slight burn from cooking dinner, or you just need to flush out some toxins, Burdock is a great addition to any person’s herb collection.
