Cannabis and Cannabinoids

Franjo Grotenhermen, MD, has worked in the fields of internal medicine, surgery, and integrative medicine. Since 1994 he has been researching medical uses of hemp at the Nova Institut. He is also a member of the working group on quality of life for cancer patients at the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cologne. Ethan Russo, MD, is a child and adult neurologist at Montana Neurobehavioral Specialists. He has had a lifetime interest in medicinal plants. He holds a faculty position in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and is also Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington.

About the Editors
Contributors
Foreword
Preface
Definitions and Explanations
Part I: Botany, Taxonomy, Chemistry, and History
Chapter 1. Botany of Natural Cannabis Medicines
Introduction
Natural Life Cycle
Agricultural Field Production
Vegetative Crop Production
Resin Gland Development
Cannabis Origins
Cannabis Taxonomy
Medical Cannabis Today
Medical Cannabis Tomorrow
Conclusion
Chapter 2. Taxonomy of Cannabinoids
Phytocannabinoids
Synthetic Analogues
Anandamide Congeners
Receptor Antagonists
Chapter 3. Chemical Constituents of Cannabis
Chemical Constituents
Conclusion
Chapter 4. History of Cannabis in Western Medicine
Cannabis Before the Birth of Christ
Cannabis in the Classical Era
Hashish in the Arabic World
Hemp in Central Europe
Cannabis in European Medicine of the Eighteenth Century
Cannabis in Nineteenth-Century Western Medicine
The Positive Trend Holds True
1880-1900: The Climax
Cannabis As a Medicine in the Twentieth Century
An Era Comes to an End
Conclusion
Part II: Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics
Chapter 5. Effects of Cannabis and the Cannabinoids
Effects on Psyche and Behavior
Central Nervous System and Neurochemistry
Circulatory System
Other Organ Systems and Effects
Tolerance
Drug Interactions
Cannabinoid Interactions
Actions of Other Cannabinoids
Chapter 6. Pharmacokinetics
General
Absorption and Bioavailability
Distribution
Metabolism
Excretion
Plasma Levels versus Administration Route
Chapter 7. Sites and Mechanisms of Action
The Endogenous Cannabinoid System
Cannabinoid Receptor Ligands
Palmitylethanolamide
Inhibitors of Endogenous Cannabinoid Tissue Uptake or Metabolism
Other Types of Cannabinoid Receptors
Concluding Discussion
Chapter 8. Mechanisms of Cannabinoid Analgesia
Pharmacological Actions of Cannabis sativa
Do Cannabinoids Have Analgesic Activity?
An Endogenous Cannabinoid Pain Control System
Cannabinoids and Central Analgesic Pathways
Cellular Actions of Cannabinoids in Pain Pathways
Summary
Chapter 9. Cannabinoids As Neuroprotectants Against Ischemia
Introduction
Cannabinoids and Ischemia
Cannabinoid Receptors and Presynaptic Calcium Channels
Cannabinoid Receptors and Postsynaptic Calcium Channels
The Cannabinoid System As an Endogenous Regulator of Calcium Influx
Cannabinoids and NMDA Receptor Blockade
Oxidants and Ischemia
Cannabinoids As Neuroprotective Antioxidants
Chapter 10. Possible Mechanisms in Autoimmune Diseases
Part III: Indications for Cannabis and THC
Chapter 11. Review of Therapeutic Effects
Hierarchy of Therapeutic Effects
Indications
Surveys
Chapter 12. Medical Use of Cannabis: Experience in California
Effects of Proposition 215
Usage Surveys
Chapter 13. Anorexia and Cachexia
Anorexia and Cachexia in Cancer Patients
Mechanisms of Cancer Cachexia
Anorexia and Cachexia in AIDS Patients: Wasting Syndrome
Cannabis, 9-THC, and Cancer Cachexia/AIDS Wasting
Conclusion
Chapter 14. Antiemetic Effects of Cannabinoids
Antiemetics in Clinical Use
Rationale for the Use of Cannabinoids As Antiemetics
Clinical Data
Current Role of Cannabinoids As Antiemetics
Chapter 15. Pain Therapy
Pain Disorders and Their Treatments
Theoretical and Experimental Data
Clinical Trail Data and Case Histories
Summary
Chapter 16. Migraine
Migraine and Its Symptoms
Standard Treatment of Migraine
Clinical History of Cannabis in Migraine Treatment
Theoretical and Experimental Data with THC Pertinent to Migraine
Value and Place of Cannabis in Migraine Treatment
Chapter 17. Spasti