Trichomes, THC and Couchlock

  • Thread starter Bluberry
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Bluberry

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There was an interesting article in High Times recently...

"Dr. Paul G. Mahlberg who found that THC in the resin head is at it's peak when it's still clear - not opaque and certainly not amber. Dr. Mahlberg stuck a tiny syringe into the bulbous head of the trichome and extracted it's contents, then analyzed it for THC. The result: Without a doubt, THC is at it's highest before the trichome turns opaque"

This Dr Mahlberg has been (legally) growing weed and studying it since 1970, he knows his stuff, so I assume what he says is true. Here is my question...

If I grow a plant that is 16% THC and 1.5% CBD, and harvest when its clear, what type of buzz will I get?

I am looking for a high CBD strain as I was some medical qualities like anti depression and anti anxiety, but I do not want couch lock. Would this be the way to go?
 
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Bluberry

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Or, is it better to harvest when cloudy...

The strain is bred to be high CBD, cloudy gives more THC, so I should get a high CBD with less couch lock?

What do you think?
 
TortureKill

TortureKill

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As the trichome drawals later into maturity it turns opaque and eventually amber or brown. Whats happening is the cannabinoids are breaking down into other chemicals CBD etc.. I was always under the impression the CBD caused the lethargic, couch lock buzz. After growing over a decade Im convinced that earlier harvested flowers will result in a more upbeat buzz opposed to plants that are allowed to mature later resulting in amber, or darker colored trichs. Theres plenty of info on the net about trichomes and the cannabinoids produced throughout the plants flowering cycle. If I had more time I would go more into detail for y ou.
 
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Luck Dragon

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This is a big issue that a lot of new grower vs old growers run into on opinions and I think I run into it with smokers that usually are light smokers that start smoking or ingesting more and want the couch lock still. I prefer to take my plants downs at 10 percent amber which is basically 10 amber heads for every 100 milky heads under a scope.This information is listed in just about all grow books. This is usually a good median. In the past I've pulled strains that were all clear and in like week 7-8 and the high came out just as good but more of a 10 min body high that doesn't last. when I cut it down and it is 95 percent milky and still had a few clear heads it still has the same effect as when it was clear but the intensity last a little longer but still falls short of a good smoke. Once you get up to 10 percent trichromes amber you are degrading the material or(making the couch lock more intense) to a certain point then it just goes bad.This is also in just about all marijuana grow books. I have seen first hand taking your plant too long and it ruins it, But then again that is just my opinion and a lot of my friends that are growers seem to like to take their plants a little longer just to get the full aroma and taste you miss out on when you harvest a plant at peak development or ripeness like the books say.If you are lookin for a head high and not couch lock I would say take it down when you see 3-4 amber trichromes for every 100 milky. The high will come out more body cerebral but it always depends on the strains some don't even have an effect on heavy smokers when pulled early .You really just judge your self.
 
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Bluberry

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TortureKill said:
I was always under the impression the CBD caused the lethargic, couch lock buzz. After growing over a decade Im convinced that earlier harvested flowers will result in a more upbeat buzz opposed to plants that are allowed to mature later
Click to expand...

TortureKill, I think you may be right, I have just finished reading a report that supports CBD as being the producer of the high and THC being the producer of the lock. Of course everyone will have an opinion but I will start a new thread to see where it goes.

LuckDragon, I totally agree with the difference in smokers needs. As a kid, 20 years ago I smoked all day every day, including 2 years living in Holland smoking 24 hours a day. What I wanted then was to get as messed up as possible, and I did not care what the effects were.

Now 20 years later, having not smoked for a long time I want to combine my smoking with medical use, choosing what I take and how it effects me dependent on the situation.

All in all I am thinking I will harvest bud by bud trying to get it as it turns from clear to opaque.
 
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chechero

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Tales of Two Cannabinoids

Ok here it goes. According to Ethan Russo & Geoffrey W. Guy & a study conducted by GW Pharmaceuticals (the creators of Sativex) & the University of Washington School of Medicine as well as the University of Montana Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences titled A tale of two cannabinoids: The therapeutic rationale for combining tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol THC acts as a sedative while CBD has the opposite effect. If we take a look at the chart on page 237 & under CNS EFFECTS we look at the plus minus columns for THC vs CBD. We see SEDATION (Couch-lock) THC is a + (causing) and CBD is a - (preventing). There are other columns of interest also like Anxiolytic & Antipsychotic where it becomes apparent that THC causes anxiety while CBD removes it.

As for CBD causing one to be alert & wakeful there was a recent study that concluded that CBD "enhances alertness and suppresses sleep"

Finally studies are showing that what might be most responsible for Couch-Lock is actually a terpinoid called Sesquiterpenoid. Hope this helps a little.

Makin Medicine, Chechero
 
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chechero

3
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TortureKill said:
As the trichome drawals later into maturity it turns opaque and eventually amber or brown. Whats happening is the cannabinoids are breaking down into other chemicals CBD etc..
Click to expand...
You are right that as the trichs change color cannabinoids are breaking down. What we are seeing is oxidization, essentially the trichs are rusting & as this happens THC converts into CBN (but not CBD.) CBD & THC actually share the same precursor CBG. Thats why their relationship is always inverse, if you got high THC you got low CBD if you got high CBD you got low THC.

Chechero
 
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