Ganja Vibes Blog

Masters of Sex

"Women often think that sex and love are the same thing. They don't have to be they don't have to go together." ~Virginia Johnson   http://youtu.be/KM888bh2X-A

Growing marijuana is still by far the most-efficient way to produce THC

Amazing Chemicals Invented by Nature, Rebuilt in Lab

By Aaron Rowe

Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis - Full Documentary

http://youtu.be/oz2OTVKYEHE

Ze brain

'Everybody must get stoned' ~ Bob Dylan

http://www.physorg.com/ U.S. and Brazilian scientists have just proven that one of Bob Dylan's most famous lines—"everybody must get stoned"— is correct. That's because they've discovered that the brain manufactures proteins that act like marijuana at specific receptors in the brain itself. This discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal, may lead to new marijuana-like drugs for managing pain, stimulating appetite, and preventing marijuana abuse. Studies show that the release of the body's own marijuana-like compounds is crucial to stress-induced analgesia the body's way of initially shielding pain after a serious injury. Cannabinoid compounds have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumour cells in culture and animal models by modulating key cell-signalling pathways. Scientists from Hungary, Germany and the U.K. have discovered that our own body not only makes chemical compounds similar to the active ingredient in marijuana (THC), but these play an important part in maintaining healthy skin. This finding on "endocannabinoids" just published online in, and scheduled for the October 2008 print issue of, The FASEB Journal could lead to new drugs that treat skin conditions ranging from acne to dry skin, and even skin-related tumors. "Our preclinical data encourage one to explore whether endocannabinoid system-acting agents can be exploited in the management of common skin disorders," said Tamás Biró, MD, PhD, a senior scientist involved in the research. "It is also suggested that these agents can be efficiently applied locally to the skin in the form of a cream." Biró and colleagues came to this conclusion by treating cell cultures from human sebaceous glands (the glands that make the oil on our skin) with various concentrations of endocannabinoids (substances produced by the body that are similar to the active ingredient in marijuana). Then they measured the production of lipids (fat cells, such as those in skin oil), cell survival and death, and changes in gene expression and compared these outcomes to those in an untreated control group. "This research shows that we may have something in common with the marijuana plant," said Gerald Weissmann, MD. "Just as THC is believed to protect the marijuana plants from pathogens, our own cannabinoids may be necessary for us to maintain healthy skin and to protect us from pathogens ." http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_pharmacology2.shtml Cannabinoid receptors The CB1 receptor The CB2 receptor The possibility of CBn receptors Endocannabinoids Anandamide 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol Palmitoyl-ethanolamide Docosatetraenylethanolamide and Homo-g-linoenylethanolamide Oleamide Some Proposed roles of the endogenous cannabinoid system Learning and synaptic plasticity Pain Vision Neuroprotection Allergy and regulation of inflammation Reproduction Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Safe Sex? Not If Your Sex Toys Aren’t Green

Tuesday, 08 November 2011 | Tonya Kay | Blog Entry You can find sex toys everywhere sensual pleasure exists or has existed—unless you live in Alabama, of course, where the last remaining US state law banning the sale of these items is still on books. Yes, outside of Alabama and India, we legally play with sex toys because we like pleasure and we don't like disease. All us good little girls (and boys) are at home having safe sex with our toys—or so we thought. We carefully picked out the color, size and ergonomics of our personal sanity device, but did we consider the materials it was made from? A Little History Sex toys have been around since the beginning of time. Not mine, specifically. But other peoples'. Like the dildo William Shakespeare mentioned in Act V, Scene 3 of The Winter's Tale (15th century). Or the Upper Paleolithic people's 20-centimeter stone phallus discovered in a cave in what is now Germany nearly 30,000 years ago. Or how about the doctors' vibrating electric tools of the late 1800s—predating the invention of the motor-driven vacuum cleaner by 10 years—said to relieve "hysteria" by massaging women's genitals until "hysterical paroxysm" was achieved. Eleven such sanity aids are on display at the Minneapolis Bakken Library and Museum of Electricity in Life. Is it just me longing for the "good old days" of healthcare right about now? Preventative maintenance covering vibrators instead of that toxic little blue pill! Phthalates in Phalluses In Canada, authorities have advised retailers to end the sale of baby teething rings and dog chew toys due to the presence of phthalates used in their manufacture. The European Union has enacted a ban on phthalates used in children's toys. And Greenpeace Netherlands and UK called upon the European Union to place a ban on all vibrators and other personal pleasure devices containing phthalates on August 8th, 2006, after the TNO (the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) discovered that seven out of eight sex toys contained phthalates in concentrations of 24-51%. Phthalates are petroleum-derived plasticizers found in many common household items including carpeting, synthetic bedding, hair products, cosmetics, food containers and anything containing PVC, like vinyl. Phthalates are responsible for that ubersoft and squishy plastic feel we've come to enjoy in our flooring and sexy toys. Because phthalates have no atomic bond with the plastic they are mixed with, they are highly volatile and easily released into the air, groundwater and environment. If you smell perfumy odor from your new sex toy, you can bet phthalates are off-gassing. If you feel a slippery coating on your sex toy after it has sat for some time, it's the unstable phthalates breaking down. The Health Effects Phthalates, even in small quantities, appear to wreak havoc on human health. High concentrations have been linked to testes damage in rats, lowered sperm count in men, improper genital development in baby boys, premature breast development in young women and asthma in young children. In addition, there is research that points to phthalates being associated with childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), cellular resistance to insulin (a type 2 diabetes precursor), endocrine disruption and metabolic interference. Yes, this does mean there is a link between obesity and phthalates exposure. Your dildo could be making you fat. Safe Sex Toys But this is by no means anti-masturbation propaganda. I'm all for dildos—say it again! Nobody loves me like I do! I just wanna make sure even my solo sex is safe sex. So I did some research and development—and discovered we have more options than we might think. I found a pocket rocket that advertises "phthalate-free" plastic on its box. And I couldn't help but notice the array of lifelike, warmth-holding silicone dongs in all colors, shapes and sizes. Handblown glass dildos are works of art that also hold a nice iced temperature, if you are into the cold. And certainly you can always wear a condom with your old Phthalate-infused trustworthys without having to replace them at all. Of course, I wouldn't be a raw vegan renegade without including my favorite recipe: banana and coconut oil… Happy hysteria!