(UPDATE CHS does actually exist! I have information from a small number of people who continue to have issues with THC, regardless of how clean their cannabis is. Using low thc cannabis in tiny amounts seems to be ok, and high CBD content does not cause the issue. Using too often, or using too high of a concentration and CHS rears its ugly head. The GOOD news? (for most of us anyway) I estimate about 90% or more of CHS sufferers are solely due to neem/aza contamination 1/18/2019)
There is a Popular "Organic" Pesticide Ingredient Called Azadirachtin And It's Causing Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome
This pesticide is heavily used by many dispensaries and growers. The most common symptoms of CHS are:
- Nausea
- Intestinal Gas
- Slow Digestion
- Cyclical vomiting
- Muscle Tension
- Hypothermia
- Body Pain
Doctors will tell you it's due to using cannabis. The truth is almost all cases can be connected with using cannabis contaminated with azadirachtin. Cannabis absorbs and holds on to elements and chemicals very well, it's used to clean soils of toxins (phytoremediation). Cannabis absorbs and holds azadirachtin for significant periods of time, keeping it fresh for poisoning the person who eventually uses it.
Want Relief?
Doctors will tell you to quit using cannabis, which for some of us is not an option. You need to find cannabis from growers who produce "Clean" cannabis. In the meantime, you'll want some relief from the issues you're currently facing.
- Take a HOT Shower/Bath: CHS Symptoms are reduced almost instantly
- Use Antihistamines: Benadryl and other allergy medications can bring temporary relief
- Eat 2 Activated Charcoal Pills a Day: Azadirachtin breaks down slowly and the pills help rid the toxin
- Use Capsicum Based Skin Creams: The capsicum has been shown to effectively reduce symptoms for a while
- Get Tested and Treated for H.Pylori: This bacterial issue contributes heavily to the digestive problems from CHS
Exposure is an Infinite Variable
Azadirachtin is mixed at varying amounts by different growers, and also used at varying times throughout each grow. Each crop can come out lightly or heavily contaminated with Azadirachtin, depending on the circumstances. Each of us, as a cannabis user, also consume varying amounts. Someone who smokes all day, every day, will show signs of poisoning within a week with lightly contaminated cannabis. Someone else can get the same level of symptoms from a bowl a day, using heavily contaminated cannabis.
It STAYS In Resin as Well!!
If you've smoked azadirachtin tainted cannabis through a pipe or bong, the resin in it will be tainted with azadirachtin. This can cause continuing issues, even after you've switched to clean cannabis!! So, be warned!
Azadirachtin is an extract of Neem oil, a fairly useful tree oil which has been used for hundreds of years. An ounce of neem oil can contain between 200ppm and 2000ppm of azadiractin. When exposed to light, water and air, azadirachtin degrades quickly (like it does when used on fruit and vegetables). When azadirachtin has been absorbed by cannabis, the azadirachtin remains fresh for months. Exposing broken up contaminated cannabis to flourescent lighting (12" away) has been observed to break down a lot of the azadirachtin. YMMV