EPISODES

In this behind-the-scenes conversation we are joined by Tanja Bagar, PhD, the founder and CEO of the International Institute for Cannabinoids, a multi-national research and education cooperative based out of Slovenia. Tanja holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences and has spent the past several years focused on studying and teaching about cannabinoids throughout Europe. Tanja and I have been collaborating for years as co-authors on conference abstracts, book chapters, etc. Tanja was also one of my early students in the early iterations of my workshop series which I still teach today, so it was great to reconnect on the podcast.

Our conversation explored her experience discovering the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids, how Cannabis regulations vary throughout Europe and the effects that has on research collaboration, why she has become fascinated with the endocannabinoid system, clinical outcomes that ICANNA and their collaborators have seen in patients using cannabinoids, her thoughts about the future of Cannabis research, and much more!
​
You can learn more about ICANNA by visiting https://www.institut-icanna.com/en/index.html

​In this behind-the-scenes conversation we join Dedi Meiri PhD, a researcher at the Israel Institute of Technology focused on examining how Cannabis and its chemical constituents may influence cancer and other disease states. His labs have made important discoveries regarding the relevance of "minor" constituents of Cannabis in influencing cancer activity, among many other things. In this 2+ hour conversation we dive deep into Dedi's background, why he finds Cannabis so interesting, what he has learned from his cancer research, methods that his labs have developed for quickly assessing the activity of plant extracts, the future of Cannabis research, and much more!
​
Learn more about Dedi's lab at Technion at https://dmeiri.net.technion.ac.il/

In this episode we journey beyond Cannabis and the endocannabinoid system into the endocannabinoidome! The endocannabinoidome is a relatively new concept used to describe the vast hundreds of compounds involved in the functioning of endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors. Learn about how this concept of the endocannabinoidome was formed, what clinicians think about its discovery, and what we can expect from the future of endocannabinoidome research! Plus hear an often overlooked story about the origin of "the entourage effect" and how the concept has been redefined for popular culture.

Featuring a contribution from Raphael Mechoulam, PhD via email and relevant excerpts from behind-the-scenes episodes:

BTS #5 Ethan Russo, MD
BTS #31 The Doctors Knox
BTS #35 Vincenzo Di Marzo, PhD

Stay curious, and take it easy!

In this behind-the-scenes episode we join renowned endocannabinoid researcher Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo, who has been studying endocannabinoids since their discovery in the late 1980s and 1990s. Dr. Di Marzo, along with his colleagues, originally proposed the concept of the endocannabinoid system, the entourage effect, and the endocannabinoidome. Currently Dr. Di Marzo is working on studying the relationships between endocannabinoids and the gut microbiome to better understand how cannabinoids may affect health through the gut. In our conversation we discuss Dr. Di Marzo’s fascination with endocannabinoids, how he conceptualizes the endocannabinoidome, common misunderstandings about endocannabinoids, how the concept of the “entourage effect” has evolved away from its original intended meaning, where the future of Cannabis research may be heading, and much more.


This was a career highlight of mine to be able to talk to Vincenzo and I am honored to share this conversation with you. Enjoy!

In this behind-the-scenes conversation we speak with The Doctors Knox, aka The Knox Docs, including Drs. Janice, David, Rachel, and Jessica Knox to talk all about the endocannabinoid system and how our understanding of the endocannabinoid system and the endocannabinoidome is revolutionizing healthcare.

This was our first interview with four people at the same time, so it was quite a different experience and allowed for some unique dynamics that I hope you enjoy.
​
You can learn more about The Doctors Knox at  https://doctorsknox.com/ 

In this behind-the-scenes episode we talk with Dr. Genester Wilson-King, a board certified OB/GYN, Cannabis clinician, and hormone expert. Our conversation spanned many topics including how cannabinoids and hormones interact with one another, how Cannabis affects women differently than men, how Cannabis affects women after menopause differently than women experiencing cyclical hormones, how Cannabis affects cis gender people different than trans gender people, how Cannabis affects fertility, Cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding and much more!

Learn more about Dr. Wilson-King here: https://www.victoryrejuvenationcenter.com/
​
Enjoy and stay curious!

Episode Description: In this episode we begin to explore the ways in which Cannabis affects the body by exploring one of the primary physiological systems in our body's affected by Cannabis - the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Cannabis helped researchers discover it. Now medical science is trying to understand what to do with it. Discover the history of possibly one of the most significant medical discoveries of the past century, courtesy of Cannabis, in this episode of the Curious About Cannabis Podcast!

Interview contributions by endocannabinoid system researchers Dr. Kevin Spelman (BTS #04) and Dr. Ethan Russo (BTS #05).

Transcript: COMING SOON

In this behind-the-scenes (BTS) episode we talk with the world renowned Cannabis and cannabinoid researcher, Dr. Ethan Russo, to discuss a host of topics like the alleged toxicity of CBD, the research evidence for entourage effects, how to think about the endocannabinoid system, how Cannabis based pharmaceuticals are developed and more! We packed a lot of good conversation in this relatively short conversation. Enjoy and stay curious!
​
P.S. This will be our last episode until after the Christmas and New Year holidays, but we will be back and ready to go first thing at the turn of the New Year. Stay safe and happy holidays!

​In this behind-the-scenes (BTS) interview, we sit down with Kevin Spelman, PhD, a molecular biologist and medicinal plant expert that has spent time studying the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and how medicinal plants affect the ECS. In this interview we discuss how to think about the "entourage effect", biases in science against medicinal plant research, the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants and dietary supplements, misconceptions about Cannabis, and much more! Stemming from the release of episodes 4 and 5 of the podcast where we explore the concept of Cannabis as a medicine, this interview contains a lot of content that got cut from those episodes for time that many of you will likely enjoy.