LifestylePodcasts

Mimicking Birds’ Adam Trachsel Explains CBD for Brain Cancer and Seizures

Published on February 12, 2018 · Last updated July 28, 2020

Cannabis long agreed with Adam Trachsel, the bassist and keyboardist of Portland indie rock trio Mimicking Birds. But Trachsel’s relationship to cannabis got way more serious five years ago, on his 29th birthday, when doctors diagnosed him with both brain cancer and epilepsy.

Trachsel required multiple surgeries to remove a tumor in his brain. Although the operations succeeded, it took him over a year to regain control of his memory, motor functions, and speech. Side effects from his prescription anti-seizure medications added to life’s new challenges.

“Seizure meds are notoriously hard on mood stability and your happiness levels,” Trachsel said, chatting from his van before a show in Brooklyn. “They can cause all sorts of problems; they make you fuzzy, cranky, irritable. … But you can’t not take them. You have seizures.”

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Cannabis, and the molecule cannabidiol (CBD) in particular, became a powerful tool for Trachsel. CBD has anti-seizure and other therapeutic properties that combated his seizures, and greatly reduced his need for prescription medications. He found the most success with a 1:1 tincture that he and his wife loaded into gelcaps. At times, he consumed up to a gram per day.

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Cannabis greatly improved Trachsel’s quality of life, but he encountered new challenges when he brought his homemade pills on tour with Mimicking Birds. On one fateful occasion, he spent a night in a Texas jail.

“It’s dangerous to not take [cannabis] regularly. It needs to be a consistent thing in that healing process,” Trachsel pointed out.

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Even though Trachsel has recovered from his cancer, cannabis is no less important to him. In fact, he now works at Uplift, his local dispensary in Portland, where he helps others in his community find relief through cannabis. Yet he’s quick to point out that the plant is not a cure-all:

“Even though I use CBD and find it beneficial, I can’t say I’m being cured by marijuana or CBD in any sense. I’m just a musician who takes CBD.”

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Listen to all of Adam’s story below, in this episode of the Hash, now powered by Leafly.

Subscribe To The Hash Podcast For Free Via iTunes or Stitcher.

The weekly, scripted, news and lifestyle podcast’s guests this 20-episode season include New York State Sen. Diane Savino, drag queen Laganja Estranja, and Cypress Hill’s B-Real.

Shop highly rated stores near you

Showing you stores near
See all stores

The ‘Fresh Air’ of cannabis—each potent segment is co-hosted and produced by award-winning journalist and best-selling author David Downs (WIRED, Scientific American), and Max Savage Levenson (Pitchfork, NPR).

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Adam first tried cannabis in high school in rural Iowa.

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

“On my 29th birthday my mom was in town. We were gonna go out to brunch, I started to not feel right. She said, we’re gonna go to hospital. I was taken into ER. I thought it was just gonna be something subtle. Doctor says you have brain cancer and epilepsy.”

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

After surgery, “when I woke up was in pretty bad shape…. I didn’t know what internet was. It was an out of body experience.” In 2017, Adam had a second surgery to remove the remnants of the tumor. He was awake for the operation.

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

“They did hand tests, and math tests while I was on operating table and poking around in my brain. It was relieving to be awake through it as opposed to not knowing what they were doing. That second surgery went way smoother. I came out smiling and joking, and speaking very clearly.”

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Between the oil and his low dose of epilepsy meds, Adam hasn’t had a seizure in over a year. Now, he helps spread the word about cannabis at Uplift Botanicals, his local dispensary in Portland. “I want to help other people find products that will benefit them.”

(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)

Looking For Legal Cannabis?

About Leafly Podcasts

Leafly has four podcasts for different skill levels:

  • The Hash is NPR’s ‘Fresh Air’ — on cannabis. It’s top-shelf audio journalism with a cannabis bent, weekly on Tuesdays.
  • Every Friday, The Roll-Up keeps you abreast of each week’s big cannabis news.
  • What Are You Smoking? rounds up cannabis product trends for true aficionados.
  • And Canada’s legal rollout gets covered by The High Life.

Subscribe to The Hash on iTunes or Stitcher. Watch the making of The Hash on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.  For editorial, contact david.downs@leafly.com.

For advertising, contact Leafly here and request “The Hash”.

See The Hash Live In Portland Feb. 17!

Buy tickets right now to see The Hash LIVE at the Listen Up Portland podcast festival Sunday, Feb. 17, at 1:30 p.m. at The Commune (19 NW 5th Ave. #300, Portland, OR.). Our show guests include Broccoli magazine founder Anja Charbonneau, and The Sexually Liberated Woman podcast Ev’Yan Whitney.

Looking For Legal Cannabis? Leafly Has All Your Local Menus

Know anyone using CBD for seizures or in anti-cancer efforts? Share in the comments

Shop highly rated stores near you

Showing you stores near
See all stores
Leafly Podcasts
Leafly Podcasts
Leafly Podcasts bring the latest in cannabis news, products, and culture directly to your ears each week. Subscribe to The Roll-Up, What Are You Smoking?, The Hash, and The High Life on podcast outlets like iTunes, Spotify, and beyond.
View Leafly Podcasts's articles
Get good reads, local deals, and strain spotlights delivered right to your inbox.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.