In his 1978 tune “Bush Physician,” Peter Tosh espoused the well being advantages of marijuana by citing two illnesses which will strike some listeners as odd: glaucoma and bronchial asthma. However Tosh had his info straight. Glaucoma was really one of many first indications for which the U.S. authorities offered canisters of marijuana cigarettes to a handful of sufferers starting within the late Nineteen Seventies. And experiments across the identical time additionally confirmed that marijuana smoke can dilate and open up the airways – in contrast to tobacco smoke, which has the other impact.
Had been he nonetheless alive as we speak, Tosh would seemingly really feel each vindicated and amazed by the unbelievable vary of illnesses whose therapy with hashish and CBD has been scientifically supported lately. Many extra are at present being investigated – and nonetheless others are being probed, on the very least, for endocannabinoid system involvement.
As for Tosh, his 1976 anthem “Legalize It” additionally sang pot’s praises as a therapy for the flu, tuberculosis, and a mysterious (although rhyming) situation known as “numara thrombosis.” We could by no means unravel what he meant by that one, however listed here are three newer papers in field-specific medical journals on obscure or sudden therapeutic purposes of hashish and cannabinoids.
CBD for oral ulcers
Researchers in China needed to know whether or not treating oral ulcers is perhaps among the many many potential makes use of of CBD. To search out out, they examined a CBD-infused oral spray at three totally different concentrations (0, 1, and 10 mg/mL) on tongue ulcers in mice over the course of three days. Their outcomes, revealed this month within the Journal of Dental Analysis,1 point out that not solely did the CBD-treated mice typically get well sooner than the management animals, however the high-dose CBD group tended to fare higher than the low-dose group.
The researchers additionally investigated the mechanisms behind this impact. They decided it to be largely attributable to immune response and inflammatory pathways mediated by direct activation of PPARy nuclear receptors, a essential goal of CBD, and, to a lesser extent, partial activation of CB1 receptors. This work was funded partly by a China-based pharmaceutical firm.
PEA for gynecologic ache
Cannabinoids are well-known for his or her means to fight ache and irritation. So researchers within the Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins College of Medication (with a training OB/GYN as senior writer) carried out a scientific evaluation of present research on using hashish for gynecologic ache situations. These embrace persistent pelvic ache, reported to have an effect on one in 4 girls worldwide;2 dysmenorrhea; vulvodynia; endometriosis; interstitial cystitis (bladder ache syndrome); and gynecologic malignancy.
Sixteen research met inclusion standards for the evaluation, which was revealed this month within the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology3 and lined within the February episode of the journal’s podcast. Two randomized managed trials and 6 potential cohort research evaluated the efficacy of medicines containing both palmitoylethanolamide (PEA, an endocannabinoid-like compound) or an inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH, an enzyme that degrades PEA and endocannabinoids), whereas eight cross-sectional research evaluated hashish use.
“Survey information confirmed that almost all girls reported that hashish improved ache from quite a few gynecologic situations,” the authors write. “Cohort research and an RCT utilizing PEA-combination drugs reported ache discount.” Whereas promising, these findings include most of the common caveats: “Interpretation of the research is restricted attributable to various hashish formulations, supply strategies, and dosages that preclude a definitive assertion about hashish for gynecologic ache aid.”
Hashish for spinal issues
Additionally revealed in Feb. 2022, a brand new paper within the journal Present Evaluations in Musculoskeletal Medication4 summarizes current analysis surrounding using hashish and cannabinoids in 4 “spinal dysfunction” contexts: persistent low again ache; spinal wire harm; earlier than and after surgical procedure; and common orthopedic procedures. The narrative evaluation identifies key research and papers in every of those areas and offers an summary of their findings relative to varied components, together with ache, spasticity, surgical procedure restoration, and opioid use.
The lengthy and the wanting it: proof for hashish use in spinal issues continues to be restricted and of typically low high quality however accommodates some promising nuggets.
“That is an attention-grabbing and burgeoning space of musculoskeletal analysis, as sufferers with backbone issues could be severely bothered with persistent ache with out many efficient ache therapy choices,” senior writer and Northwestern College orthopedic surgeon Srikanth Divi mentioned in an e mail to Mission CBD.
“Earlier than we are able to suggest it routinely for sufferers that bear surgical procedure, we have to know its organic results on backbone fusions and long-term issues. This could require strong potential research. For now, for sufferers that state they get good aid from CBD or THC merchandise that aren’t operative candidates, I believe it could be an efficient different therapy.”
Nate Seltenrich, an unbiased science journalist primarily based within the San Francisco Bay Space, covers a variety of topics together with environmental well being, neuroscience, and pharmacology.
Copyright, Mission CBD. Might not be reprinted with out permission.
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