Medical Cannabis: What the research tells us so far
I’m sure you’ve heard in the news that more and more scientific research is being done to discover the benefits of Medical Cannabis and how it can treat different diseases. While a lot of this research is still in the early stages, we have already seen significant developments, with research concluding that Medical Cannabis has proven health benefits that can be used to effectively treat diseases.
In this blog, we will examine what all the research has told us so far and what we can expect to hear from further research in the future.
1. CBD as an anti-inflammatory
Research out of the University of Kentucky has shown us that CBD can significantly suppress chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain with no side effects.
Unlike opiate painkillers, which only mask pain and can potentially be very addictive with the body able to build up a tolerance over time, CBD is an effective anti-inflammatory that won’t lose effectiveness over time.
2. CBD as anxiety relief
Preclinical research has shown that CBD can be used as a potential treatment for anxiety disorders.
So far, some of the only treatment for anxiety disorders has been dangerous anxiety medications such as Xanax and Valium, which are highly addictive.
CBD offers a natural alternative that can be just as effective, without harmful side effects.
While more research still needs to be done, it is a very exciting development that could reduce people’s dependence on dangerous anti-anxiety medication.
3. CBD as nausea relief
CBD has been touted for centuries as a potent nausea and vomiting reliever. This was confirmed by a study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, stating that CBD featured anti-nausea and antiemetic effects when administered.
4. CBD in the treatment of seizures
One of the biggest cases for the use of Medical Cannabis, in countries where it hasn’t yet been legalised, is its ability to treat children with epilepsy and severe seizures, where other forms of modern medicine have failed.
A recent study from The New England Journal of Medicine shows us the most exciting results so far, indicating that CBD could drastically reduce seizures in children with Dravet syndrome, a potentially fatal form of epilepsy. The study showed that on average, there was a 39% decrease of seizures in children taking part in the study, with 5% of the children becoming 100% seizure-free over the course of the 14-week trial.
5. Medical Cannabis as an appetite stimulant
Cannabis is well known for being a powerful appetite stimulant in both healthy and sick individuals.
Recent studies available here and here, suggest that Medical Cannabis can also be used to boost the appetite and increase weight gain in patients with cancer, anorexia and HIV-associated wasting syndrome.
6. Medical Cannabis as a potential treatment for cancer
There’s a lot of research that indicates that Medical Cannabis can potentially treat various forms of cancer.
MGC Pharmaceuticals has recently partnered with RMIT to conduct our own research of Medical Cannabis being used to treat Melanoma, which you can learn more about here.
A lot more research still needs to be done before anything is conclusive, but we are very excited about the potential that Medical Cannabis has in the treatment of different forms of cancer.
