Tag Archives: medicine

Medical Marijuana Pills May Ease Some MS Symptoms: Review

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Medical Marijuana Pills May Ease Some MS Symptoms: Review

“Medical marijuana pills and sprays might ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but most other alternative therapies do little to lessen the pain and muscle rigidity that often accompanies the disease, according to new guidelines.

To reach that conclusion, an expert panel from the American Academy of Neurology reviewed more than 40 years of research on alternative medicine treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS)…

The guidelines are published in the March 25 issue of the journal Neurology.”

http://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/marijuana-news-759/guideline-medical-marijuana-may-ease-some-ms-symptoms-686096.html#.UzDKXsAnP9M.twitter

“Marijuana May Ease Some Symptoms of MS, New Guidelines Find. Medical marijuana pills or an oral spray made from cannabis may help ease some of the painful spasms caused by multiple sclerosis that make day-to-day life hard for patients, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/marijuana-may-ease-some-symptoms-ms-new-guidelines-find-n60626


Cannabidiol-2′,6′-dimethyl ether, a cannabidiol derivative, is a highly potent and selective 15-lipoxygenase inhibitor.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the major components of marijuana, is known to inhibit LOX activity…

15-LOX is suggested to be involved in development of atherosclerosis, and CBDD may be a useful prototype for producing medicines for atherosclerosis.”

http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/37/8/1733.long

“15-lipoxygenase inhibitors as anti-atherosclerosis agents.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18465533

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed oil: Analytical and phytochemical characterization of unsaponifiable fraction.

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“Non-drug varieties of Cannabis sativa L., collectively known as “hemp”, have been an important source of food, fiber and medicince for thousands of years. The ever-increasing demand for vegetables oils has made it essential to characterize additional vegetable oil through innovative uses of its components…

This study is an important contribution for Cannabis sativa L. valorization as a source of bioactive compounds contributing to research novel applications for hemp seed oil in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and other non-food industries.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24422510

Cannabis Finds Its Way into Treatment of Crohn’s Disease.

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“In ancient medicine, cannabis has been widely used to cure disturbances and inflammation of the bowel. A recent clinical study now shows that the medicinal plant Cannabis sativa has lived up to expectations and proved to be highly efficient in cases of inflammatory bowel diseases.

In a prospective placebo-controlled study, it has been shown what has been largely anticipated from anecdotal reports, i.e. that cannabis produces significant clinical benefits in patients with Crohn’s disease. The mechanisms involved are not yet clear but most likely include peripheral actions on cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2, and may also include central actions.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24356243

“In their prospective study, Naftali et al. used THC-free Cannabis as placebo with no other cannabinoids present. However, we should consider that also other ingredients of Cannabis, such as cannabidiol, cannabigerol, and tetrahydrocannabivarine (THCV), all of them non-psychotropic components of Cannabis, have proven antiinflammatory effects in experimental intestinal inflammation. Their actions partly involve non-CB receptor mechanisms via, for instance, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) and transient receptor potential cation channels subfamily V receptors (TRPV) and should be regarded as additive beneficial effects of Cannabis in the improvement of colitis in addition to THC-mediated effects.

 …an 8-week treatment with THC-rich Cannabis caused a decrease of the Crohn’s disease activity index (CDAI) in 90% of patients without producing significant side effects…

In summary, in agreement with the ancient use of Cannabis in intestinal disturbances and one decade of animal research, Cannabis was shown in a clinical trial to reduce symptoms in patients with CD. This elegant translation should be followed by larger trials confirming these results and by trials establishing the involved mechanisms to open a promising direction for future treatment of IBD.”

Full-text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4076530/

Non-Hallucinogenic Cannabinoids Could Cure Cancer: Is A Cheap Anti-Cancer Drug On The Way?

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Non-Hallucinogenic Cannabinoids

“Studies that support marijuana’s medicinal properties are met with a great deal of skepticism due to cannabis’ hallucinogenic effects. Researchers from St. George’s University of London have isolated six non-hallucinogenic cannabinoids that could lead to the development of effective anti-cancer medication.

“This study is a critical step in unpicking the mysteries of cannabis as a source of medicine,” explained the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Wai Liu. “The cannabinoids examined have minimal, if any, hallucinogenic side effects, and their properties as anti-cancer agents are promising.””

More: http://www.medicaldaily.com/non-hallucinogenic-cannabinoids-could-cure-cancer-cheap-anti-cancer-drug-way-259962

Cannabidiol in Humans-The Quest for Therapeutic Targets.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD), a major phytocannabinoid constituent of cannabis, is attracting growing attention in medicine for its anxiolytic, antipsychotic, antiemetic and anti-inflammatory properties.

However, up to this point, a comprehensive literature review of the effects of CBD in humans is lacking. The aim of the present systematic review is to examine the randomized and crossover studies that administered CBD to healthy controls and to clinical patients.

A systematic search was performed in the electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE using the key word “cannabidiol”. Both monotherapy and combination studies (e.g., CBD + ∆9-THC) were included. A total of 34 studies were identified: 16 of these were experimental studies, conducted in healthy subjects, and 18 were conducted in clinical populations, including multiple sclerosis (six studies), schizophrenia and bipolar mania (four studies), social anxiety disorder (two studies), neuropathic and cancer pain (two studies), cancer anorexia (one study), Huntington’s disease (one study), insomnia (one study), and epilepsy (one study).

Experimental studies indicate that a high-dose of inhaled/intravenous CBD is required to inhibit the effects of a lower dose of ∆9-THC. Moreover, some experimental and clinical studies suggest that oral/oromucosal CBD may prolong and/or intensify ∆9-THC-induced effects, whereas others suggest that it may inhibit ∆9-THC-induced effects.

Finally, preliminary clinical trials suggest that high-dose oral CBD  may exert a therapeutic effect for social anxiety disorder, insomnia and epilepsy, but also that it may cause mental sedation. Potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic explanations for these results are discussed.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24281562

Cannabis might be a better treatment for epilepsy sufferers -msn

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Young marijuana plants (©AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

“Cannabis is now apparently the cure for everything from cancer,  diarrhea, bipolar disorder and Multiple sclerosis, to an ailing economy and being a smart aleck teenager. The latest chronic illness to get the 4:20 treatment is epilepsy. British scientists from the University of Reading tested a compound in pot called cannabidivarin on rats and mice with six types of epilepsy, and found it “strongly suppressed seizures” without the unpleasant side effects of current anti-epilepsy drugs. With 1 percent of the world’s population suffering from the disease, the head of the research team, Ben Whalley, says there’s a pressing need for better treatments. “It’s a chronic condition with no cure and currently, in around one-third of cases, the currently available treatments do not work, cause serious side effects and increase fatalities,” he said.”

http://now.msn.com/epilepsy-treatment-found-in-cannabis-may-prove-better-than-current-methods

Palmitoylethanolamide: From endogenous cannabimimetic substance to innovative medicine for the treatment of cannabis dependence.

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“Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is a fatty acid amide showing some pharmacodynamic similarities with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive compound present in the cannabis plant.

Like Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, PEA can produce a direct or indirect activation of cannabinoid receptors.

 Furthermore, it acts as an agonist at TRPV1 receptor.

The hypothesis is that PEA has anti-craving effects in cannabis dependent patients, is efficacious in the treatment of withdrawal symptoms, produces a reduction of cannabis consumption and is effective in the prevention of cannabis induced neurotoxicity and neuro-psychiatric disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23896215

‘It’s the one medicine we have seen work’: Oregon parents use medical marijuana to help severely autistic son

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“Alex Echols has Tuberous Sclerosis, a rare genetic disorder that led to autism and seizures from a young age. Medical marijuana is the only treatment that eased his violent behavior, his parents said.”

An Oregon family has turned to medical marijuana to manage their son's severe autistic rage. Eleven-year-old Alex Echols is severely autistic. 

“Most parents wouldn’t dream of giving their child marijuana. But an Oregon couple says it’s the only thing that’s been able to help their 11-year-old autistic son.”

 

Study Finds No Link Between Marijuana Use And Lung Cancer – ScienceDaily

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“People who smoke marijuana–even heavy, long-term marijuana users–do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer…

Marijuana smoking also did not appear to increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as cancer of the tongue, mouth, throat, or esophagus, the study found.

The findings were a surprise to the researchers. “We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use–more than 500-1,000 uses–would increase the risk of cancer from several years to decades after exposure to marijuana,” said the senior researcher, Donald Tashkin, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles.”

More: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060526083353.htm