Tag Archives: safe

Marijuana: A Time-Honored but Untested Treatment for Epilepsy.

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“The biology of the endocannabinoid system in the brain provides a possible basis for a beneficial pharmacological effect of marijuana on seizures.

However, evidence for efficacy of cannabis treatment of epilepsy is anecdotal because no acceptable randomized controlled trials have been done.

Proper dosage and means of administration remain unknown.

Cannabis is safer than other controlled substances, including tobacco or alcohol, and appears to be relatively safe compared with most pharmaceuticals used to treat epilepsy.”

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25715711

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Evaluation of Phytocannabinoids from High Potency Cannabis sativa using In Vitro Bioassays to Determine Structure-Activity Relationships for Cannabinoid Receptor 1 and Cannabinoid Receptor 2.

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“Cannabis has been around for thousands of years and has been used recreationally, medicinally, and for fiber.

Over 500 compounds have been isolated from Cannabis sativa with approximately 105 being cannabinoids. Of those 105 compounds, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol has been determined as the primary constituent, which is also responsible for the psychoactivity associated with Cannabis.

Cannabinoid receptors belong to the large superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors.

Targeting the cannabinoid receptors has the potential to treat a variety of conditions such as pain, neurodegeneration, appetite, immune function, anxiety, cancer, and others.

Developing in vitro bioassays to determine binding and functional activity of compounds has the ability to lead researchers to develop a safe and effective drug that may target the cannabinoid receptors…”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25419092

A systematic review of the antipsychotic properties of cannabidiol in humans.

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“Despite extensive study over the past decades, available treatments for schizophrenia are only modestly effective and cause serious metabolic and neurological side effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of schizophrenia.

A highly promising new pharmacological target in the context of schizophrenia is the endocannabinoid system…

the non-psychotropic, plant-derived cannabinoid agent cannabidiol (CBD) may have antipsychotic properties, and thus may be a promising new agent in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Here we review studies that investigated the antipsychotic properties of CBD in human subjects.

Results show the ability of CBD to counteract psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairment associated with cannabis use as well as with acute THC administration.

In addition, CBD may lower the risk for developing psychosis that is related to cannabis use.

These effects are possibly mediated by opposite effects of CBD and THC on brain activity patterns in key regions implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, such as the striatum, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

The first small-scale clinical studies with CBD treatment of patients with psychotic symptoms further confirm the potential of CBD as an effective, safe and well-tolerated antipsychotic compound, although large randomised clinical trials will be needed before this novel therapy can be introduced into clinical practice.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25667194

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/schizophrenia/

Protective effects of cannabidiol on lesion-induced intervertebral disc degeneration.

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“Disc degeneration is a multifactorial process that involves hypoxia, inflammation, neoinnervation, accelerated catabolism, and reduction in water and glycosaminoglycan content…

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the major nonpsychotropic phytocannabinoid of Cannabis sativa (up to 40% of Cannabis extracts). Contrary to most cannabinoids, CBD does not produce psychotomimetic or cognitive effects. Interesting, in the last years it has been suggest that CBD produces a plethora of others pharmacological effects, including antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-proliferative, anti-anxiety, hypnotic and antiepileptic, anti-nausea, anti-ischemic, anti-hyperalgesic, and anti-inflammatory…

The present study investigated the effects of cannabidiol intradiscal injection in the coccygeal intervertebral disc degeneration induced by the needle puncture model using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological analyses…

 Cannabidiol significantly attenuated the effects of disc injury induced by the needle puncture. Considering that cannabidiol presents an extremely safe profile and is currently being used clinically, these results suggest that this compound could be useful in the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.

 In summary our study revealed anti-degenerative effects of intradiscal microinjection of CBD 120 nmol. CBD represents one of the most promising candidates present in the Cannabis sativa plant for clinical use due to its remarkable lack of cognitive or psychotomimetic actions.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4269422/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/spinal-cord-injury/

Drug discovery strategies that focus on the endocannabinoid signaling system in psychiatric disease.

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“The endocannabinoid (eCB) system plays an important role in the control of mood, and its dysregulation has been implicated in several psychiatric disorders.

Targeting the eCB system appears to represent an attractive and novel approach to the treatment of depression and other mood disorders.

…the review provides discussion on compounds and drugs that target this system and might prove to be successful for the treatment of mood-related psychiatric disorders.

The discovery of increasingly selective modulators of CB receptors should enable the identification of optimal therapeutic strategies.

It should also maximize the likelihood of developing safe and effective treatments for debilitating psychiatric disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25488672

Colon carcinogenesis is inhibited by the TRPM8 antagonist cannabigerol, a Cannabis-derived non-psychotropic cannabinoid.

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“Cannabigerol (CBG) is a safe non-psychotropic Cannabis-derived cannabinoid which interacts with specific targets involved in carcinogenesis…

Here, we investigated whether CBG protects against colon tumorigenesis.

In vivo, CBG inhibited the growth of xenograft tumors as well as chemically-induced colon carcinogenesis.

CBG hampers colon cancer progression in vivo and selectively inhibits the growth of colorectal cancer cells, an effect shared by other TRPM8 antagonists.

CBG should be considered translationally in colorectal cancer prevention and cure.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25269802

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/colon-cancer/

Preliminary, Open-Label, Pilot Study of Add-On Oral Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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“Marijuana is often used as compassion add-on therapy for treatment-resistant PTSD.

This open-label study evaluates the tolerance and safety of orally absorbable Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for chronic PTSD.

RESULTS:

There were mild adverse effects in three patients, none of which led to treatment discontinuation. The intervention caused a statistically significant improvement in global symptom severity, sleep quality, frequency of nightmares, and PTSD hyperarousal symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS:

Orally absorbable Δ9-THC was safe and well tolerated by patients with chronic PTSD.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24935052

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/

Cannabidiol arrests onset of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.

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Figure 2

“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. It is effective in supressing IFN-γ and TNF-α production and progression of autoimmune Th1-mediated rheumatoid arthritis by inhibition of T cell proliferation. This observation led us to investigate the possible effects of CBD on additional autoimmune diseases.

We have previously reported that cannabidiol (CBD) lowers the incidence of diabetes in young non-obese diabetes-prone (NOD) female mice.

In the present study we show that administration of CBD to 11-14 week old female NOD mice… ameliorates the manifestations of the disease…

CBD was extracted from Cannabis resin (hashish)…

Our data strengthen our previous assumption that CBD, known to be safe in man, can possibly be used as a therapeutic agent for treatment of type 1 diabetes.

CBD is not psychoactive and has anti-inflammatory and anti autoimmune properties.

Based on the above presented results, on the previously documented anti-inflammatory effects of CBD and on its clinical safety, it seems reasonable to consider the use of CBD for controlling type 1 diabetes at an early stage of the disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2270485/

Therapeutic benefits of cannabis: a patient survey.

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“Clinical research regarding the therapeutic benefits of cannabis (“marijuana”) has been almost non-existent in the United States since cannabis was given Schedule I status in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

In order to discover the benefits and adverse effects perceived by medical cannabis patients, especially with regards to chronic pain, we hand-delivered surveys to one hundred consecutive patients who were returning for yearly re-certification for medical cannabis use in Hawai’i. The response rate was 94%. Mean and median ages were 49.3 and 51 years respectively. Ninety-seven per cent of respondents used cannabis primarily for chronic pain. Average pain improvement on a 0-10 pain scale was 5.0 (from 7.8 to 2.8), which translates to a 64% relative decrease in average pain. Half of all respondents also noted relief from stress/anxiety, and nearly half (45%) reported relief from insomnia. Most patients (71%) reported no adverse effects, while 6% reported a cough or throat irritation and 5% feared arrest even though medical cannabis is legal in Hawai’i.

No serious adverse effects were reported.

These results suggest that Cannabis is an extremely safe and effective medication for many chronic pain patients. Cannabis appears to alleviate pain, insomnia, and may be helpful in relieving anxiety.

Cannabis has shown extreme promise in the treatment of numerous medical problems and deserves to be released from the current Schedule I federal prohibition against research and prescription.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24765558

Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3998228/

Three out of four doctors recommend marijuana in New England Journal of Medicine poll

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More than three out of four doctors support medical cannabis for a hypothetical breast cancer patient, New England Journal of Medicine reports“More than three out of four doctors support medical cannabis for a hypothetical breast cancer patient, New England Journal of Medicine reports

In a poll by the well-respected New England Journal of Medicine released today, more than three out of four doctors recommended medical cannabis for a hypothetical late-stage breast cancer patient.

“We were surprised by the outcome of polling and comments, with 76% of all votes in favor of the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes — even though marijuana use is illegal in most countries,” Jonathan N. Adler, M.D., and James A. Colbert, M.D. wrote for the NEJOM May 30th.

Marijuana is a federally illegal – schedule one drug – that the U.S. government claims has no medical value and is more dangerous than heroin or LSD. Yet 19 states have legalized cannabis for medical use, given its 10,000 year history as a safe herbal remedy for nausea, pain and insomnia among other conditions.”

More: http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/05/30/three-out-of-four-doctors-recommend-marijuana-in-new-england-journal-of-medicine-poll/