“Natural cannabis was preferred to synthetic cannabis by 93% of users, with natural cannabis rated as having greater pleasurable effects when high and being more able to function after use. Synthetic cannabis was associated with more negative effects, hangover effects, and greater paranoia…
Users report a strong preference for natural over synthetic cannabis…”
“Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) have become increasingly popular in recent years. Often marketed to reflect their similar effects to cannabis, their use has been associated with a range of negative health effects. We sought to determine the relative risk of seeking emergency medical treatment (EMT) following use of SCs and natural cannabis.
The relative risk associated with the use of SCs was 30 (95% CI 17.5-51.2) times higher than that associated with cannabis. Significantly more symptoms (p=0.03) were reported by respondents seeking treatment for SCs than for cannabis.
Whilst these findings must be treated with caution, SCs potentially pose a greater risk to users’ health than natural forms of cannabis. Regulation is unlikely to remove SCs from the market, so well-informed user-focused health promotion messages need to be crafted to discourage their use.”
“Acute liver failure (ALF) is a potentially life threatening disorder without any effective treatment strategies. D-Galactosamine/LPS (GalN/LPS)-induced ALF is a widely used animal model to identify novel hepato-protective agents.
In the present study, we investigated the potential of a Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist, in the amelioration of GalN/LPS induced ALF…
Together, these data demonstrate for the first time that CB2 activation attenuates GalN/LPS-induced ALF by inducing an M1 to M2 shift in macrophages and by regulating the expression of unique miRs that target key molecules involved in TLR4 pathway.”
“Synthetic cannabinoids, the psychoactive components of the Cannabis sativa (marijuana) and their endogenous counterparts, act through two G protein-coupled receptors, CB1 and CB2.
The endocannabinoids are metabolized by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).
We have examined CB1 receptor and FAAH expression in human term placenta by immunohistochemistry.
CB1 receptor was found to be present in all layers of the membrane, with particularly strong expression in the amniotic epithelium and reticular cells and cells of the maternal decidua layer. Moderate expression was observed in the chorionic cytotrophoblasts. The expression of FAAH was the highest in amniotic epithelial cells, chorionic cytotrophoblast and maternal decidua layer.
Our results suggest that the human placenta is a likely target for cannabinoid action and metabolism. ”
“The endocannabinoid system has a key role in female reproduction, including implantation, decidualization and placentation. A growing number of studies indicate that placental and peripheral blood anandamide levels correlate closely with both spontaneous miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
Anandamide has also been implicated in blood pressure regulation.
In this study, we aimed to determine circulating anandamide levels in preeclampsia for the first time in the literature…
In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time in the literature that serum anandamide concentrations are decreased in women with preeclampsia.”
“Researchers at Hebrew University have found that extracts from the cannabis plant can help strengthen human bones, preventing osteoporosis, according to an Israel21c report.”
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/96146#.VPH1lE33-ix
“Peripheral cannabinoid receptor, CB2, regulates bone mass… These results demonstrate that the endocannabinoid system is essential for the maintenance of normal bone mass by osteoblastic and osteoclastic CB2 signaling. Hence, CB2 offers a molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, the most prevalent degenerative disease in developed countries.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334629/
“Here we show that CB2-deficient mice have a markedly accelerated age-related trabecular bone loss and cortical expansion, although cortical thickness remains unaltered.
These changes are reminiscent of human osteoporosis and may result from differential regulation of trabecular and cortical bone remodeling…
These results demonstrate that the endocannabinoid system is essential for the maintenance of normal bone mass by osteoblastic and osteoclastic CB2 signaling.
Hence, CB2 offers a molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, the most prevalent degenerative disease in developed countries.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334629/
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/osteoporosis-2/
“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.”
“The results of this study seemed to indicate that the interaction between cannabinoid, COX-2 and NOS(s) systems might exist…
Concomitant administration of small doses of CB1 and/or CB2 receptor agonists and COX-2 or NOS inhibitors can be effective in the alleviation of diabetic neuropathic pain.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25712641
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/neuropathic-pain/
“Marijuana derived from the plant Cannabis sativa has been used for the treatment of many gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including anorexia, emesis, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and others.
Several cannabinoid receptors, which include the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), CB2, and possibly GPR55, have been identified throughout the GI tract.
These receptors may play a role in the regulation of food intake, nausea and emesis, gastric secretion and gastroprotection, GI motility, ion transport, visceral sensation, intestinal inflammation, and cell proliferation in the gut.
…the regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system has shed new knowledge in this field.
Novel drug targets such as FAAH and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitors appear to be promising in animal models, but more studies are necessary to prove their efficiency.
The promise of emerging drugs that are more selective and peripherally acting suggest that, in the near future, cannabinoids will play a major role in managing an array of GI diseases.”