When I was visiting my 88-year old grandfather in Maine, he told me a story about how marijuana saved his nieces life. I’m sure you or someone you know has heard a story like this. She was diagnosed with life threatening cancer and tried several treatments until she gave up and resorted to cannabidiol (CBD), a compound found in cannabis. She is now living cancer free thanks to this powerful medicinal plant.
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, contains two popular compounds that I bet you’ve heard of. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two primary cannabinoids that occur naturally in the Cannabis sativa plant. At this point, thousands of studies have been conducted in vitro and in vivo which show that these two cannabinoids posses the following cancer fighting properties:
- Antiproliferative — It prevents cancer cells from reproducing.
- Antiangiogenic — It prevents the formation of new blood vessels needed by the tumor to grow.
- Antimetastatic — It prevents cancer from spreading to other organs.
- Apoptotic — It induces the cancerous cell to commit suicide.
Our bodies have an existing endocannabinoid system, which is a nerve system that serves a vital purpose for our health and well-being because it regulates key aspects of our biology. Recent science has found that the endocannabinoid system does not just respond to the endocannabinoids produced in the body, but also responds to external cannabinoids like the phytocannabinoid cannabidiol, or CBD. Introducing CBD to the body can help reduce the symptoms of a wide range of illnesses including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammation, depression, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety, and opioid withdrawal.
Marijuana is Illegal at the federal level, and permitted locally in some states allowing recreational or medical use. CBD oil (legal) is a compound in cannabis that has been shown to be responsible for the benefits mentioned above. However, research has shown that without the THC (psychoactive component), the benefits may not be present as they work synergistically to provide true health benefits. Several clients of mine take CBD oil regularly and report incredibly positive feedback, especially in autoimmune conditions. CBD doesn’t work with everyone; some people’s bodies seem to respond better to the THC and CBD components without isolation. CBD is generally not harmful, but when purchasing you want to look out for things like growing methods of the plants (no pesticides, organic, good manufacturing practice, third-party tested, purity) in order to be sure you aren’t wasting your money on snake oil (aka olive oil with 1 drop of CBD). If it’s cheap, chances are you are being scammed.
If you want to learn more about the health benefits and medical uses of cannabis, feel free to shoot me a message on the contact link at the bottom – I’d love to chat more about this with you!
References:
- Endogenous cannabinoid anandamide impairs cell growth and induces apoptosis in chondrocytes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24902823
- Care and Feeding of the Endocannabinoid System: A Systematic Review of Potential Clinical Interventions that Upregulate the ECS https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24622769
- Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Reconsidered: Current Research Supports the Theory in Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel, and Other Treatment-Resistant Syndromes. http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/can.2016.0009
- Cannabidiol as an Emergent Therapeutic Strategy for Lessening the Impact of Inflammation on Oxidative Stress https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21238581