CBD, the non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis, hemp and hops, has been receiving a lot of media attention lately. In fact, a quick Forbes.com search shows that over 85 articles related to CBD have been published in the past month and over 20 articles in the last week alone.
People talk about the medical benefits of CBD - because it helps treat all kinds of ailments, from anxiety to inflammation, to being added in everything from ointments to coffee, due to its rising worldwide popularity ...
On the other hand, THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis that makes people feel "high" or "stoned", is often overlooked (and sometimes even looked down upon) when discussing marijuana's medical potential.
A new study by Jacob Miguel Vigil, associate professor at the University of New Mexico, and Sarah See Stith, assistant professor at the University of New Mexico, published Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports, revealed that THC showed the “strongest correlation” . with therapeutic relief, compared to the more socially acceptable chemical found in cannabis, CBD (cannabinol). “
Cannabinoid content, and especially THC content, emerged as the most important factor in optimizing symptom relief when tested for a wide variety of health conditions. Dr. Vigil explained the results derived from the real-time data observation of the Releaf App, which he qualified as "the largest database of its kind in our country." Using the app, patients reported the results and effects of their actual cannabis use, and the researchers compiled and processed this information.
THC for autism
While many cannabis researchers focus on CBD, a handful have looked at the medical benefits of their less popular cousin, THC - loved by stoners but often ignored by scientists. THC has aroused special attention for its potential to help treat autism.
Erica Daniels is the founder of Autism Advisors and Hope Grows For Autism. She also appeared as a “canna mother” on Viceland's Weediquette episode, “Mothers for Marijuana Treatment”. She explained that in some people with autism, CBD on its own can make symptoms worse. Meanwhile, THC "tends to calm autistic patients during significant periods of anxiety or meltdowns," she said.
After years of using THC-dominant products on her child, Erica reported that cannabis products containing THC improved her son's overall mood "by drastically reducing his anxiety and stress compared to CBD-only products."
Interestingly, the University of New Mexico research seemed to confirm this, as cannabis was found to be more effective for severe symptoms treated by benzodiazepines or antidepressants than for severe symptoms usually treated with opioids.
In other words, the researchers discovered that cannabis is more effective in treating psychological symptoms such as agitation, irritability, anxiety, depression, excessive appetite, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, gastrointestinal pain, stress and tremors, than in treatment of physical ailments.
Fill the voids
According to Mr. Vigil will help the study, released Tuesday, “fill in the major gap in previous medical literature, understanding the 'efficacy, dose, routes of administration, or side effects of commonly used and commercially available cannabis products in the United States. . He referred curious readers to a recently released report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Committee on the Health Effects of Marihuana.
“Despite the conventional wisdom both in the popular press and much of the scientific community that only CBD has medical benefits, while THC makes just one, our results suggest THC may be more important than CBD in generating therapeutic benefits ," he said. In the study conducted by the University of New Mexico and Releaf App, CBD was found to have virtually no effect on the relief of most of the symptoms they studied. In contrast, THC appeared to generate “measurable improvements in symptom relief”.
Mentioning these results, Mr. Vigil called for the "immediate de-scheduling of all types of cannabis, in addition to hemp, so that cannabis containing THC can be more widely accessible for pharmaceutical use by the general public."
Through this conclusion, Franco Brockelman, CEO of Releaf App, noted, “This study helps to validate the medical importance of THC along with CBD, and the need for more conclusive research to be done, which we look forward to to contribute."
Read the full article on Forbes.com (EN, source - by Javier Hasse)
