Today we are walking in the Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis walk down in Santa Monica, CA. In preparation we read an article regarding Cannabidiol and IBS/Crohn’s Disease that we want to share. Below is the abstract from the article.
This mini-review highlights the importance of cannabidiol (CBD) as a promising drug for the therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Actual pharmacological treatments for IBD should be enlarged toward the search for low-toxicity and low-cost drugs that may be given alone or in combination with the conventional anti-IBD drugs to increase their efficacy in the therapy of relapsing forms of colitis. In the past, Cannabis preparations have been considered new promising pharmacological tools in view of their anti-inflammatory role in IBD as well as other gut disturbances. However, their use in the clinical therapy has been strongly limited by their psychotropic effects. CBD is a very promising compound since it shares the typical cannabinoid beneficial effects on gut lacking any psychotropic effects. For years, its activity has been enigmatic for gastroenterologists and pharmacologists, but now it is evident that this compound may interact at extra-cannabinoid system receptor sites, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma. This strategic interaction makes CBD as a potential candidate for the development of a new class of anti-IBD drugs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Our interpretation of this abstract is as follows. Medical Cannabis has been used in the treatment of gastrointestinal issues for many years. However the psychotropic effects of THC have limited the efficacy of the medicine because patients get “high” in the head before getting relief from symptoms in the gut. Cannabidiol’s anti-inflammatory properties coupled with its distinctly non psychoactive traits, may prove to make Cannabidiol (CBD) a viable treatment option for those suffering from inflammatory bowel conditions.
Something inside of me is saying we are onto something big here. Only time and research will tell.
If you suffer from Crohn’s or Colitis and you would like to try CBD for relief please contact me directly. We will do all we can to help.
See everyone out there today.
-Austin
references: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/ptr.4781/abstract
