Madrid study shows THC coaxes cancerous brain cells to self-digest

April 3, 2009

A new study conducted at Complutense University in Madrid and published in the April edition of US-published Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, helps to defeat brain cancer by coaxing cancerous brain cells to self-digest.

Cannabis May Slow Progression of MS

September 18, 2008

It has been known that cannabis helps deal with symptoms of multiple sclerosis but a new study finds that it may actually halt progression of this degenerative disease.

“Recent clinical trials may indeed suggest that cannabis has some potential to relieve, pain, spasms and spasticity in MS. In addition, CB(1) and CB(2) cannabinoid receptor stimulation may also have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential as the endocannabinoid system controls the level of neurodegeneration that occurs as a result of the inflammatory insults. Therefore cannabinoids may not only offer symptom control but may also slow the neurodegenerative disease progression that ultimately leads to the accumulation of disability.“

This is very exciting news for those suffering with MS. Click here for the study.

THC Fights Hardened Arteries

September 12, 2008

Researchers in the cardiology division at the University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland have found that THC may help fight the hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis). They fed rats a fatty diet for eleven weeks designed to clog their arteries. During the last six-weeks they fed a portion of the rats a low dose of THC along with their fat laden foods.

They concluded that the rats who were given THC has fewer signs of atherosclerosis. The well known anti-inflammatory effects of THC were the likely culprit as inflammation has been shown to contribute to the hardening of arteries.

These findings were published in the April 7, 2005 edition of Nature - volume 434.

Study Finds Marijuana Increases Brain Cell Growth

September 11, 2008

Neuropsychiatrist Xia Zhang and a team of researchers from Memorial University of Newfoundland have found that compounds in marijuana may actually increase brain cell growth in the hippocampus. They injected rats with HU-210, which is a synthetic cannabinoid similar to a group of compounds found in cannabis. The rats treated with HU-210 on a regular basis displayed neurogenesis, which is the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus. This is great news for those suffering from depression as it has been hypothesized that insufficient brain cell growth in the hippocampus may be a trigger for the disease.

Click here for the study

Marijuana Slows Decline From Alzheimer’s

September 11, 2008

Researchers at Madrid’s Complutense University and the Cajal Institute published their findings that a synthetic cannabis like compound was successful in slowing the decline of Alzheimer’s.

They discovered that patients who died with Alzheimer’s had collected plaque deposits in their brains. The diseased tissue was found to have dramatically reduced cannabinoid receptors, which led the researchers to believe that they no longer experienced the cannabinoids protective effects.

They injected rats with an amyloid protein that forms Alzheimer’s plaques in the brain.

The rats who were given a dose of the cannabinoid showed better mental functioning and also reduced the inflammation in the brain, which is key to helping slow Alzheimer’s.

“These findings that cannabinoids work both to prevent inflammation and to protect the brain may set the stage for their use as a therapeutic approach for Alzheimer’s disease.” - Researcher Dr. Maria de Ceballos

Click here for the study

Two Studies Find that Cannabis Shrinks Tumors

September 11, 2008

Researchers in Madrid at Complutense University published an article in the March 2000 issue of Nature Medicine of their findings that THC showed anti-tumor properties. They first injected the brains of 45 rats with cancer cells, which produced brain tumors that they confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. They injected 15 of the rats with THC and 15 with a synthetic compound similar to THC (Win-55,212-2), while the remaining 15 were left untreated. All of the untreated rats died 12-18 after the cancer inoculation. The treatment was ineffective in three of the rats, while nine of the rats treated with THC lived 19-35 days and the tumors were completely eradicated in three. The rats treated with the synthetic compound displayed similar results.

This is actually not the first time that THC has shown anti-tumor activity. Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia were funded by the National Institute of Health in 1974 to find negative effects of cannabis on the immune system. The results, however, were that THC slowed the growth of lung, breast and a virus-induced leukemia in mice. The study was quickly shut down and in 1976 President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and gave exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies. Only one paper ever reported on this study, the Washington Post, on August 18, 1974. The headline was “Cancer Curb Studied” and partially read:

“The active chemical agent in marijuana curbs the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice and may also suppress the immunity reaction that causes rejection of organ transplants, a Medical College of Virginia team has discovered. The researchers found that THC slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent.”

Cannabinoids Show Potent Antibacterial Properties

September 11, 2008

The five major cannabinoids found in cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabigerol, cannabichromene and cannabinol) have shown potent antibacterial activity in a recent study at the University of London. There is currently an epidemic in London hospitals of a highly resistant strain of bacteria, S. aureus, which the cannabinoids showed promising activity in combatting.

Click here for the full study