Cannabis extract (CBD) might be the opioid, ibuprofen or Aspirin replacement you’re looking for…
A groundbreaking study
has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant CBD-rich
medicinal cannabis extract as compared to synthetic, single-molecule
cannabidiol (CBD), Aspirin (non-steroid anti-inflammatory) or Tramadol (an
opioid pain medication).
“Our
data together with those of others provide legitimation to introduce a new
generation of phytopharmaceuticals to treat diseases that have hitherto been
treated using synthetic drugs alone,” the Israeli team reported.
This study leads the way for the use of whole plant CBD rich
medicinal cannabis as a combined pain-management and anti-inflammatory
treatment, and further confirms its superiority over single-molecule, synthetic
CBD only treatments, and as a replacement for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
(for example the NSAIDs: Aspirin, Nurofen, Voltaren) and addictive opioid
treatment regimes.
References: Ruth Gallily, Zhannah Yekhtin, Lumír Ondřej Hanuš, “Overcoming
the Bell-Shaped Dose-Response of Cannabidiol by Using Cannabis Extract Enriched
in Cannabidiol,” Pharmacology & Pharmacy (Feb. 2015),
Supplements, who really needs them?
You’ve probably heard a lot in
the press about the ineffectiveness of vitamin supplements. You’ve probably
also heard about ground-breaking studies showing the benefit of plant-based
extracts in the treatment of hard-to-manage conditions. Why do these reports
seem to contradict each other?
Well not all supplements are
equal, and their clinical use is difficult to patent and produce at standards
acceptable to the various regulatory bodies that govern medicines around the
world. While difficult, though, it is not impossible. Recently more research
has begun into therapeutic botanical extracts and better ways to produce them,
and the evidence is compelling.
Think of it like this: while
eating an apple a day is beneficial to health, taking synthetic versions of the
vitamins and minerals found in an apple might provide little or no benefit.
That’s because there are dozens if not hundreds of other molecules bound up in
that apple that help it to support human health, that aren’t in the supplement.
The rule of thumb is, if a
supplement is made of a whole-plant extract, and you can find peer-reviewed
studies to support it, then it’s probably going to help for the conditions
indicated in the study. If, however it’s a synthetic copy or just contains a
couple of the molecules found in the plant, then odds are it will just help you
to make extremely expensive urine. The other alternative, of course, is to simply
eat the apple.
