Photo via Medical News Today
As the global coronavirus pandemic continues, researchers are looking into alternative means of treatment for the virus, and the use of cannabidiol or CBD, a component found in cannabis, is one of them.
Interestingly enough, there have been several different ways researchers have suggested CBD might help, including its ability to reduce ACE2 expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine production to fight lung inflammation, and it’s potential as an antiviral.
Simply put, it seems CBD in cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties that could be used as a potential treatment for lung inflammation caused by the coronavirus.
To understand how this works, we must first know what ‘cytokine’ means, as mentioned earlier.
According to Forbes, in severe cases of COVID-19, the body's immune system overreacts and releases too many cytokines, which normally help to create inflammation to fight off infections.
Thus, the patient could experience excessive inflammation, high fever, severe fatigue and nausea, and in serious cases, it can lead to death through organ failure.
Photo via ISHN
Earlier studies already found that CBD helps reduce the production of cytokines, while it has also been proven that several cannabinoids in the cannabis plant have anti-inflammatory properties.
This new research itself was first performed on mice, which were artificially induced with symptoms similar to what we see in severe cases of COVID-19.
The results showed just how powerful CBD can be, as these symptoms were either totally or partially reversed, and the mice bounced back to normal after the treatment.
The mice also had increases in lymphocyte levels in their blood, which are important white blood cells for fighting off infections.
While this all sounds promising, the research is still in its early stages, and it’s going to take some time before the test can be conducted on humans.
However, this study does give some hope that CBD in cannabis might eventually be harnessed as an active treatment for COVID-19.
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
