20 Uses of Cannabis as a Medicine

A small check of the history of cannabis as a medicine

The history of cannabis dates back as far as the third millennium BC, and probably way back according to archeological evidence. It has been used mostly to make ropes and fiber, and later as food and cannabis as a medicine, mostly because of its psychoactive properties, firstly for religious purposes, and not much later, for recreational use too.

The first historical writings come from China in the writings of Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, where it was described as medicine with psychoactive agents, and it was used as e remedy for treating rheumatic pain, gout, malaria, and insomnia. The plant later travels to India and from there it got to North Africa until it reached Europe around 500 AD.

In the Islamic world, the first restriction was implemented in the 14th century, of course, because of the effects it had on people, and in the modern world, it was firstly restricted before the beginning of the Second World War because allegedly it caused “violent behavior” and connected to several murders where the suspects were “under influence of cannabis” when they have committed the crime. A bunch of rubbish of course, because since the beginning of the latest century the whole world knows a lot about the true power of this plant, and the benefits you can get from it. The Netherlands became the first country to legalize cannabis, followed by Uruguay in 2015 and Canada in 2018, which both legalized recreational cannabis. Portugal even completely decriminalized the use of marijuana.

What are cannabis and marijuana?

Cannabis (Cannabis Sativa) is a species of the Cannabaceae family of plants; however, most people know it as hemp, marijuana, grass, and many more names. The famous properties of the plant come from the presence of THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), two of the many cannabinoids present in cannabis plant which have been proven to react with our endocannabinoid system affecting your overall health. The first component, THC, is responsible for the “high” effect and has psychoactive properties, while the second and many more other cannabinoids don’t have psychoactive properties, but still carry a lot of medical benefits.

When dried, the leaves and flowers of cannabis are known as marijuana, and they can be smoked or vaporized, or even added to edibles. The resins extracted from the plant, leaves, and flowers are known as hashish, while the fibers in the plant are cultivated as industrial hemp, and can be used in the textile industry, and lately much more in the medicine industry. Things got much more interesting when the pharmaceutical industry started extracting specific components of the whole plant to produce specific cannabinoids such as THC, CBD, CBN (cannabinol), CBG (cannabigerol), CBDL (Cannabidiol), and a combination of them, each one with unique properties and specific use as a remedy for different disease and conditions.

Medical benefits of cannabis

Medical benefits of cannabis as a medicine

Depending on the ratio of cannabinoids present in the plant, which depends on the strain of the cannabis plant (there is a huge choice of different strains), cannabis can be used to treat a wide array of diseases and conditions. Down below are the 20 most proven medical benefits of using cannabis.

1. Arthritis – cannabis as a medicine has been reported by many studies to reduce pain and inflammation, and also help sleeping better, and all these factors help patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Several hospitals gave their patients Sativex, a legal cannabis-based drug, and the results showed that after only two weeks the patients reported a significant reduction in pain and much better sleep, in comparison to placebo given patients.
2. Parkinson’s disease – a lot of patients suffering from this condition in Israel are successfully reducing pain and tremor only by using cannabis. Physicians have noticed an improvement of fine motor skills only minutes after taking cannabis, in any form, and that is why Israel has made medical cannabis legal, and a lot of researches are being conducted there supported by the Israeli government.
3. Cancer – Cannabidiol has been found by researchers to stop or slow the progress of cancer cells, stopping the spread of cancer. In 2007, researchers from the California Medical Center in San Francisco experimented with the effects of CBD on breast cancer patients and found that the cancer cells have been reduced, and there were less aggressive spreaders. A lot more research is needed to be done, but so far, the results are very promising, and not just with breast cancer, but also brain, lung, and pancreatic cancer too. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence of patients using cannabis to reduce the side-effects of chemo and radiotherapy, reducing nausea and sickness significantly.
4. Fibromyalgia – scientists from the University Medical Center in Leiden, Netherlands, found a correlation between fibromyalgia and deficiencies in the endocannabinoid system, and a lot of patients have tried cannabis to relieve the symptoms of this condition, reducing muscle pain and spasms. It is believed that endocannabinoid deficiencies cause muscle pain, and by taking cannabis the endocannabinoid system is stimulated to produce more endocannabinoids and reduce muscle pain, and in some cases even heal the condition!
5. Alzheimer’s prevention – A study from 2006 conducted at the Scripps Research Institute found that cannabis can prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s by slowing the formation of amyloid plaques simply by blocking the enzyme that creates them.
6. Neuropathic pain – cannabis can relieve the pain in a patient with neuropathic pain instantly, by activation of the CB1 and CB2 receptors in your endocannabinoid system. These receptors manage pain level, and while THC reduces pain, CBD lower inflammation, and the combo of these two help neuropathic pain patients instantly.
7. Glaucoma – cannabis reduces eye pressure, preventing further development of glaucoma. Since there is no cure for glaucoma, except maybe surgery, cannabis can lessen symptoms like headaches, nausea, and sleep disorders.
8. Epilepsy – THC present in cannabis controls epileptic seizures by binding the brain cells controlling excitability and regulating relaxation. A 2017 study conducted on 120 children suffering from Dravet’s Syndrome, a complex genetic mutation disorder where children have medication-resistant seizures and an unfortunate high death rate, showed that 40 % of the patients who took CBD halved the number of seizures, while 5% didn’t have any more seizures, compared to patients who took a placebo. All of the patients were on regular epilepsy medication at all times because there is not enough evidence that cannabis can be solely used as a medication!
9. Multiple sclerosis – there is a lot of anecdotal and some studies conducted that found that cannabis as a medicine can stop the neurological effects and muscle spasms that occurred in multiple sclerosis patients. This is due to the THC present in cannabis, which relieves pain instantly and bonds receptors in the nerves.
10. Crohn’s disease – this condition causes inflammatory bowel disorder, causing pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, and more, and cannabis reduces inflammation and helps with the symptoms. A study done in Israel showed that smoking cannabis eased the symptoms in 10 out of 11 patients, and completely reduced the symptoms in five of them.
11. Anxiety remedy – cannabis improves mood and in low doses acts as a mild sedative, thus reducing anxiety in patients. However, in larger doses anxiety patients might become paranoid at a certain moment, increasing anxiety by far!
12. Treat inflammatory bowel diseases – similar to Crohn’s disease, cannabis helps reduce inflammation in a similar manner, and patients feel symptom reduction in several seconds.
13. Sleep disorders – components in cannabis like CBD and CBN can help insomnia patients improve their sleep, especially reducing nightmares. This is because cannabis can interrupt the REM stage of sleeping, and this is the stage where nightmares occur. However, interrupting the REM stage might cause some other sleep disorder, or not getting enough sleep.
14. Improve symptoms of Lupus – some components in cannabis can improve your immune system, and since Lupus is a condition that causes your body to attack itself, it can help you deal better with Lupus. Cannabis also relieves pain and nausea, furthermore reducing the symptoms of this disorder.
15. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) – your endocannabinoid system produces components similar to THC that control fear and anxiety in your body.
16. ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is suffered by a surprising 5% of children and 3,5% of adults, and often it is manifested and followed by other symptoms as well, symptoms like anxiety, low self-esteem, frustration, chronic boredom, depression, substance abuse, problems at school or work. A German study from 2015 showed that from 30 patients with ADHD, all 30 felt a reduction in symptoms like improved concentration and reduced impulsivity after taking medical cannabis.
17. Hepatitis C side-effect relief – cannabis as a medicine eases the side-effects of Hepatitis C treatment, which causes severe side-effects like fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, depression, and many patients have stopped the treatment just because of the side-effect. A 2006 study published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology showed that 86 % of the patients smoking cannabis finished their whole treatment, contrary to only 28% who did not take cannabis at all. The reason was the ease of symptoms of the therapy.
18. Back pain – in states where medical cannabis is legalized people are successfully treating back pain and the symptoms from chronic pain like nausea and vomiting. Cannabis helps you reduce the pain level, helps you sleep better, rids you of all sorts of sedative and pain killer, and improves your quality of life overall!
19. Children autism – a lot of studies again conducted in Israel found that cannabis is safe and effective in treating ASD (autism spectrum disorder). The study was based on parents’ testimonies of treating their children with cannabis oil, and the results were astonishing, showing 30% of patients have had significant improvement and 50 % of the patients showing moderate improvement. Only 15% showed slight or no change at all. However, please consult your doctor before giving your child cannabis!
20. Depression – the use of cannabis in treating depression is debatable at least. While some evidence shows that people can treat depression only with cannabis by improving mood and better sleep, other evidence shows that cannabis can worsen the condition to a more severe level. Expert consult is highly recommended if you decide to try this treatment because the THC and CBD ratio might be crucial in the course of your treatment.

How to use it?

There are many forms of cannabis, raw made from dried flower and leaves, usually smoked or vaped, or added to edibles (brownies, cookies, chocolate, and many more), or extracted in form of oil or tincture, which can be taken orally. There are also topical cannabis products that can be applied directly to a specified area of your body. Today most patients either use extract oil, made with a specific ratio of cannabinoids for a specific condition or disease, however, a large portion of patients are smoking it, and even more, vaping it. Vaping is a popular choice of taking cannabis as a medicine since it gives all of the good components to your body without the side-effects of smoking, which are well known to everybody.

Medical benefits of cannabis as a medicine

Depending of your condition, your doctor will probably give you a choice of different strains, or a mix to help you with your condition. States that have legalized cannabis for medical purposes have special clinics where they will determine the right strain and way of taking it for your specific condition or disease.

Possible side-effects?

Throughout all studies and researches, there are reports of possible side-effects when consuming cannabis, and they can range from low to severe, and almost all of them wear out in a couple of hours. Most reported side-effects are nausea, dizziness, concentration problems, possible paranoia, increased heart rate, and of course addiction (only in 9% of users). However, depending on the strain you are using, reports show that THC based cannabis causes more side-effects than CBD based cannabis!

Other things you should pay attention to is that cannabis as a medicine or recreation should not be taken while pregnant, especially smoking it, because of many obvious reasons, and simply because there are not enough studies on how safe it is for your baby, and how it might affect your baby brain development. Also if you have a family history with mental disorders you should first talk to an expert, because there is evidence that cannabis can fasten the onset of schizophrenia and also interacts with psychoactive medicines. And of course, don’t drive under influence, don’t babysit, and don’t do anything that can harm others around you!

References:

1. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine
2. http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/10171/20185584_TD0618186ENN_PDF.pdf
3. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq
4. https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/medical-marijuana-uses
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5312634/
6. https://www.cannabis-med.org/english/patients-use.htm
7. https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1141
8. https://www.medicinenet.com/medical_marijuana_medical_cannabis/article.htm#what_is_medical_marijuana_or_medical_cannabis
9. https://www.drugs.com/illicit/cannabis.html