For thousands of years, the powerful biologically active compounds known as cannabinoids that are present within the hemp plant have been prized for their therapeutic and medicinal uses. And now the traditional healthcare industry is finally starting to investigate further how cannabinoids such as Cannabidiol (CBD) can be used as part of cancer treatments, especially when it comes to treating the symptoms traditionally linked with cancer.
“The science is there,” says Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a nationally recognized neurosurgeon, professor and TV personality. As Gupta has pointed out time and time again, CBD has shown very positive signs of helping patients with a wide range of ailments, including inflammation, anxiety, pain, seizures and neurodegenerative disorders. That would suggest a positive role for alleviating many of the symptoms of cancer.
Even more importantly, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) now suggests that CBD may play a powerful role in stopping the growth of cancerous cells and limiting their ability to reproduce. While noting that CBD oil is not a treatment in and of itself, the NCI does acknowledged that CBD oil can help to moderate inflammation, and perhaps even change how cancer cells reproduce, thereby limiting their ability to reproduce within the human body.
That being said, all of the testing and experimentation around CBD oil is still very much in the laboratory and pre-clinical stage. But the results have certainly been encouraging. For example, research currently cited on the NCI website notes that lab tests conducted on mice and rats have shown the ability of cannabinoids such as CBD to protect against tumors. Moreover, one in vitro study of CBD found that it might have the ability to limit the ability of breast cancer cells to reproduce. And a similar study using mice found that cannabinoids such as CBD could play a role in reducing the risk of colon cancer.
More testing will have to be conducted, however, before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially approves CBD oil as a treatment for cancer. For now, then, much of the focus around the health benefits of CBD oil will be on its ability to limit the symptoms of cancer and reduce the side effects of cancer treatments. As the National Cancer Institute points out, the potential benefits of CBD oil include pain relief, improved sleep, and reduced stress. It can also act as an appetite stimulus. This is great news for cancer patients everywhere, who now have a new option for dealing with cancer.
As the marijuana legalization movement grows within North America, and as more hemp-related products (such as CBD oil) become widely available to consumers, it’s easy to see how the impetus will grow for official clinical testing of CBD on cancer patients. If the same cancer-fighting ability of CBD is replicated in humans as in lab mice, that would mark a breakthrough for our ability to fight cancer. Imagine a future where the FDA finally approves CBD oil as a weapon in our battle to defeat cancer once and for all.
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