Dec

5

Cannabis extracts may ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis

Filed Under News, Research 

If you’ve been following the medical marijuana debate, you may be interested in a new review of studies on the effects of cannabis extracts on the spasticity (involuntary muscle contractions) experienced by people with multiple sclerosis.

The studies that were reviewed specifically tested extracts containing two compounds derived from Cannabis sativa, used in combination. One was THC — the main active ingredient that gives the characteristic “high.” The other was cannabidiol, or CBD, which doesn’t give the same high and may act to lower levels of THC in the brain. (The reasoning, therefore, is that combining the two would give the anti-spastic effect in muscles while not fogging the brain.)

In an article published in the journal BMC Neurology, Shaheen E. Lakhan and Marie Rowland of the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation in Los Angeles examined six randomized, placebo-controlled studies. Though results from individual studies weren’t exactly the same, they did show that the extracts were generally well-tolerated, compared with placebo, though doses had sometimes to be adjusted.

read the rest via Cannabis extracts may ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times.

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