Hemp cbd oil cures cancer
There is increasing concern among healthcare communities about the misinformation online about using cannabis to cure cancer. We have characterized this online interest in using cannabis as a cancer treatment and the propagation of this information on social media. We classified news on social media about cannabis use in cancer as false, accurate, or irrelevant. We evaluated the cannabis-related social media activities of cancer organizations.
How Cannabis Oil Helps With Cancer Treatment and Kills Cancer Cells
The plant Cannabis sativa L. The endocannabinoid system ECS consists of receptors, endogenous ligands endocannabinoids and metabolizing enzymes, and plays an important role in different physiological and pathological processes. In cancer patients, cannabinoids have primarily been used as a part of palliative care to alleviate pain, relieve nausea and stimulate appetite. In addition, numerous cell culture and animal studies showed antitumor effects of cannabinoids in various cancer types.
Here we reviewed the literature on anticancer effects of plant-derived and synthetic cannabinoids, to better understand their mechanisms of action and role in cancer treatment. We also reviewed the current legislative updates on the use of cannabinoids for medical and therapeutic purposes, primarily in the EU countries. Understanding how cannabinoids are able to regulate essential cellular processes involved in tumorigenesis, such as progression through the cell cycle, cell proliferation and cell death, as well as the interactions between cannabinoids and the immune system, are crucial for improving existing and developing new therapeutic approaches for cancer patients.
The national legislation of the EU Member States defines the legal boundaries of permissible use of cannabinoids for medical and therapeutic purposes, however, these legislative guidelines may not be aligned with the current scientific knowledge.
The first discovered and most important source of cannabinoids was the plant Cannabis sativa L. The earliest archaeological evidence of cannabis medical use dates back to the Han Dynasty in ancient China, where it was recommended for rheumatic pain, constipation, disorders of the female reproductive tract, and malaria among other conditions.
In traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, cannabis was used to treat neurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and various infectious diseases [ 1 ]. In Western medicine, the use of cannabis was notably introduced by the work of William B. Cannabis was recognized as a medicine in the United States US Pharmacopoeia from , in the form of tinctures, extracts and resins.
However, in the beginning of the 20 th century, cannabis use decreased in Western medicine due to several reasons: increased use as a recreational drug, abuse potential, variability in the quality of herbal material, individual active compounds were not identified and alternative medications, with known efficacy, were introduced to treat the same symptoms [ 2 , 3 ].
In , as the result of many legal restrictions, cannabis was removed from the American Pharmacopoeia and considered to be in the same group as other illicit drugs [ 3 ].
Consequently, the exploration of medical uses of cannabis has been significantly slowed down for more than a half of century. In , a step forward was made with the inclusion of a monograph of Cannabis spp.
In recent years, cannabinoids have been extensively studied for their potential anticancer effects and symptom management in cancer patients [ 7 - 9 ].
One of the first studies describing antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids was published in [ 10 ]. Potential antitumor activity of plant-derived or phytocannabinoids, e.
In the s, the main components of the endocannabinoid system ECS were identified as follows: i two types of cannabinoid CB receptors, CB 1 and CB 2 receptor; ii two main endogenous ligands endocannabinoids in mammals, anandamide or N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine AEA and 2-arachidonoylglycerol 2-AG ; and iii endocannabinoid metabolic enzymes, fatty acid amide hydrolase FAAH and monoacylglycerol lipase MAG lipase. Subsequent studies demonstrated the important role of the ECS and endocannabinoids in different physiological and pathological processes, such the regulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system CNS , food intake, nociceptive signaling, analgesia, immunomodulation, inflammation, and cancer cell signaling [ 17 - 19 ].
In cancer patients, cannabinoids have primarily been used as a part of palliative care to alleviate pain, relieve nausea and stimulate appetite [ 8 , 20 ]. In addition, numerous cell culture and animal studies showed antitumor effects of cannabinoids and suggested new therapeutic opportunities for cancer patients [ 20 ]. However, recent research also emphasizes the importance of safety measures when using cannabinoids, since these compounds can potentially impair cognitive functions, especially in adolescents [ 21 ].
The aim of this article is to review the relevant literature on anticancer effects of plant-derived and synthetic cannabinoids, to increase our understanding of their potential mechanisms of action and possible role in cancer treatment. While CB 1 receptors are mainly located in the CNS and, to a lesser degree, in some peripheral tissues, CB 2 receptors are primarily expressed on the surface of immune cells [ 22 ].
Due to the low expression of CB 2 receptors in the CNS they represent a promising pharmacological target, as selective CB 2 ligands potentially would not have psychotropic effects [ 23 ]. It is important to note that cannabinoids may also exert their antitumor effects independent of the CB receptors, for example as demonstrated in human pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2 [ 27 ].
The biological role of the ECS in cancer pathophysiology is not completely clear [ 20 ] but most studies suggest that CB receptors and their endogenous ligands are upregulated in tumor tissue [ 28 , 29 , 31 , 34 - 39 , 41 , 48 ] and that the overexpression of ECS components i.
However, a tumor-suppressive role of ECS was also indicated by some studies, e. Moreover, experimental studies showed that the activation of CB receptors by cannabinoids is antitumorigenic in most cases, i. The effects of CB receptor over expression in selected human tumor cell lines are described in more detail in Table 1. By targeting the ECS, cannabinoids affect many essential cellular processes and signaling pathways which are crucial for tumor development [ 51 , 53 , 54 ]. For example, they can induce cell cycle arrest, promote apoptosis, and inhibit proliferation, migration and angiogenesis in tumor cells Figure 1 [ 53 , 54 ].
In addition to CB receptor-mediated CB 1 and CB 2 receptors cannabinoid effects, it appears that these processes can also be CB receptor-independent e. Moreover, it is expected that future studies will discover novel molecular targets of cannabinoids [ 53 ]. Example of different signaling pathways induced by cannabinoids in cancer cells [ 46 , 51 , 53 - 55 ]. By targeting the endocannabinoid system ECS , cannabinoids affect many essential cellular processes and signaling pathways which are crucial for tumor development.
For example, they can induce cell cycle arrest, promote apoptosis, and inhibit proliferation, migration and angiogenesis in tumor cells. The ability of plant-derived and synthetic cannabinoids to control cancer cell growth, invasion, and death has been demonstrated in numerous experimental studies using cancer cell lines and genetically engineered mouse models. Also, different types of cannabinoids may have different modes of action.
Better understanding of homo- or hetero-oligomerization of CB receptors, their interactions with lipid rafts for example, and mechanisms of selective G-protein coupling may clarify these differences [ 54 ].
Finally, because molecular changes are tumor-specific in most cases i. Phytocannabinoids are a group of C 21 terpenophenolic compounds predominately produced by the plants from the genus Cannabis. The highest content of cannabinoids is located in the flowering tops of the plant and small, young leaves around the flowers [ 56 ].
The most studied non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid is CBD which does not have psychotomimetic activity. Antitumor activity of selected plant-derived cannabinoids in different cancer cell lines. Plant-derived cannabinoids are approved only for some indications, but additionally have been used off-label. For example, a standardized alcoholic cannabis extract nabiximols, which has the THC: CBD ratio of and is available as an oromucosal spray, was approved in Germany for the treatment of moderate to severe refractory spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
Examples of off-label use of this medication are of chronic pain in several medical conditions and symptomatic treatment of selected neuropsychological disorders e. Nevertheless, tolerance to these side effects develops within a short time in almost all cases. Withdrawal symptoms are rarely observed in the therapeutic setting [ 60 ]. An exciting area of research is the technological improvement of existing pharmaceutical formulations, especially the development of new cannabis-based extracts.
Romano et al. Another study compared in vitro antioxidant activity and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes between ethanol and supercritical fluid SF extracts of dehulled hemp seed. SF extract exhibited higher radical scavenging activities compared to ethanol extract. Many studies were conducted in different cell lines with cannabis extracts or individual isolated compounds and the results are sometimes confounding, because efficient anticancer effects, such as decreased proliferation of cancer cells, activation of apoptosis, inhibition of cell migration and decreased tumor vascularization are mainly recorded in breast, prostate and glioma cancer cell lines.
In contrast, protumorigenic activity of natural cannabinoids, i. It appears that the balance between protumorigenic and antitumor effects of cannabinoids critically depends on their concentration, among other factors.
For example, Hart et al. The authors also emphasized that nanomolar concentrations of THC are more likely to be detected in the serum of patients after drug treatment [ 64 ].
Therefore, in cancer therapy, it is very important to consider the risk of acceleration of tumor growth due to the concentration-dependent proliferative potential of cannabinoids [ 64 ]. In addition to THC, CBD is another plant-derived cannabinoid that has been extensively studied for its potential antitumor effects [ 39 , 65 - 68 ].
In a panel of human prostate cancer cell lines, Sharma et al. Other studies showed that CBD preferentially inhibited the survival of breast cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy [ 65 ] and inhibited proliferation and cell invasion in human glioma cell lines [ 66 ]. The expression of CB 1 and CB 2 receptors on immune cells suggests their important role in the regulation of the immune system.
Recently, it was demonstrated that the administration of THC into mice induced apoptosis in T cells and dendritic cells, leading to immunosuppression. Several studies suggested that cannabinoids are able to suppress inflammatory responses by downregulating cytokine and chemokine production and upregulating T-regulatory cells.
Similar results were obtained with endocannabinoids, i. For example, a treatment with THC in the mouse mammary carcinoma 4T1 expressing low levels of CB 1 and CB 2 led to enhanced growth of tumor and metastasis, due to the inhibition of the antitumor immune response, primarily via CB 2. Moreover, THC led to an increased production of IL-4 and IL in these mice, indicating that it suppresses the Th1 response by enhancing Th2-associated cytokines as confirmed by their microarray data Th2-related genes were upregulated and Th1-related genes downregulated.
Lastly, the injection of anti-IL-4 and anti-IL monoclonal antibodies partially reversed the THC-induced suppression of the immune response [ 70 ]. These findings suggest that THC could decrease tumor immunogenicity and promote tumor growth by inhibiting antitumor immunity, probably via CB 2 receptor-mediated, cytokine-dependent pathway. Additional studies on the interactions between cannabinoids and immune cells will provide crucial data to improve the efficacy and safety of cannabinoid therapy in oncology [ 72 ].
Similar to naturally occurring cannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoid agonists also demonstrated anticancer effects in certain cancer cell lines in vitro [ 17 , 75 ]. Recently, a subclass of compounds emerged that act on metabolic enzymes involved in the regulation of ECS activity, such as inhibitors of FAAH which increase the levels of endogenous cannabinoid AEA. They were developed with the purpose to treat a variety of neurological diseases, chronic pain, obesity, and cancer [ 76 ].
However, recently in France, the first-in-human phase I clinical trial of an experimental FAAH inhibitor BIA , for neuropathic pain treatment, ended up tragically; one person died and other four had irreversible brain damage [ 79 , 80 ].
The magnetic resonance imaging MRI showed evidence of deep cerebral hemorrhage and necrosis in the affected patients [ 79 ]. Thus, it could be speculated that the negative effects of BIA occurred because the drug may have interacted with a wrong and unexpected molecular target [ 79 ].
Nevertheless, no FAAH inhibitor is yet approved for therapeutic use. To summarize, the antitumor effects of synthetic cannabinoids such as the inhibition of cell growth, viability, proliferation and invasion, enhanced apoptosis, and suppression of specific proinflammatory cytokines are generally similar to the antitumor effects of plant-derived cannabinoids. Moreover, synthetic cannabinoids have the potential to be even more selective and potent than their natural counterparts and, thus, represent a promising therapeutic approach [ 73 , 74 ].
As the number of studies investigating the medical and therapeutic potential of cannabinoids has increased in recent years, it is necessary to change the legislation on the use, cultivation, and marketing of cannabinoids. This should, however, be done with extreme care.
In the Republic of Slovenia, the legislator made a significant progress in this area in , which will be elaborated below. In the EU Member States, the basis for developing and passing the legislation on cannabinoid use is provided by international conventions, including: i the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, [ 83 ] and the Protocol amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, ii the Convention on Psychotropic Substances [ 83 ], and iii the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances [ 83 ].
Nabilone is not controlled under international law [ 84 ]. This Directive also allowed the use of medicinal products for human use, intended to be placed on the market in the Member States and either prepared industrially or manufactured by a method involving an industrial process. This made cannabinoid-based medicinal products available in all the Member States, provided they are permitted by the national legislation [ 84 ]. In the Republic of Slovenia, illicit drugs including cannabis, are governed by the following regulations: i Production of and Trade in Illicit Drugs Act [ 86 ], ii Act Regulating the Prevention of the Use of Illicit Drugs and the Treatment of Drug Users [ 87 ], iii Criminal Code of the Republic of Slovenia [ 88 ], iv Decree on the classification of illicit drugs [ 89 ], v Rules on method and form of record-keeping and of reports on illicit drugs [ 90 ], and vi the Rules governing the procedures for the issue of licenses for illicit drugs marketing [ 91 ].
As previously mentioned, in the adoption of the Decree amending the Decree on the classification of illicit drugs [ 92 ] was made. This Decree removed cannabis from Schedule I and placed it under Schedule II, with the note that the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes is permitted in accordance with the Medicinal Products Act [ 93 ] and Pharmacy Services Act [ 94 ], and in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the prescribing of cannabinoid-based drugs.
The aforementioned amendment to the Decree on the classification of illicit drugs now allows patients to use medicinal cannabis as a means of treatment, including the cannabis plant and cannabis resin.
Medicinal products are thus not limited anymore to products containing nabilone or cannabis extracts, but also extend to tinctures adjusted and harmonized to deltaTHC, as long as they meet the conditions laid down in the Medicinal Products Act. Changes in the legislation on the use of cannabinoids for medical purposes and inclusion of these compounds in the list of medicinal products needs to be coordinated with the changes in both labor law and the regulation of workplace drug testing.
Naturally, any change should be adopted in strict agreement with work, health, and safety regulations and ensure smooth workflow for the employees. Cannabinoids are a large and important class of complex compounds that have a promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of variety of diseases, including cancer.
Wondering whether you should use CBD oil to cope with cancer treatment and its Can it really treat — or even cure — cancer or relieve its symptoms? Marijuana and hemp are both varieties of the cannabis sativa plant. THC is the active compound in cannabis that binds to the CB1 receptors and is responsible for mood, behavior, and other cerebral functions. On.
Berman, MD, and Mark S. The Grease star was originally diagnosed with breast cancer in , after finding a small, painful lump. She underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction, followed by chemotherapy. She also used complementary treatments , such as herbal supplements, acupuncture, meditation, and visualization.
We are a c 3 non-profit research and educational organization developing medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
A cancer survivor native, [name concealed due to privacy], from British Columbia, Canada has a story that most people cannot imagine. In May , the patient had a heart attack and afterward a double bypass surgery.
Cannabis, cannabinoids and cancer – the evidence so far
In this series we will address some of the most common myths and misperceptions that arise around cancer risk and treatment related to diet and natural health products, as well as other complementary therapies such as yoga, acupuncture and meditation. We hope you enjoy the series! Does Cannabis Cure Cancer? In cell cultures and animal models, cannabis-derived cannabinoids, particularly THC and cannabidiol, can have activity against some cancers but paradoxically also accelerate the growth of others. But none of these studies provide evidence that cannabis can cure cancer many drugs look great in cell cultures and animal models but fail in definitive clinical trials. There are two early phase clinical trials published, one of which suggests it is possible cannabinoids might help treat a very aggressive type of brain cancer with few side effects.
Olivia Newton-John's Stage 4 Cancer Cannabis Management
Please read our information about coronavirus and cancer alongside this page. If you have symptoms of cancer you should still contact your doctor and go to any appointments you have. Spotting cancer early means treatment is more likely to be successful. Read about coronavirus and cancer. Hi again. My dad is currently using manuka honey. I have also read about cannabis oil. Has anyone tried this and if so, would they recommend and where can you purchase it from? Many thanks. This question comes up a lot - both Manuka honey and Cannabis oil are pretty controversial, with sceptics saying they are quack remedies and supporters claiming they are miracle cures.
The plant Cannabis sativa L. The endocannabinoid system ECS consists of receptors, endogenous ligands endocannabinoids and metabolizing enzymes, and plays an important role in different physiological and pathological processes.
This cancer information summary provides an overview of the use of Cannabis and its components as a treatment for people with cancer-related symptoms caused by the disease itself or its treatment. Many of the medical and scientific terms used in this summary are hypertext linked at first use in each section to the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms , which is oriented toward nonexperts.
Cannabis Helped Heal My Cancer
We review and update this article as new research emerges. The last update was October , where we added more information about our cannabinoid research. This includes hemp oil, cannabis oil or the active chemicals found within the cannabis plant cannabinoids — whether natural or man-made. Many researchers worldwide are actively investigating cannabinoids, and Cancer Research UK is supporting some of this work. These studies use highly purified chemicals found in the cannabis plant, or lab-made versions of them, and there is genuine interest in these as potential cancer treatments. But this is very different to street-bought cannabis and hemp oil available online or on the high street, for which there is no evidence of any impact on cancer. Cannabis is still classified as a class B drug in the UK, meaning that it is illegal to possess or supply it. But we are supportive of properly conducted scientific research into cannabis and its derivatives that could benefit cancer patients. Unfortunately, there are many unreliable sources of information about cannabis, particularly online. This post contains up-to-date, evidence-based information on cannabis and cancer, so with lots to cover, this is a long article. Or read on for everything you need to know about cannabis and cancer. Cannabis has lots of names, including marijuana, pot, grass, weed, hemp, hashish or dope.
False News of a Cannabis Cancer Cure
But could this be true? And because we believe in the power of research, we dug into the science to answer some of the top questions you might have on cannabis and its effect on cancer. There is no evidence that CBD oil can be used to treat cancer in people. CBD does show promise for the management of some cancer related symptoms , including pain and anxiety, however, more research into appropriate amounts of CBD and its effects on humans is necessary. This is why research and regulated clinical trials are so important.
