CBD Cannabidiol For Crohn’s Disease
Cannabis for medicinal purposes has started to move into mainstream use, with many states in the US now having legalised its use. New research has shown that it is possible to harness the medicinal properties of cannabis to treat a number of conditions, and one of those medical problems is Crohn’s Disease. Large numbers of Crohn’s patients fail to find any relief from traditional pharmaceutical treatments and therefore they look for alternatives to relieve their ongoing pain. CBD is a nutrient, and considered a super food.
So is it really possible for cannabis to help Crohn’s sufferers?
What Is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s Disease is a form of IBD or Inflammatory Bowel Disease which results in long term irritation in the gastrointestinal tract, causing cramps and stomach pain. Crohn’s disease can occur in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the anus, stomach, esophagus, and even the mouth.
Crohn’s disease sufferers also have ongoing diarrhea as well as bleeding from the rectum, constipation and a host of other unpleasant effects in the GI tract. I t is surprisingly common disorder which can cause ongoing suffering. Surgery is usually an option once you have had the disease for some time. Surgery is the last thing a Crohn’s patient should be thinking about. Why not try alternatives instead of a bowel resection!
How Does CBD Treat The Condition?
Cannabis has been found to help in treating the symptoms associated with Crohn’s Disease and it is the CBD compound that it contains which has been found to be especially effective.
CBD is a type of cannabinoid which naturally occurs in the cannabis plant and which binds to receptors inside the human body to reduce pain and decrease swelling as well as affecting appetite, physical sensations and mood. CBD is able to help treat Crohn’s Disease by limiting the inflammation and pain association with this condition, ultimately making it easier for the sufferer to eat and maintain a healthy weight while still living a comfortable lifestyle. Crohn’s disease is easier to manage/treat with a good diet that includes Cannabidiol. As a Crohn’s patient for over 25 years, I would say to never let a doctor talk you into a Bowel resection…..
Scientific Evidence To Prove The Effectiveness Of CBD
While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of CBD in treating Crohn’s Disease, there is now also some scientific evidence based on research. A study carried out in 2012 followed 13 patients who had been diagnosed with irritable bowel disorder. Over a 3 month period, they were treated with smokeable cannabis and once the study was over, it was discovered that their quality of life had improved, with the patients having gained weight and boosted their BMI.
In 2013, further research was carried out during which cannabis was given to several patients who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. After an eight week course of treatment, cannabis was found to have produced significant benefits without causing any side effects. In the same year, another paper was published by researchers which concluded that sativa strains of cannabis had been proven to be efficient in treating inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohns.
In Conclusion
With the evidence from these recent studies (and studies found below), it seems clear that cannabis is effective in treating Crohn’s Disease, with most of the positive effects coming from CBD. When CBD connects with the cannabinoid receptors in the body it can help to regulate discomfort and pain while decreasing inflammation and boosting appetite. When all of these effects are combined, they result in Crohn’s patients being treated effectively and safely.
Since the medicinal use of cannabis has now been approved in so many places, further research will hopefully soon take place to offer even more confirmation of the effectiveness of the drug in treating Crohns Disease so that even more patients will be able to benefit from this safe yet powerful treatment.
Crohn’s, IBD and Colitis Disease Data
Cannabidiol in inflammatory bowel diseases: a brief overview.
Author information
Abstract
This mini review highlights the importance of cannabidiol (CBD) as a promising drug for the therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Actual pharmacological treatments for IBD should be enlarged toward the search for low-toxicityand low-cost drugs that may be given alone or in combination with the conventional anti-IBD drugs to increase their efficacy in the therapy of relapsing forms of colitis. In the past, Cannabis preparations have been considered new promising pharmacological tools in view of their anti-inflammatory role in IBD as well as other gut disturbances. However, their use in the clinical therapy has been strongly limited by their psychotropic effects. CBD is a very promising compound since it shares the typical cannabinoid beneficial effects on gut lacking any psychotropic effects. For years, its activity has been enigmatic for gastroenterologists and pharmacologists, but now it is evident that this compound may interact at extra-cannabinoid system receptor sites, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma. This strategic interaction makes CBD as a potential candidate for the development of a new class of anti-IBD drugs.
Copyright ? 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- PMID:
- 22815234
- DOI:
- 10.1002/ptr.4781
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Cannabis finds its way into treatment of Crohn’s disease.
Author information
In ancient medicine, cannabis has been widely used to cure disturbances and inflammation of the bowel. A recent clinical study now shows that the medicinal plant Cannabis sativa has lived up to expectations and proved to be highly efficient in cases of inflammatory bowel diseases. In a prospective placebo-controlled study, it has been shown what has been largely anticipated from anecdotal reports, i.e. that cannabis produces significant clinical benefits in patients with Crohn’s disease. The mechanisms involved are not yet clear but most likely include peripheral actions on cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2, and may also include central actions.
? 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.
- PMID:
- 24356243
- PMCID:
- PMC4076530
- DOI:
- 10.1159/000356512
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Cannabidiol reduces intestinal inflammation through the control of neuroimmune axis.
Author information
Enteric glial cells (EGC) actively mediate acute and chronic inflammation in the gut; EGC proliferate and release neurotrophins, growth factors, and pro-inflammatory cytokines which, in turn, may amplify the immune response, representing a very important link between the nervous and immune systems in the intestine. Cannabidiol (CBD) is an interesting compound because of its ability to control reactive gliosis in the CNS, without any unwanted psychotropic effects. Therefore the rationale of our study was to investigate the effect of CBD on intestinal biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and from intestinal segments of mice with LPS-induced intestinal inflammation. CBD markedly counteracted reactive enteric gliosis in LPS-mice trough the massive reduction of astroglial signalling neurotrophin S100B. Histological, biochemical and immunohistochemical data demonstrated that S100B decrease was associated with a considerable decrease in mast cell and macrophages in the intestine of LPS-treated mice after CBD treatment. Moreover the treatment of LPS-mice with CBD reduced TNF-a expression and the presence of cleaved caspase-3. Similar results were obtained in ex vivo cultured human derived colonic biopsies. In biopsies of UC patients, both during active inflammation and in remission stimulated with LPS+INF-?, an increased glial cell activation and intestinal damage were evidenced. CBD reduced the expression of S100B and iNOS proteins in the human biopsies confirming its well documented effect in septic mice. The activity of CBD is, at least partly, mediated via the selective PPAR-gamma receptor pathway. CBD targets enteric reactive gliosis, counteracts the inflammatory environment induced by LPS in mice and in human colonic cultures derived from UC patients. These actions lead to a reduction of intestinal damage mediated by PPARgamma receptor pathway. Our results therefore indicate that CBD indeed unravels a new therapeutic strategy to treat inflammatory bowel diseases.
- PMID:
- 22163000
- PMCID:
- PMC3232190
- DOI:
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0028159
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, is protective in a murine model of colitis.
Author information
Inflammatory bowel disease affects millions of individuals; nevertheless, pharmacological treatment is disappointingly unsatisfactory. Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of marijuana, exerts pharmacological effects (e.g., antioxidant) and mechanisms (e.g., inhibition of endocannabinoids enzymatic degradation) potentially beneficial for the inflamed gut. Thus, we investigated the effect of cannabidiol in a murine model of colitis. Colitis was induced in mice by intracolonic administration of dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. Inflammation was assessed both macroscopically and histologically. In the inflamed colon, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were evaluated by Western blot, interleukin-1beta and interleukin-10 by ELISA, and endocannabinoids by isotope dilution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Human colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells were used to evaluate the effect of cannabidiol on oxidative stress. Cannabidiol reduced colon injury, inducible iNOS (but not cyclooxygenase-2) expression, and interleukin-1beta, interleukin-10, and endocannabinoid changes associated with 2,4,6-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid administration. In Caco-2 cells, cannabidiol reduced reactive oxygen species production and lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, cannabidiol, a likely safe compound, prevents experimental colitis in mice.
- PMID:
- 19690824
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s00109-009-0512-x
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
The effects of Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol alone and in combination on damage, inflammation and in vitro motility disturbances in rat colitis.
Author information
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Cannabis is taken as self-medication by patients with inflammatory bowel disease for symptomatic relief. Cannabinoid receptor agonists decrease inflammation in animal models of colitis, but their effects on the disturbed motility is not known. (-)-Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to interact with Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in behavioural studies, but it remains to be established if these cannabinoids interact in vivo in inflammatory disorders. Therefore the effects of CBD and THC alone and in combination were investigated in a model of colitis.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:
The 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) model of acute colitis in rats was used to assess damage, inflammation (myeloperoxidase activity) and in vitro colonic motility. Sulphasalazine was used as an active control drug.
KEY RESULTS:
Sulphasalazine, THC and CBD proved beneficial in this model of colitis with the dose-response relationship for the phytocannabinoids showing a bell-shaped pattern on the majority of parameters (optimal THC and CBD dose, 10 mg.kg(-1)). THC was the most effective drug. The effects of these phytocannabinoids were additive, and CBD increased some effects of an ineffective THC dose to the level of an effective one. THC alone and in combination with CBD protected cholinergic nerves whereas sulphasalazine did not.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS:
In this model of colitis, THC and CBD not only reduced inflammation but also lowered the occurrence of functional disturbances. Moreover the combination of CBD and THC could be beneficial therapeutically, via additive or potentiating effects.
- PMID:
- 20590574
- PMCID:
- PMC2931570
- DOI:
- 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00791.x
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Topical and systemic cannabidiol improves trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid colitis in mice.
Author information
BACKGROUND/AIMS:
Compounds of Cannabis sativa are known to exert anti-inflammatory properties, some of them without inducing psychotropic side effects. Cannabidiol (CBD) is such a side effect-free phytocannabinoid that improves chemically induced colitis in rodents when given intraperitoneally. Here, we tested the possibility whether rectal and oral application of CBD would also ameliorate colonic inflammation, as these routes of application may represent a more appropriate way for delivering drugs in human colitis.
METHODS:
Colitis was induced in CD1 mice by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. Individual groups were either treated with CBD intraperitoneally (10 mg/kg), orally (20 mg/kg) or intrarectally (20 mg/kg). Colitis was evaluated by macroscopic scoring, histopathology and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) assay.
RESULTS:
Intraperitoneal treatment of mice with CBD led to improvement of colonic inflammation. Intrarectal treatment with CBD also led to a significant improvement of disease parameters and to a decrease in MPO activity while oral treatment, using the same dose as per rectum, had no ameliorating effect on colitis.
CONCLUSION:
The data of this study indicate that in addition to intraperitoneal application, intrarectal delivery of cannabinoids may represent a useful therapeutic administration route for the treatment of colonic inflammation.
Copyright ? 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.
- PMID:
- 22414698
- PMCID:
- PMC3668621
- DOI:
- 10.1159/000336871
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Cannabinoids and the gut: new developments and emerging concepts.
Author information
Cannabis has been used to treat gastrointestinal (GI) conditions that range from enteric infections and inflammatory conditions to disorders of motility, emesis and abdominal pain. The mechanistic basis of these treatments emerged after the discovery of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol as the major constituent of Cannabis. Further progress was made when the receptors for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol were identified as part of an endocannabinoid system, that consists of specific cannabinoid receptors, endogenous ligands and their biosynthetic and degradative enzymes. Anatomical, physiological and pharmacological studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is widely distributed throughout the gut, with regional variation and organ-specific actions. It is involved in the regulation of food intake, nausea and emesis, gastric secretion and gastroprotection, GI motility, ion transport, visceral sensation, intestinal inflammation and cell proliferation in the gut. Cellular targets have been defined that include the enteric nervous system, epithelial and immune cells. Molecular targets of the endocannabinoid system include, in addition to the cannabinoid receptors, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 receptors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha receptors and the orphan G-protein coupled receptors, GPR55 and GPR119. Pharmacological agents that act on these targets have been shown in preclinical models to have therapeutic potential. Here, we discuss cannabinoid receptors and their localization in the gut, the proteins involved in endocannabinoid synthesis and degradation and the presence of endocannabinoids in the gut in health and disease. We focus on the pharmacological actions of cannabinoids in relation to GI disorders, highlighting recent data on genetic mutations in the endocannabinoid system in GI disease.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
- PMID:
- 20117132
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2009.12.005
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract.
Author information
In the past centuries, different preparations of marijuana have been used for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as GI pain, gastroenteritis and diarrhea. Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; the active component of marijuana), as well as endogenous and synthetic cannabinoids, exert their biological functions on the gastrointestinal tract by activating two types of cannabinoid receptors, cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1 receptor) and cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2 receptor). While CB1 receptors are located in the enteric nervous system and in sensory terminals of vagal and spinal neurons and regulate neurotransmitter release, CB2 receptors are mostly distributed in the immune system, with a role presently still difficult to establish. Under pathophysiological conditions, the endocannabinoid system conveys protection to the GI tract, eg from inflammation and abnormally high gastric and enteric secretion. For such protective activities, the endocannabinoid system may represent a new promising therapeutic target against different GI disorders, including frankly inflammatory bowel diseases (eg, Crohn’s disease), functional bowel diseases (eg, irritable bowel syndrome), and secretion- and motility-related disorders.
- PMID:
- 16751708
- [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Cannabinoids and gastrointestinal motility: animal and human studies.
Author information
The plant Cannabis has been known for centuries to be beneficial in a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, including emesis, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal pain. delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychotropic component of Cannabis, acts via at least two types of cannabinoid receptors, named CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are located primarily on central and peripheral neurons (including the enteric nervous system) where they modulate neurotransmitter release, whereas CB2 receptors are concerned with immune function, inflammation and pain. The discovery of endogenous ligands [i.e. anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG)] for these receptors indicates the presence of a functional endogenous cannabinoid system in the gastrointestinal tract. Anatomical and functional evidence suggests the presence of CB1 receptors in the myenteric plexus, which are associated with cholinergic neurons in a variety of species, including in humans. Activation of prejunctional CB1 receptors reduces excitatory enteric transmission (mainly cholinergic transmission) in different regions of the gastrointestinal tract. Consistently, in vivo studies have shown that cannabinoids reduce gastrointestinal transit in rodents through activation of CB1, but not CB2, receptors. However, in pathophysiological states, both CB1 and CB2 receptors could reduce the increase of intestinal motility induced by inflammatory stimuli. Cannabinoids also reduce gastrointestinal motility in randomized clinical trials. Overall, modulation of the gut endogenous cannabinoid system may provide a useful therapeutic target for disorders of gastrointestinal motility.