Cannabis Reduces Inflammatory ‘Storms’ Caused By Covid-19

Medical cannabis
Post thumbnail

The study found cannabis may “tame” or reduce the severity of Covid-19.

In a study conducted by researchers at Pathway Research Inc., the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge, scientists used artificial human skin, technically a “well-established full-thickness human 3D skin artificial EpiDermFTTM tissue model.” The skin tissue model was exposed to UV rays to cause “induced inflammation.” The model was then treated with seven different cannabis strains to see the efficacy in reducing inflammation.

The study found cannabis may “tame” or reduce the severity of Covid-19. One of the main causes of severe Covid-19 that proceeds acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an influx of “pro-inflammatory cytokines,” which is also known as the “cytokine storm.” “Out of all cytokines, TNFα and IL-6 play crucial roles in cytokine storm pathogenesis and are likely responsible for the escalation in disease severity,” the study says. The treatment addition of cannabis extracts helps “curb inflammation and prevent fibrosis, and lead to disease remission.”

Dr. Igor Kovalchuk

One of the studies’ main researchers, University of Lethbridge’s Department of Biological Sciences’ Dr. Igor Kovalchuk, told me that his team has studied the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabis for years. Were they surprised by the findings? “Not at all,” says Kovalchuk. “Before Covid, we have studied the anti-inflammatory effect of over 100 cultivars (preselected from nearly 800), and identified couple dozen with strong potential, and even filed several patents on them for use with RA, MS, intestinal, and skin inflammation, and oral inflammation.”

Kovalchuk, a pioneering researcher in epigenetics, had an idea of the type of cannabis cultivars that presented the most anti-inflammatory efficacy before the study began. The researchers then selected strains that would likely work best, “based on many years of research.”

“As to specific chemicals, our analysis shows that CBD or THC alone do not have the same effect,” says Kovalchuck. “We strongly believe in the full-spectrum, entourage-based effects. Likely, there are secondary (minor cannabinoids) and terpenes that contribute, and we write in the paper, that one of such terpenes could be caryophyllene.”

Go Up