From the Project CBD Archives:
Cannabis for Gastrointestinal Disorders
Excerpted from “Cannabis Is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD Are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain” by Bonni Goldstein, MD.
Gut Microbiota & the Endocannabinoid System
Scientific research shows that THC and CBD promote a healthy microbiome.
Cannabis May Effectively Treat Crohn’s
Ohio researchers found Crohn’s Disease symptoms were lower in patients using cannabis.
From the Project CBD Patient Survey:
See the full survey here.
366 survey respondents reported taking CBD for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases
71% Female | 26% Male | 3% Prefer not to say
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) was the most common GI condition among participants reporting that they were using CBD for GI diseases.
The majority of participants using CBD for GI disease also reported that they were using CBD for pain (73%), mood issues (66%), and sleep problems (62%).
This group was more likely than average to be taking CBD with or from cannabis (as opposed to hemp-derived CBD), meaning they were more likely to be using some THC with their CBD.
Types of GI Diseases:
Participants were asked to rate how CBD impacted nine common symptoms of GI diseases (see chart below), indicating whether the symptom was a “much better,” “little better,” “no change,” a “little worse,” or “lot worse.” CBD appeared to be most helpful with relieving abdominal cramps or pain, nausea or vomiting, and indigestion. Many participants also found it helpful for fatigue though a small percentage found CBD made them more tired. CBD appeared to be far less effective at helping people with GI diseases maintain a healthy weight.
Changes in Symptoms:
Scientific Research on CBD & Cannabis for GI Issues:
- CBD in inflammatory bowel diseases: a brief overview
- Cannabis finds its way into treatment of Crohn’s disease
- CBD reduces intestinal inflammation through the control of neuroimmune axis
- Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, is protective in a murine model of colitis
- The effects of Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD alone and in combination on damage, inflammation and in vitro motility disturbances in rat colitis
- Topical and systemic cannabidiol improves trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid colitis in mice
- Cannabinoids and the gut: New developments and emerging concepts
- Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract
- Cannabinoids and gastrointestinal motility: Animal and human studies
- Hergenrather presents study of Crohn’s patients as a template for clinical research on Cannabis
- Manipulation of the endocannabinoid system in colitis: A comprehensive review
- Low-dose cannabidiol is safe but not effective in the treatment for Crohn’s Disease, a randomized controlled trial
- Cannabidiol in inflammatory bowel diseases: A brief overview
- CBD reduces intestinal inflammation through the control of neuroimmune axis
- Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): Can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions?
- Cannabinoid actions at TRPV channels: Effects on TRPV3 and TRPV4 and their potential relevance to gastrointestinal inflammation
- Beneficial effect of the non-psychotropic plant cannabinoid cannabigerol on experimental inflammatory bowel disease
- Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract
- CBD and gastrointestinal motility
- The Role of the Endocannabinoid System in the Brain-Gut Axis
- Cannabinoids and GI disorders: Endogenous and exogenous