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TIt has been the year of medical cannabis hit the general public. The government announced that it was relaxing the laws governing the prescription of cannabis-based drugs by doctors, following high-profile cases like that of Billy Caldwell, the 13-year-old boy hospitalized following an epileptic seizure after being denied legal access to the cannabis oil that helps control them. Meanwhile, a new generation of cannabis-based drugs has proved very promising (both anecdotally and in early clinical trials) in the treatment of a range of diseases, ranging from anxiety to psychosis and epilepsy going through pain, inflammation and acne. And you do not need to get screwed to enjoy the health benefits.
Caldwell's medicine was illegal because it contained THC, the psychoactive compound that smoked socks. However, new treatments under development use a less intrusive cannabinoid called CBD (or cannabidiol).
Natural, legal and without major side effects (so far), the CBD is the dream of the marketer. Health products made from hemp go to the left, right and center, and research is in its infancy. In addition to the unmanageable CBD (also sold as hemp or cannabis oils or capsules), the compound has become a buzzword among premium skin care brands such as CBD of London. Predictably, Gwyneth Paltrow is a proponent of the trend and said that taking CBD oil would help her get through tough times: "That does not make you defiant or anything, but a little relaxed, "she told a beauty website.
Meanwhile, so-called CBD-infused wellness drinks are gaining popularity. The first in Britain was launched by Botanic Lab, promoted as "different Dutch courage". Beverage giants Coca-Cola, Molson's Coors Brewing Company and Diageo are all planning to launch their own version, while British breweries such as Cloud 9 Brewing and Stockton Brewing Company offer beers laced with cannabis oil, and mixologists prepare their cocktails with CBD Mellowness. The marshmallow maker, The Marshmallowist, added a CBD oil flavor to his menu, promising that "you feel the effects immediately after eating," without specifying what might be the effects.
While THC can make you nervous, CBD does the opposite. In fact, when used in combination, CBD can mitigate the negative effects of THC. Unsurprisingly, there are not many CBDs in recreational cannabis varieties such as purple haze or wild Afghan; it is much richer in hemp plants.
Any of these CBD products do good (or bad) to anyone's questionable. "Cannabidiol is the new drug most in demand in the field of mental health because the appropriate clinical trials suggest that it has clinical effects," says Philip McGuire, professor of psychiatry and cognitive neuroscience at King's College London . "This is the new treatment No. 1 that interests us. But even if the news is talking about it, there is not much evidence yet. "Large, long-term studies are needed; a 2017 review article on the safety profile of the CBD concluded that "important toxicological endpoints still need to be studied; for example, if CBD has an effect on hormones ".
McGuire does not advise buying CBD products. It must be made the difference, he says, between the extremely high doses of pure pharmaceutical grade CBD that participants in the handful of successful studies have been administered and the dietary supplements available over the counter or online. "These may contain very small amounts of CBD that may not have enough concentration to have effects," he says. "It's the difference between a nutraceutical and a pharmaceutical product." These supplements are not allowed to claim any effect. "If you make sports creams or drinks with CBD, you can say whatever you want until you say it. will to do this or that, "he says.
Two cannabis-based pharmaceutical drugs, manufactured in the UK, are permitted on prescription, but only for very specific uses. Sativex has been available in the UK since 2010 and uses THC and CBD to treat spasticity in multiple sclerosis. In addition, a new drug containing only CBD, Epidiolex, was approved in June in the United States to treat rare epilepsy in children, a similar decision being imminently expected for Europe and the United States. United Kingdom.
According to Mr. McGuire, another source of concern about non-pharmaceutical products is that people try them out and find, "It does not seem to work." They also have side effects due to another ingredient because if you buy an oil or cannabis product, it will contain all kinds of other things that can have different effects. "
Just read the comments on a CBD product on the Holland & Barrett website to see how much anecdotal reports can not be trusted. More than 100 customers gave Jacob Hooy CBD + Oil five stars, with a few saying they always noticed if they missed a dose (this probably made them less relaxed, even if they did not reveal not how they were caught), while 93 people gave a star, saying that he did nothing, or was too weak. A couple even said that it gave them palpitations and a sleepless night. All these people had different conditions, expectations and situations. "And, says McGuire, you must remember that no matter what may have a placebo effect." While it seems unlikely that the recommended doses of these products will do the least harm, Mr. McGuire assumes that the doses are so small "that it is homeopathy – it will do nothing at all".
McGuire published his own study in August, in which CBD was shown to reduce psychotic episodes in people with schizophrenia. The daily dose was 1,000 mg of pure CBD. And a study in which CBD seemed to ease anxiety, published in Nature in 2011, administered a single dose of 600 mg, an hour and a half before forcing participants to speak in public. These higher doses contrast with those found, for example, in the Botanical Labs CBD drink. Rebekah Hall, the founder of the company, says her drink is for recreational rather than medicinal purposes and that "the amount of CBD per batch is constant and accurate at 2 mg per bottle". A daily dose of two hemp capsules manufactured by Nature's Plus contains 15 mg of mixed "plant cannabinoids" with no specific number of CBDs.
One of the strongest CBD nutraceutical oils is called Charlotte's Web, with a dose of 50 mg. Charlotte's Web is produced in Colorado by the Stanley Brothers, and is named after Charlotte Figi, a girl who became famous in the United States after her frequent seizures, caused by the rare Dravet syndrome, was significantly reduced when She started taking CBD oil at the age of five. The company also manufactures THC products and is very successful because it has just offered shares on the Canadian stock market, generating approximately $ 100 million.
"Among the many benefits that Charlotte's web customers enjoy are: a sense of calm and concentration; relief from daily stress; help recovery from exercise-induced inflammation; and support for healthy sleep cycles, "said co-founder Jesse Stanley. But he is obliged to specify that the product is a dietary supplement and that no clinical claim can be made.
He points out that the company's products are "whole plant extracts that include a variety of phytochemicals, not just CBD. These beneficial compounds include a range of phytocannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that work together. "This is not necessarily considered a bright spot by the researchers, McGuire saying," They are blocking the water. "However, Sativex is also a plant extract containing cannabinoids and substances." David Potter, chief botanist at GW Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug, says the evidence at the time the drug was developed "suggested a synergy between these ingredients. assets. "
The truth is that no one knows exactly what these molecules are doing to us. It is a question of first looking for the effects and going back to understand the mechanisms. "CBD could act on a number of issuer systems," says McGuire. "And it's not clear at 100% which ones are critical for anxiety, psychosis or schizophrenia. But [the antipsychotic effect] is a different mechanism from existing treatments, which is a big problem because existing treatments do not work. "
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