Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol Alone and in Combination with Standardized Bioflavonoid Composition

Symptom-alleviating therapies for osteoarthritis (OA) management are inadequate. Long-term application of first-line treatments, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is limited due to associated side effects. We believe that a combination of traditionally used botanical extracts, which have diverse active components that target multiple inflammatory pathways, may provide a safe and efficacious alternative to address the multifactorial nature of OA. Recently, cannabidiol (CBD), the major nonpsychoactive component of the hemp plant, has gained renewed global attention for its pharmacological actions. It has shown promise in reducing pain and inflammation in preclinical models of arthritis. In this study, widely employed inflammatory and noninflammatory animal pain models, such as the hot plate test, visceral pain model (writhing test), and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model, were utilized to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity of CBD alone and in combination with standardized bioflavonoid compositions.

Read more

Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Effects of Medicinal Cannabis Use in an Observational Trial

Arthritis and inflammatory conditions require effective therapies, but conventional drugs have side effects. This study explored Cannabis sativa L. essential oil (CSEO) as a safer alternative. A chemical characterization of EO conducted via GC/MS showed the presence of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (67.63%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (25.91%), and oxygenated monoterpenes (0.99%). The study used three established inflammation induction tests: xylene-induced ear swelling, carrageenan-induced paw inflammation, and inflammation in the paw induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant (CFA). Xylene triggered acute inflammation in the ear, while carrageenan-induced acute inflammatory responses through edema and immune-cell recruitment in the paw.

Read more

Antiarthritic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabis sativa Essential Oil in an Animal Model

Arthritis and inflammatory conditions require effective therapies, but conventional drugs have side effects. This study explored Cannabis sativa L. essential oil (CSEO) as a safer alternative. A chemical characterization of EO conducted via GC/MS showed the presence of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (67.63%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (25.91%), and oxygenated monoterpenes (0.99%). The study used three established inflammation induction tests: xylene-induced ear swelling, carrageenan-induced paw inflammation, and inflammation in the paw induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant (CFA). Xylene triggered acute inflammation in the ear, while carrageenan-induced acute inflammatory responses through edema and immune-cell recruitment in the paw.

Read more

An investigation of cannabis use for insomnia in depression and anxiety in a naturalistic sample

Little is known about cannabis use for insomnia in individuals with depression, anxiety, and comorbid depression and anxiety. To develop a better understanding of distinct profiles of cannabis use for insomnia management, a retrospective cohort study was conducted on a large naturalistic sample.

Read more

An initial analysis of the UK Medical Cannabis Registry: Outcomes analysis of first 129 patients

Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) are prescribed with increased frequency, despite a paucity of high-quality randomized controlled trials. The aim of this study is to analyze the early outcomes of the first series of patients prescribed CBMPs in the UK with respect to effects on health-related quality of life and clinical safety.

Read more

Alternative pain management via endocannabinoids in the time of the opioid epidemic: Peripheral neuromodulation and pharmacological interventions

The use of opioids in pain management is hampered by the emergence of analgesic tolerance, which leads to increased dosing and side effects, both of which have contributed to the opioid epidemic. One promising potential approach to limit opioid analgesic tolerance is activating the endocannabinoid system in the CNS, via activation of CB1 receptors in the descending pain inhibitory pathway. In this review, we first discuss preclinical and clinical evidence revealing the potential of pharmacological activation of CB1 receptors in modulating opioid tolerance, including activation by phytocannabinoids, synthetic CB1 receptor agonists, endocannabinoid degradation enzyme inhibitors, and recently discovered positive allosteric modulators of CB1 receptors.

Read more

Altered States or Much to Do About Nothing? A Study of When Cannabis Is Used in Relation to the Impact It Has on Performance

As more local, state, and national governments change laws regarding the legality of cannabis use, it is essential for organizations to understand how the workplace may be influenced by these changes. The current study begins to answer this question by examining the relationship between three temporal-based cannabis measures and five forms of workplace performance. Using data from 281 employees and their direct supervisors, our results indicate that cannabis use before and during work negatively relate to task performance, organization-aimed citizenship behaviors, and two forms of counterproductive work behaviors. At the same time, after-work cannabis use was not related (positively or negatively) to any form of performance as rated by the user’s direct supervisor. We discuss methodological, theoretical, and practical implications for researchers, organizations, and governmental agencies concerned with cannabis use.

Read more

Agitation, Oxidative Stress, and Cytokines in Alzheimer Disease: Biomarker Analyses From a Clinical Trial With Nabilone for Agitation

The endocannabinoid system has been a target of interest for agitation in Alzheimer disease (AD) because of potential behavioral effects and its potential impact on mechanisms implicated in AD such as oxidative stress (OS) and neuroinflammation. We explored whether serum markers of OS and neuroinflammation were associated with response to the cannabinoid nabilone in agitated patients with AD (N = 38). All participants were enrolled in a 14-week, double-blind, cross-over trial comparing nabilone to placebo (6 weeks each) with a 1-week washout between phases. Samples were collected at the start and end of each phase. The cross-sectional relationship agitation (Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory) and OS and inflammatory markers were investigated to select markers of interest. Significant markers were then explored for their relationship with response.

Read more

Adjunctive Transdermal Cannabidiol for Adults With Focal Epilepsy

Cannabidiol has shown efficacy in randomized clinical trials for drug-resistant epilepsy in specific syndromes that predominantly affect children. However, high-level evidence for the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol in the most common form of drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, focal epilepsy, is lacking.

Read more

Adding medical cannabis to standard analgesic treatment for fibromyalgia: a prospective observational study

To assess any clinical improvement attributable to the addition of medical cannabis treatment (MCT) to the stable (≥3 months) standard analgesic treatment of fibromyalgia (FM) patients, the retention rate and any changes in the concomitant analgesic therapy.

Read more

Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for chronic insomnia disorder (‘CANSLEEP’ trial): protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, proof-of-concept trial

Insomnia is a highly prevalent and costly condition that is associated with increased health risks and healthcare utilisation. Anecdotally, cannabis use is frequently reported by consumers to promote sleep. However, there is limited research on the effects of cannabis on sleep and daytime function in people with insomnia disorder using objective measures. This proof-of-concept study will evaluate the effects of a single dose of an oral cannabis-based medicine on sleep and daytime function in participants with chronic insomnia disorder.

Read more

A Systematic Review of Medical Cannabinoids Dosing in Human

This systematic review assesses currently available clinical information on which cannabinoids and what range of doses have been used to achieve positive effects in a diversity of medical context. The data were collected according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol guidelines. Inclusion criteria were articles that assessed administration of any cannabinoid to any clinical population, reported in the ClinicalTrials.gov or PubMed databases, that involved a comparison with other treatment or placebo and a result measurement to assess the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the cannabinoid.

Read more