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Therapeutic potential of cannabinoids: from health to disease

In summary, cannabinoids' history is intimately linked to human culture and medicine, having developed from their traditional ceremonial, recreational, and therapeutic applications to their status as a major study area with great promise. Even though these chemicals show great potential, there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding their underlying processes and best uses. To resolve these scientific ambiguities and fully realize the medicinal promise of cannabis, future research—including well-planned clinical trials—is crucial. With more research, cannabis could become an essential tool for the treatment and prevention of a wide array of health conditions.

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Articles of Interest

"The Cannabis Industry's Medical Pivot: Why Most Companies Are Already Ten Years Behind."

The federal decision to move cannabis to Schedule III is significant because it finally acknowledges the medical value of cannabinoids and reduces regulatory barriers that previously slowed research. However, rescheduling does not replace the FDA approval process. Any cannabinoid therapy seeking nationwide prescription use must still pass through the same rigorous clinical pathway required of every other pharmaceutical drug.

'Mother of all cannabinoids': anti-seizure compounds found in cannabis

Acidic cannabinoids are the cannabinoids that are biosynthesised in the plant and are found in artisanal cannabis extracts used to treat children with epilepsy. One of these cannabinoids, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), is the “mother of all cannabinoids”, Associate Professor Arnold said, as it is the precursor molecule to the creation of better-known cannabinoids, like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). “The cannabinoid acids are abundant in cannabis but have received much less scientific attention. We are just beginning to understand their therapeutic potential,” Associate Professor Arnold said.

Cannabinoid Therapeutics: What's Hot

These are exciting times for cannabinoid researchers inspired by the purpose of using scientific knowledge to foster medical innovation. The understanding of Cannabis and cannabinoids as a potential medicinal tool is being consolidated.

Cannabinoid Therapies in Less-Common Disorders: Clinical Evidence and Formulation Strategies

Cannabinoids are increasingly recognised for their therapeutic potential beyond well-established indications such as chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and specific epileptic syndromes. Recent advances have highlighted their possible role in less-common or orphan diseases, opening new avenues for pharmaceutical research and clinical application.

Cannabinoid-Based Therapies for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Cannabinoid-based therapies have been studied extensively for their potential to alleviate multiple symptoms associated with MS. Spasticity is one of the most prevalent and debilitating symptoms of MS. There is a robust body of clinical trial evidence that supports the use of cannabinoids to treat spasticity. On this basis Dronabinol (Marinol) was approved for treatment of MS spasticity in 1985. More recently, Nabiximols (Sativex), a 1:1 THC: CBD oromucosal spray, is approved in over 20 countries for treatment-resistant spasticity and has been clinically proven to improve spasticity in MS patients.

Cannabinoids: Therapeutic Use in Clinical Practice

Medical case reports suggest that cannabinoids extracted from Cannabis sativa have therapeutic effects; however, the therapeutic employment is limited due to the psychotropic effect of its major component, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The new scientific discoveries related to the endocannabinoid system, including new receptors, ligands, and mediators, allowed the development of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of several pathological disorders minimizing the undesirable psychotropic effects of some constituents of this plant.

Cannabis Medical Benefits and Risks: What Research Says About Its Health Effects

Cannabis medical benefits have gained increasing attention as medical marijuana laws expand and research into cannabinoid compounds grows. Interest in the health effects of cannabis often centers on its potential for chronic pain cannabis treatment, epilepsy CBD therapy, and symptom relief for certain neurological conditions. However, cannabis risks such as cognitive impairment, dependency, and THC psychosis risk continue to raise concerns among healthcare professionals and researchers.

Cannabis Researchers Seek to Unlock the Healing Power of Pot

Cannabis contains dozens of rare and intriguing compounds, but they haven’t been easy or cheap to produce. That is changing.

Cannabis Therapy: 10 Facts You Should Know Before You Start

While many advocates discuss how cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, there are many herbs and flowers that have been used in the past that we no longer use today due to toxicity or lack of efficacy. Based on sound modern scientific research, today, cannabis is prescribed for various conditions such as chronic pain, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, and PTSD. However, its safety and effectiveness vary depending on the individual, the condition being treated, dose, timing, and other factors.

Evidence lacking for medical cannabis in most conditions

Review finds limited support for cannabis as a medical treatment, except for certain conditions such as pediatric seizures and chemotherapy side effects.

People produce endocannabinoids – similar to compounds found in marijuana – that are critical to many bodily functions

The similarity of endocannabinoids to THC, and their importance in maintaining human health, have raised significant interest among scientists to further study their role in health and disease, and potentially use them as therapeutic targets to treat human diseases. THC was first identified in 1964, and is just one of more than 100 compounds found in marijuana that are called cannabinoids.

Why synthetic pot could be the future of pain relief

The drug is called FUBINACA, and it’s what’s known as a synthetic cannabinoid, a molecule designed in a lab to target the same parts of the nervous system affected by tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. Underground chemists have been making drugs like it since the early 2000s, when recreational marijuana was still criminalized in the United States and synthetic cannabinoids began catching on as cheap, quasi-legal alternatives.

Resources

The Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics

The Lambert Initiative was created when Barry and Joy Lambert made a $33.7 million donation for research into the therapeutic use of medicinal cannabis. The Lambert initiative is an Australian first in the field of medicinal cannabinoids. We are targeting a range of conditions including paediatric epilepsy, cancer, chronic pain, obesity, neurological, and mental health disorders. Our aim is to optimise safe and effective cannabinoid therapeutics into mainstream medicine in Australia and beyond to deliver long overdue benefits for patients and to alleviate suffering.