Autoimmune Disorders Could be Treated with Marijuana

Hemp drugs were introduced in western medicine in 1839 for their sedative, analgesic and antispasmodic properties. Various studies, conducted mostly prior to its national (US) prohibition in 1937, demonstrated a vast array of other therapeutic qualities: antidepressant, intraocular hypotensive, hypothermogenic, appetite stimulant, topical antibiotic, alcohol substitute. In recent years, certain studies have proved the effectiveness of hempseed oil in preventing heart diseases and relieving the side effects of chemotherapy, and there is also an increasing amount of evidence that marijuana can also treat various form of cancer and can even prevent the spreading of metastases. Moreover, a study published in 2013 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry provides evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may be beneficial for those suffering from autoimmune disorders.

Researchers from the University of South Carolina studied the effect that THC has on microRNA, a class of molecules that play an essential role in the regulation of gene expression. They analyzed 609 microRNAs, out of which 13 were proven to be highly influenced by the administration of THC. Among these 13 there was one microRNA that was particularly overexpressed in response to THC and this microRNA’s activity is related to the activation of certain cells that suppress inflammation. This, no doubt about it, is good news, but things are not so simple when you mess with cellular functions at this level. The role of microRNA is so fundamental to the biology of the cells and of the organism as a whole that these remarkable effects of marijuana may be “a double-edged sword”, leaving the body open and vulnerable to other diseases while healing its general inflammatory state.

Controversies

The main controversy around marijuana is this very compound mentioned above: THC, known for its analgesic properties and the effects of reducing nausea and stimulating the appetite (all of these being helpful for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy), is also what makes one feel “high” when consuming marijuana as a recreational drug and is the very reason it has been banned in the US and elsewhere.

But the controversy does not stop here. Even the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids contained in hempseed oil are subjects of debate. The general opinion is that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are the main factors of reducing the risk of heart disease, but there are also voices that advise against the consumption of hempseed oil. For example, Sally Fallon, founding president of Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education foundation, said in an article a few years ago that “diets containing an excess of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-6 fatty acids, have been linked not only to heart disease but also to cancer and autoimmune disease.”

So, what do we do? We can surely look forward to new studies that may shed light on these controversies and meanwhile consume hempseed oil in moderate quantities (omega-6 fatty acids are considered now to be safe when consumed as part of the diet in amounts between 5% and 10% of daily calories).