Boulder-based Real-Time Diagnostics Ventures Inc. is conducting a first-of-its kind study in the United States to assess the role of plant-derived hemp supplements containing CBD in recovery from traumatic brain injury.

The study grew from anecdotal evidence about improved pain relief and better sleep that some varieties of hemp strains are said to provide. It is sponsored by Boulder’s Flowering Hope Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the medicinal use of plant-derived cannabinoids, and Clover Leaf University, which works to create safety procedures and compliant business training programs specific to the cannabis industry.

“There are no studies for plant-derived cannabinoids for brain injuries,” said Don Cooper, principal investigator, co-founder and president of Real-Time Diagnostics Ventures Inc., who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Chicago Medical School. There is preclinical data showing that phytocannabinoids are neuroprotective and may help restore neuronal function after brain injury, Cooper said.

His simple observational study will evaluate adult subjects taking plant-derived cannabinoid supplements as they recover from brain injury.

The study will have two groups of 20 subjects, both ranging in age from 18- and 55-year-olds, each taking some kind of plant-derived cannabinoid supplements on a regular basis: one will be a test group of adults recovering from a brain injury and the other will be a control group of supplement users without brain injuries.

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