No one can deny the fact that the landscape of medical marijuana is experiencing rapid expansion. Cannabis preparations have seen a lot of use in medicine for many years, and now, their therapeutic properties have generated a strong renaissance in scientific studies of the plant.

Most of the controlled clinical trials that render support for the medical use of cannabis or marijuana (as many people call it) were conducted with a single extract of cannabis sativa or with purified cannabinoids containing an equimolecular proportion of CBD and THC.

There is increasing evidence that shows cannabinoids found in marijuana slows the growth of cancer. The plant also prevents the ability of new blood cells to form and encourage the growth of a tumor, as well as helping in managing pain, nausea, fatigue, and other side effects. Today, medical marijuana has shown there is a close relationship with CBD oil and cancer, and many patients are willing to be part of this supplementary healing process.

CBD vs. THC

It is vital that we distinguish between CBD and THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is an active and very sensitive cannabinoid in cannabis, which causes someone to get “high” when you ingest or smoke it. But, as for CBD, the reverse is the case. CBD doesn’t intoxicate or causes a high in its users, and as a result of its non-intoxicating properties and promising medicinal benefits, CBD is also a recommendation for treating chronic pain and anxiety.

CBD for Cancer Treatment

CBD or cannabidiol is among a wide variety of cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, something that is gaining increase fame in the world of natural medicine. While there has been some debate regarding the effectiveness of CBD, many people suggest using it as part of cancer chemotherapy or such other cancer treatment. Reason is, the initial results that emanate from small studies performed on cancer cells are promising.

While these findings are not at all conclusive, experts believe that CBD may help in managing symptoms typical of cancer or its treatment.







CBD’s Complementary Therapeutic Potentials

There is mounting evidence suggesting that cannabis and CBD therapies may complement the treatment of cancer. It does this by helping people with cancer in:

Boosting Appetite

Many people living with cancer who are undergoing treatment usually experience cases of nausea and outright loss of appetite. Due to these symptoms, such persons can find it challenging to maintain a healthy weight.

Cannabis that is ingested to provide THC or CBD to the bloodstream can help to boost the victim’s appetite.

Alleviating Pain

Patients that have cancer and its treatment can experience pains because of the inflammation associated with the diseases. Also, nerve injury or pressure on the internal organs can also lead to serious pains in cancer patients. Severe pains induced by cancer and its treatments can make them resistant to opioids—powerful pain relievers.

But CBD works indirectly by affecting the CB2 receptors that can bring about far-reaching pain relief by way of reducing inflammation.

On the other hand, THC (the ‘high’ side of cannabis) can help in reducing nerve-damaging pain when ingested to work on the patient’s CB1 receptors.

Fighting Nausea

Cannabinoids such as CBD can also come handy for a person that suffers from cancer symptoms like nausea and repeated vomiting. Most notably, this is the case when use to ameliorate the side effect of cancer chemotherapy.

However, the most useful ability of cannabis to work against nausea for the cancer patient seems to come from the use of THC, compared to CBD. What this entails is that, if you are preparing to try cannabis in treating your cancer, be ready to feel the psychoactive effects of THC available in recommended marijuana products. Be sure that you discuss them with your doctor.

Many patients who suffer from these cancerous symptoms find help in consuming low prescription doses of THC.

How Factual Is The Claim For CBD Cancer Prevention?

The relationship between marijuana and cancer has received widespread reviews and studies. Many studies linking cannabis and cancer has been reviewed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), with mixed results in the research.

A dated study of 64,855 United States men discovered that the use of cannabis did not accelerate the risk of cancer caused by tobacco usage. But, the same study also found that men who use marijuana and never smoked tobacco had a slightly increased risk of contracting prostate cancer.

In a 2015 research, the authors found that there was a promising relationship between marijuana and cancer of the bladder. The result further discovers that people who used cannabis have a 45% lower risk of getting bladder cancer.

No doubt, findings have demonstrated that smoking cannabis produces carcinogens, but it is also a fact that the link between inhaled cannabis and cancer is not conclusive.

While there is no current extensive clinical trial investigating the usage of marijuana or cannabinoid for the treatment of cancer, small based-studies exist, but most of it is still in the early stages.

Researchers in 2016 that were looking into CBD oil and cancer found that there is a promising health potential of using cannabinoid to fight against cancer. The researchers discovered that when cannabinoid is used, it stalls the cells of different types of tumors in both animal models and test tubes.

However, the study also found that some types or dosage of cannabinoid might suppress the immune system, which in turn might allow tumors to develop unchecked.

Final Thought

While CBD and THC have shown a significant result in helping to tackle the symptoms of cancer, more research and in-depth findings are necessary to authenticate the possible relationship between marijuana and cancer.

CBD has proven to be a stable compound in helping to resolve some of the symptoms associated with cancer. But, we must also accept the fact that no scientific result has exclusively concluded that CBD can be an effective cancer solution.

Until more research are done, cannabinoids—whether CBD or THC—will continue to maintain their place in complementary treatment. Always ensure you talk to your doctor before embarking on the use of any cannabinoids.