Philadelphia, PA: The administration of the non-psychotropic plant cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) ‘completely prevents’ the onset of nerve pain associated with chemotherapy treatment, according to preclinical data published in the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia.

Investigators at Temple University assessed the effect of CBD in an animal model of on paclitaxel-induced allodynia (pain resulting from an otherwise innocuous stimulus).

“We found that cannabidiol completely prevented the onset of the neuropathic, or nerve pain caused by the chemo drug Paclitaxel, which is used to treat breast cancer,” said the study’s lead investigator.

Researchers concluded, “Our preliminary findings therefore indicate that cannabidiol may … therefore be effective at preventing dose-limiting paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in humans.

Cannabidiol has been previously shown to inhibit breast cancer metastasis in preclinical settings.

In 2010, a series of FDA-approved clinical trials concluded that inhaled cannabis significantly reduces neuropathy compared to placebo in human subjects. “There is good evidence now that cannabinoids may be either an adjunct or a first-line treatment for … neuropathy,” researchers concluded.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol prevents the development of cold and mechanical allodynia in paclitaxel-treated female C57Bl6 mice,” appears in the October edition of journal Anesthesia and Analgesia.

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