Hemp Oil, CBD and Cancer Cell Death

10y
2m read
Summary

The International Medical Veritas Association (IMVA) recently placed hemp oil on a prioritized protocol list of anti-cancer medicines that are available without a prescription. It joins iodine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium chloride and selenium as over-the-counter remedies that can assist the human body by treating and possibly curing cancer. One of the most […]

The International Medical Veritas Association (IMVA) recently placed hemp oil on a prioritized protocol list of anti-cancer medicines that are available without a prescription. It joins iodine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium chloride and selenium as over-the-counter remedies that can assist the human body by treating and possibly curing cancer.

One of the most useful substances mankind has ever harnessed is hemp oil. It is a superfood with a unique ratio of omega fatty acids, and it has a higher concentration of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) than any other plant. Although hemp oil has been used for thousand of years for medicinal purposes, scientists have only recently started focusing on isolating the active substances that make it so effective. And it seems hemp oil is effective primarily because of cannabidiol (cbd).

In a study this year, CBD was found to improve the body’s immune system cytotoxicity (a measurement unit for the effect of medicines on the human body) and it’s effect on malignant cells. It was shown that it was capable of slowing the proliferation of human glioblastoma multiforme cells.[1]

And in 2011, during a study on in vitro breast cancer and CBD use, it was found that CBD could induce programmed cell death without regard to CB1, CB2 or vanilloid receptors. It was found to be a major tool in attacking both estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cell lines. Amazingly, it has little-to-no effect on healthy mammary cells.[2]

As humanity marches ever-closer to a post-antibiotic era, it’s important to note how cancer prevention could become just as important as a cure. Chemotherapy and radiation devastate white blood cell concentrations by negatively impacting bone marrow. Without effective antibiotics, chemotherapy becomes an even more difficult choice. Is it worth compromising a patient’s immune system to destroy cancer if it will leave them inordinately susceptible to catching a fatal case of pneumonia?

While we still have effective antibiotics, hemp oil’s use also provides treatment benefits for those opting for chemotherapy or radiation therapy. CBD was proven to increase appetite in rats and mice in 2006.[3] By providing a cancer patient with the ability to eat normally, they can fuel their body with the essential nutrients necessary for fighting a disease.

Hemp oil is an attractive alternative to traditional anti-cancer regimens because it presents itself as a cheap and home-grown remedy for many forms of cancer. And that begs the question: can we really afford to let a such a potentially powerful and accessible medicine remain prohibited? In my mind, it’s avenue of research that must be exhausted in humanity’s search for cancer cures.

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1. Nabissi M, Morelli MB, Santoni M, et al.: Triggering of the TRPV2 channel by cannabidiol sensitizes glioblastoma cells to cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. Carcinogenesis 34 (1): 48-57, 2013. [PUBMED Abstract]

2. Shrivastava A, Kuzontkoski PM, Groopman JE, et al.: Cannabidiol induces programmed cell death in breast cancer cells by coordinating the cross-talk between apoptosis and autophagy. Mol Cancer Ther 10 (7): 1161-72, 2011. [PUBMED Abstract]

3. Mechoulam R, Berry EM, Avraham Y, et al.: Endocannabinoids, feeding and suckling–from our perspective. Int J Obes (Lond) 30 (Suppl 1): S24-8, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]

4. National Toxicology Program .: NTP toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of 1-trans-delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (CAS No. 1972-08-3) in F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice (gavage studies). Natl Toxicol Program Tech Rep Ser 446 (): 1-317, 1996. [PUBMED Abstract]