New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Cannabis pain relief without the 'high'

Mechanism of cannabidiol for safe pain relief without side effects

Date:
October 24, 2018
Source:
McGill University Health Centre
Summary:
In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical 'high' or euphoria produced by the THC.
Share:
FULL STORY

In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical "high" or euphoria produced by the THC. The findings of their study have been published in the journal PAIN (The Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain).

Cannabis indica and sativa are the two main cannabis strains that produce the pharmacological principles known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Dr. Gabriella Gobbi's team demonstrated that CBD does not act on the CB1 cannabinoid receptors like THC but through the mechanism that binds specific receptors involved in anxiety (serotonin 5-HT1A) and pain (vanilloid TRPV1). Researchers were able to extrapolate the exact dosage of CBD displaying analgesic and antianxiety properties without the risk of addiction and euphoria classically produced by the THC.

"We found in animal models of chronic pain that low doses of CBD administered for seven days alleviate both pain and anxiety, two symptoms often associated in neuropathic or chronic pain," says first author of the study Danilo De Gregorio, a post-doctoral fellow at McGill University in Dr. Gobbi's laboratory.

Lead author Dr. Gobbi, a researcher in the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program of the RI-MUHC, sees this as advancement for the evidence-based application of cannabis in medicine with CBD offering a safe alternative to THC and opioids for chronic pain, such as back pain, sciatica, diabetic, cancer and post-trauma pain.

"Our findings elucidate the mechanism of action of CBD and show that it can be used as medicine without the dangerous side effects of the THC," says Dr. Gobbi, who is also Professor of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and staff psychiatrist at the MUHC. "This research is a new advancement for an evidence-based application of cannabis in medicine."

Despite widespread public usage, little clinical studies exist on CBD, which became legal in Canada on October 17, 2018, following the passage of Canada's Cannabis Act.

"There is some data showing that CBD provides pain relief for humans but more robust clinical trials are needed ," says Dr. Gobbi, a recent grant recipient for her study of the pharmalogical effects of CBD.


Story Source:

Materials provided by McGill University Health Centre. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Danilo De Gregorio, Ryan J. McLaughlin, Luca Posa, Rafael Ochoa-Sanchez, Justine Enns, Martha Lopez-Canul, Matthew Aboud, Sabatino Maione, Stefano Comai, Gabriella Gobbi. Cannabidiol modulates serotonergic transmission and reverses both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in a model of neuropathic pain. PAIN, 2018; 1 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001386

Cite This Page:

McGill University Health Centre. "Cannabis pain relief without the 'high'." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 October 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181024163625.htm>.
McGill University Health Centre. (2018, October 24). Cannabis pain relief without the 'high'. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181024163625.htm
McGill University Health Centre. "Cannabis pain relief without the 'high'." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181024163625.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES