Inflammatory Bowel Disease comes in a few different forms – all of them are a major life challenge to those that suffer its symptoms! Pain, inflammation, nausea, weight loss, insomnia, diarrhea and general loss of appetite. Chron’s Disease is chronic in nature and can occur anywhere along the GI tract, but usually occurs at the end of the small intestine. In severe cases it can extend through the wall of the intestine. Even when in remission, people will often suffer relapses throughout their life. Ulcerative Colitis is similar, but is limited to the colon and rectum and the inflammation associated with it is more in the inner lining of the gut wall. It is not entirely understood WHY over 700,000 people suffer this condition (in the US), but we do believe that genetics, the immune system and the environment play a role. Research is now discovering that a possible link among these patients is a deficiency in their endocannabinoid system, which would explain why people often respond to cannabis treatment. Cannabis has been used to treat gastrointestinal (GI) conditions that range from enteric infections and inflammatory conditions to disorders of motility, emesis and abdominal pain. The basis of these treatments emerged after the discovery of Delta(9)-THC as the major constituent of Cannabis. Further progress was made when the receptors for Delta(9)-THC were identified as part of the endocannabinoid system, that consists of specific cannabinoid receptors, endogenous ligands and their biosynthetic and degradative enzymes. Anatomical, physiological and pharmacological studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is widely distributed throughout the gut, with regional variation and organ-specific actions. It is involved in the regulation of food intake, nausea and emesis, gastric secretion and gastroprotection, GI motility, ion transport, visceral sensation, intestinal inflammation and cell proliferation in the gut.
Although it would be nice for us to completely understand WHY properties of the cannabis plant are so useful, some people would rather use the plant, experience relief and understand why later. Understandable. A 2013 study in Israel revealed that 45% of human study subjects experienced “complete remission” of their Chron’s after 8 weeks of 115 mg/day of smoked THC (23% THC and 50% CBD). As in most of the cannabis studies, these participants had been unresponsive to conventional treatments. One speaker I listened to at the CannMed Conference, Amir Golan spoke of his personal experience with Chron’s and cannabis and is now in remission and in medical school. He is confident that medical students are now receiving more education about cannabis and will continue to do so. He mentioned that he used a 4:1 ratio of CBD:THC tincture.
Three important cannabinoids to familiarize yourself with are:
- THC – which activates CB1 and CB2 receptor sites in the gut and relieves the motility and inhibits secretions causing the inflammation.
- CBD – helps reduce the inflammation and discomfort in the gut. It also delivers an anti-bacterial effect that is important to combat frequent ‘opportunistic’ infections.
- THCa – the non-psychoactive precursor to THC. Known to provide significant medical efficacy in relief of pain and inflammation.
As I have mentioned, Mary’s Medicinals is a great company that offers many different forms of the various cannabinoids. There are multiple ways to ingest these byproducts. I am also just now becoming familiar with Dr. William Courtney, that is an MD in California that is a proponent of juicing and states that by juicing THCa, you can get the same benefits of THC without having to experience the psychoactive effects. There are many youtube videos about him if that peaks your interest.
In general, if you are going to start with a CBD rich tincture, begin with 2-10 mg / day and increase the dose gradually. Although inflammation relief can occur quickly, overall gut health will take some time to develop. Be patient. Experimenting with these products is ONE way to go, as usual I recommend consulting with a professional medical cannabis practitioner (listed under ‘conditions’). It will save you precious time and possibly money in the long run. 😉 Good luck and please comment below if you have an IBD story to share!
Exploring Medical Cannabis 