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Cannabis remedy resurrected

Channel 4 News

Friday 08 Jun 2007

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A cannabis folk remedy has been resurrected by scientists who found that
active ingredients in the drug reduce allergic reactions.

The research, conducted on mice, points the way towards new
cannabis-based treatments for irritated skin.

Extracts from the hemp plant were traditionally used to treat
inflammation and could be bought from chemists in the early part of the
20th century. But fears about the intoxicating effects of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that causes the cannabis
"high", led to a ban on sales in the 1930s.

The new research suggests that the herbalists who used cannabis
ointments to treat eczema knew what they were doing. Scientists now
believe that cannabis skin lotion, in a safe form too diluted to affect
the brain, could make a comeback.

The team from the University of Bonn in Germany stumbled on the
anti-inflammatory effect of THC while conducting a brain study on mice.

The animals were genetically engineered so they could not respond to
cannabinoids, either THC or its natural equivalents generated in the
brain. Unexpectedly, the skin around ear clips placed on the mice to
identify them became red and sore.

The scientists realised what this meant - that cannabinoids act like a
brake, preventing the immune system from running out of control and
triggering inflammation.

For 20 years scientists have known that the brain produces cannabinoids,
but it has not been clear why.

They appear to have psychological effects, and influence bone growth.
Another possible explanation now seems to be that they help regulate the
immune system.

The German scientists confirmed their suspicions by dabbing THC ointment
on the skin of mice exposed to allergens.

These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel
4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/health/cannabis+remedy+resurrected/551022

 

 

 

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