Cannabis and Coronavirus? We have written this content to demystify this issue and ensure that no one is smoking weed thinking they are getting immune to the coronavirus. Let’s dive into this theme together!
In this period of global pandemic, we are flooded with new information all the time, and it is hard to filter what is true and what is not. In the past few days, for example, we have seen an increase in the number of people asking, “Can smoking cannabis cure the coronavirus?” due to the dissemination of some research on the subject. Our goal here is reviewing the newest studies that are being done in universities and hospitals in Canada and Israel.
We will advance here, right away, so that there is no doubt: it is not the act of smoking weed that can be a weapon against COVID-19.
Studies related to cannabis are investigating how some specific isolated components can act in the body as allies to fight the disease. This means that cannabis tmay be able to block COVID-19 infections, but not that smoking your regular joint will make you immune.
Put on your mask, put an alcohol gel on that hand, and let’s go to the explanations:
Studies in progress in Canada with CBD
As we mentioned there at the beginning, there is two ongoing research on specific properties of cannabis that can help treat and fight the coronavirus. One takes place at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. You may have heard of the French study that investigates the action of nicotine as a blocking agent of COVID-19 in cells. According to Canadian preliminary research, certain strains of cannabis may also increase resistance to coronavirus. If the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, can be verified, it appears that marijuana works in a similar way to nicotine.
As with research into the effect of nicotine on the coronavirus, it is believed that some types of cannabis can reduce the virus’s ability to enter the lungs, the organ where it lodges, reproduces and spreads. In the unreviewed article, professor of biological sciences dr. Igor Kovalchuck and colleagues write that their specially developed cannabis species effectively prevent the virus from entering the human body.
In other words: it is not cannabis that we have access here in Brazil.
Canadian researchers have focused on varieties of the plant, Cannabis sativa, which are rich in cannabidiol (CBD), an anti-inflammatory cannabinoid. They developed more than 800 new variants of Cannabis sativa in the laboratory, with high levels of CBD, and identified 13 extracts that, according to them, modulate the levels of ACE2 in these human portals. ACE2 is the coronavirus receptor enzyme. If it does not exist in the tissues, SARS-Covid has nowhere to stay.
In Israel, study targets are both CBD and terpenes
A new study was started at the Israeli hospital Ichilov Medical Center, with the aim of investigating whether one of the active substances in cannabis, cannabidiol, can slow the inflammatory symptoms that accompany the deterioration of critically ill patients with coronavirus and alleviate the symptoms of the disease. The study was carried out in collaboration with several herbalists at the hospital, and is expected to recruit dozens of patients in moderate conditions.
Another survey, from the Israel Institute of Technology, examines a formulation of cannabis terpenes, which is exclusively dedicated to the treatment and prevention of viral infections and was designed specifically for high-risk populations and treatment of infections like the coronavirus.
In previous studies, developed since the SARS virus outbreak in 2002, cannabis terpenes were considered to be potential effective antiviral agents, and specific terpenes that came into contact with the SARS virus reduced their severity and impact (both in vitro and in vitro). alive), retaining a certain protein that replicates RNA – preventing it from penetrating healthy cells and using them as hosts for their replication.
Now, they analyze a way to produce, with these terpenes, a formula for direct inhalation.
Girls In Green Opinion
While we, like most of you, are extremely excited about these studies, which show the immense potential of cannabis for the most diverse causes, we ask that:
- Do not neglect yourself because of them. We know that what a lot of people understood is that smoking cannabis will help protect against the virus. But it is not so: there are substances that can be used to fight the disease, but they are not found in all plants. They are strains made in laboratories and combinations of terpenes developed just for this purpose.
- At this point, the correct thing to do is to follow the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). Take care of yourself and the one you love. In Brazil São Paulo and Amazonas are very affected areas, and all we want is that this virus stops spreading and separate us for a long time.
- Here on the blog, we already talked about what to do to reduce damage in this quarantine and protect yourself even using your cannabis. The text remains very current, and has very important tips to take seriously!
Remember: our goal here is not to cause concern, it is to inform you so that you can make your own decisions consciously.
Take care! See you all later. <3
SOURCES
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278859
https://www.healtheuropa.eu/cannabis-terpene-formulation-treat-covid-19/99586/