Cannabis can reduce COVID-19 complications, mitigate fibrosis - study
A study found that 3 of the strains tested were able to inhibit cytokine storms and mitigate future risks of developing pulmonary fibrosis.
By Idan Zonshine,  Jerusalem Post, January 27, 2021
A worker touches a cannabis plant at a growing facility for the Tikun Olam company near the northern city of Safed (photo credit: REUTERS/NIR ELIAS)
A new study out of Canada has found further evidence that certain strains of cannabis could inhibit severe cases of respiratory inflammation known as "cytokine storms," one of the most dangerous complications known to occur as a result of COVID-19.
The
 joint study was performed by Pathway Research Inc. along with teams 
from the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge, and was
 published last week in Aging medical journal.
During
 the study, the researchers induced inflammations within 3D-printed skin
 tissue samples and tested 7 different strains of Cannabis Sativa on 
them, which were selected out of 200 strains which were initially 
analyzed.
The 
study found that 3 of the tested strains were able to inhibit cytokine 
storms and mitigate future risks of developing pulmonary fibrosis 
(permanent scarring of the lungs).
Cytokine
 storms occur when the body overproduces immune cells and their 
activating compounds (cytokines), causing dangerously high blood 
pressure, lung damage, respiratory distress syndrome and organ failure. 
This
 is a common occurrence in some patients where the immune system's 
response to COVID-19 is extreme and goes into overdrive to fight the 
virus. 
Accumulating
 evidence shows that many COVID-19 patients die because of the increase 
in the production of the inflammatory cytokine molecules, rather than 
the virus itself.
University of Lethbridge’s Department of Biological Sciences Dr. 
Igor Kovalchuk, said he was "not surprised" by the study's results.
“Before
 Covid, we have studied the anti-inflammatory effect of over 100 
cultivars (preselected from nearly 800), and identified a couple dozen 
with strong potential, and even filed several patents on them for use 
with RA, MS, intestinal, and skin inflammation, and oral inflammation,” 
he said.
Dr. 
Kovalchuck recommended that the whole plant be ingested, preferably by 
smoking, as many terpenes get lost in evaporation process. 
“As
 to specific chemicals, our analysis shows that CBD or THC alone do not 
have the same effect,” says Kovalchuck. “We strongly believe in the 
full-spectrum, entourage-based effects. Likely, there are secondary 
(minor cannabinoids) and terpenes that contribute, and we write in the 
paper, that one of such terpenes could be caryophyllene.”
In
 August, a small study by Israeli cannabis R&D firms CannaSoul and 
Eybna found that that certain cannabis terpenes could significantly 
inhibit inflammatory activity.
Back
 in April, the two R&D organizations announced their intentions to 
collaborate on the research and delve into the use of the inhalable 
compound NT-VRL with concern to the treatment of viral infections.
Their
 hypothesis was formulated based on previous research conducted around 
the 2002 SARS outbreak, which found terpenes to be effective antiviral 
agents and more notably certain formulations of terpenes were found to 
reduce the severity of the respiratory disease.
Zachary Keyser contributed to this article.
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