Cannabis has been used for millennia by physicians and healers from many different cultures to treat a wide range of illnesses, from nausea to the expulsion of tapeworms. However, it appears that a few more illnesses should be added to the list.
Recent research suggests that cannabis may help treat and control the symptoms of some inflammatory bowel illnesses (IBD), including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Ailments of the digestive system affect people of all ages, ethnicities, creeds, and genders. IBS is thought to impact 25 to 45 million Americans, according to experts. Another three million people, most of whom have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, are thought to have IBD, according to the CDC.
According to some research, cannabis may be used therapeutically to treat a variety of IBDs.
More precisely, experts contend that the endocannabinoid system is the key to comprehending the therapeutic relationship between cannabis and IBDs (ECS).
The Endocannabinoid System According to Healthline, scientists originally learned about the ECS in the 1990s while researching THC, the most well-known cannabinoid in cannabis.
An essential part of controlling sleep, immunological responses, and other processes is the ECS, which is a cell-signaling system. Its principal job is to keep the body in homeostasis, sometimes known as “the Goldilocks zone,” where everything is balanced.
Its three main parts are endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes. Endocannabinoids are cannabinoid-like compounds, but human and animal bodies also produce them. Endo is a translation of the Greek word endon, which means “inside.”
The body is filled with receptors. The ECS receives a signal to start working from endocannabinoids when they attach to the two major receptors, CB1 and CB2.
The neurological systems of the body contain the greatest CB1 receptors (central, peripheral and enteric). Immune systems have the highest concentration of CB2 receptors. Nevertheless, both, according to Leafly, can be found all over the body.
Depending on the task the ECS is performing, endocannabinoids will bind to different receptors. Endocannabinoids, for instance, may bind to CB1 receptors in the spinal neuron to alleviate pain. Or they could attach to immune cells’ CB2 receptors to notify the body of inflammation.
Last but not least, after endocannabinoids have served their purpose, enzymes degrade them.
Gut Health and Cannabis
Similar to endocannabinoids, cannabinoids like THC connect to receptors when they enter the body. Cannabinoids can, however, bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors in every cell in the body. According to Healthline, this is why cannabis is occasionally used to treat pain, increase hunger, and/or cause sleepiness.
Researchers discovered both types of receptors throughout the gastrointestinal system, including all layers of intestinal sections, despite the fact that CB1 receptors are mostly present in the neurological and immunological systems and CB2 receptors in the immune system.
In comparison to other biological systems, the ECS is less well understood by scientists because it was just recently identified. Furthermore, because cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, there has been even less research on the subject.
However, some studies in recent years have found a somewhat encouraging connection between cannabis, the ECS, and gastrointestinal health.
In 2015, a group of Canadian researchers found that after three to four weeks, mice fed a high-fat diet had healthier gut microbiomes thanks to a daily THC regimen. The resulting gut microbiota health was comparable to that of mice given a nutritious diet.
Researchers compared 19 lifelong cannabis users to 20 non-users in 2017 to study the relationship between cannabis and the human gut flora. They found that the gut microbiomes of cannabis users contained bacterial communities linked to higher calorie consumption but decreased BMI. Project CBD reports that scientists hypothesized a possible relevance for food.
The research to date suggests that the ECS does interact with gut bacteria, and that cannabinoids like THC or CBD may alter or even improve the health of the gut microbiome, even though there aren’t any conclusive studies on the subject.
Some believe that cannabis’ anti-inflammatory qualities make it a candidate for use as an IBD treatment.
marijuana for IBS and IBD
As the creator of the cannabis wellness company Wellfounded Botanicals and a Crohn’s disease patient, Sara Rotman claims that cannabis saved her life when conventional medicines failed to control her symptoms.
“I gave [cannabis] a try, and to my surprise, it actually did assist with my problems. It significantly reduced my inflammatory response and effectively reduced my pain. And with regular use, we found that it could really help me control my symptoms,” she said to Emerald.
A team of researchers gave instructions to 13 individuals with long-standing IBD in 2012 to inhale cannabis flower for three months whenever they felt pain. Patients reported overall better health three months afterwards. More precisely, they had fewer symptoms of diarrhea, sadness, and abdominal pain. They also reported improved social functioning and work capacity.
Cannabis may be used as a treatment for Crohn’s disease, according to a 2011 study. Thirty Crohn’s disease sufferers reported reduced symptoms following cannabis use. A decrease in the disease activity index and the requirement for further medications and procedures were indicators of these changes.
Researchers looked at 127 IBS patients in a different study that was reported in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2019. They came to the conclusion that consuming 30 g of cannabis per month, or 21 mg of THC and 170 mg of CBD, reduced the symptoms of IBS. Patients increased their weight while decreasing their drug use.
Cannabis use was linked to shorter hospital stays, according to a 2019 study on the efficacy of utilizing cannabis to treat ulcerative colitis. Bowel blockages were also less common among cannabis users.
