University of South Carolina researchers have found that THC may be an effect way to treat some COVID-19 complications.
In Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers recently published their preliminary results that find that THC could help to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome in mice.
In the study performed on mice, the researchers discovered that THC could prevent the harmful immune response that causes Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and its enterotoxin, SEB. The researchers also believe that THC could cause a significant increase in healthy lung bacteria.
ARDS can potentially be fatal and even if you survive it, it could have lasting pulmonary scarring.
The researchers recommend that health professionals begin human trials of the treatment and do not advocate for recreational use of cannabis nor for patients to self-medicate should they have an active COVID infection.
Another study that was published in August had also found that a specific terpene formulation found in cannabis could be useful in treating cytokine storm syndrome caused by COVID-19.
According to Health Europa, the Israeli study showed that the terpene formulation combined with CBD is twice as effective at using CBD on its own as well as twice as effective as Dexamethasone, a common corticosteroids treatment for inflammation.
Then two Canadian researchers also published a study this past summer saying they found that a specific strain of cannabis could be helpful in the fight to thanks to its ability to block the virus from entering the body through ACE2 receptors.
“Similar to other respiratory pathogens, SARS-CoV2 is transmitted through respiratory droplets, with potential for aerosol and contact spread. It uses receptor-mediated entry into the human host via angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) that is expressed in lung tissue, as well as oral and nasal mucosa, kidney, testes, and the gastrointestinal tract,” said this study. “Modulation of ACE2 levels in these gateway tissues may prove a plausible strategy for decreasing disease susceptibility.”
