Marijuana users may be thrilled to learn that cannabis could actually help prevent them from getting Covid-19.
According to a study by researchers at Oregon State University and published in the Journal of Natural Products, compounds found naturally occurring in the plant may be able to prevent an infection.
The researchers had found that cannabinoid acids from hemp were able to block the virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-CoV-2, from entering human epithelial cells.
Epithelial cells “are a barrier between the inside and outside of your body and are often the first place that is attacked by viruses,” says Ask a Biologist.
As part of the study, the researchers used a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and tested how it reacts to the cannabis compounds called cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA).
These compounds found in hemp were equally effective against the alpha and beta variants.
The researchers said CBGA and CBDA can be taken orally and have “a long history of safe human use.”