Medical cannabis and its importance in the 21st century

When it comes to marijuana, many people have doubts. If a person has not faced serious illnesses and other serious life tests, then the use of cannabis in medicine is a big question for him. In fact, in our time, this plant is under the focused attention of physicians and researchers, and is also actively used for therapeutic purposes for the treatment of quite serious diseases: from Parkinson's disease to cancer.

Medical cannabis: what is it for and what is it

Medical cannabis is a concentrated extract of cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids used for therapeutic purposes. Cannabinoids are active substances that are found in the leaves and inflorescences of cannabis. They have a wide range of medicinal properties:

• suppression of pain, cramps and spasms;
• elimination of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients;
• Relief of adverse symptoms in HIV patients who are on antiretroviral therapy;
• neuroprotective effect in the early stages of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's;
• slowing the growth of cancerous tumors.

In the world of psychiatric practice, positive results from the use of cannabis during the treatment of PTSD have also been witnessed. In this situation, it is used to smooth out stress reactions, reduce anxiety, rid the patient of obsessive thoughts.

The value of marijuana for medicine

The therapeutic properties of marijuana are explained by the similarity of the structure of the main active components of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) with substances that are produced in the body to protect the nervous system from overload - 2-arachidonoglycerol and anandamide. Cannabis contains over 100 different psychotropic substances called cannabinoids. Each of them has a certain effect on the body. Medical marijuana varieties are most often presented as 2 types of cannabinoids:

• CBD;
• tetrahydrocannabidol (THC).

The former does not show a strong psychoactive effect, while the latter has a slight one. In the medical field, it is CBD that is often used, since the WHO has officially recognized it as NOT a psychoactive compound. It has a significant therapeutic effect, while the patient will not be in a state of intoxication.

Healing properties of marijuana

Medical cannabis is being researched and used for medical purposes around the world. Marijuana is allowed in more than fifty states: Great Britain, Greece, USA, France, Canada, Czech Republic, Poland and others. The presented substance is prescribed only for certain diseases, when standard medicines do not give the proper result:

• cancer;
• anorexia;
• epilepsy;
• chronic pain;
• PTSD;
• Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease;
• asthma;
• Haytington's chorea;
• diseases of the immune system;
• herpes;
• weight loss in people with AIDS;
• various stages of sclerosis;
• Neuropathy in diabetes.

The positive properties of cannabis also include the fact that it has practically no side reactions. A negative effect on the body is possible only in the case of systematic use in large doses of those varieties that have a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol over 1% in 2/3 of the dry mass of their inflorescences. Modern medicine uses THC-free CBD varieties that do not cause THC-like effects or changes in motor and mental functions.

* The material does not encourage the use of cannabis or self-medication, if you have health problems, be sure to consult a qualified doctor.