Doctors from Austria have treated COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit with cannabinol or CBD, finding that this cannabis compound cannabidiol can hasten recovery. Patients who received CBD were able to clear the virus faster compared to those who were on other medications. Doctors believe that CBD boosts the immune system, modulates inflammation, and helps restore oxygen levels.
COVID-19 and Vaccines
Many COVID-19 vaccine candidates have gone through clinic trials, showing safety and efficacy in preventing coronavirus complications and even death. People who were immunized can still get infected, but the vaccines are able to minimize the chances of life-threatening complications. These vaccines received emergency authorization and more will pass through the same hurdles.
However, vaccines cannot prevent deaths. Many people are still infected every day, and the vaccine will not help them fight the illness. Until the world reaches herb immunity, more people will continue to get infected. But herd immunity can take years in some regions where vaccinations have not even started.
COVID-19 and Cannabidiol
Fortunately, researchers are constantly on the lookout for better COVID-19 therapies to save more lives, and we are seeing regular developments from their studies. The latest one is from Austria, where doctors are treating ICU patients with a cannabis compound that has shown benefits across a wide range of medical problems. Cannabidiol or CBD has shown to help patients recover faster compared to other current therapies.
The researchers administered CBD to 50 patients and observed that their infection levels disappeared quickly. They started the ICU patients on 200 milligrams of CBD before upping the dosage to 300 milligrams. This regimen lasted for three weeks, and the doctors found that these patients cleared the virus faster compared to another group who received other medications.
Advantages of Cannabidiol
According to the doctors, the CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and can strengthen the immune system. The former might have a crucial effect on the compound. The goal of COVID-19 therapy is to prevent an exacerbated immune response, which can cause other complications and death. It was also found that CBD can help restore oxygen levels, and the lungs of the patients already experiencing pneumonia would recover faster.
Another advantage of CBD for COVID-19 is that it has no side effects on the patients. Plus, it is not contraindicated for any other medications. However, the doctor was cautious in clarifying that the effectiveness of CBD in coronavirus therapy is still not fully understood. They remarked that there is still a lot to look into and while the early conclusions are good, they still need more data and more studies.
The Future of Cannabidiol
It remains unclear how CBD impacts mortality, or if it even does. These early findings appear to show that all the patients who received the cannabis substance have survived the coronavirus. A report points out that other studies from Canada, Israel and the UK have acknowledged the beneficial effects of CBD therapy in COVID-19. In fact, Israel is already in the process of approving the drug to become part of COVID-19 treatment.
Cannabidiol has shown promise in other medical issues, such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, chronic pain, and mental conditions like depression and anxiety. it is worth noting that CBD do not have the same intoxicating effects compared to smoking cannabis. Still, experts warn that consuming CBD without medical supervision or smoking cannabis at home is not recommended to treat the coronavirus, despite this latest finding.
