The use of marijuana with therapeutic purposes is not new, but the fact that demonstrates not only cure diseases and to treat some symptoms and consequences of certain aggressive treatments is important news.
With this article we do not want to encourage the consumption of marijuana but only to bring to light these new investigations. As we have seen in other articles, smoking marijuana regularly has negative effects.
Medicinal properties of marijuana
A group of researchers from the University of Southern California has discovered a new way through which the main active component of marijuana, THC, can suppress the immune functions of the body.
The marijuana is the illegal drug often used in many countries, but as has been legalized in some areas, as some states in the US, for medical purposes and even recreational interest in knowing its healing potential It has increased. This is the case of research studies like this, which are discovering new and innovative potential applications of this drug for health.
The marijuana is now used regularly and successfully to relieve nausea and vomiting that many cancer patients experience as side effects of chemotherapy to fight wasting syndrome that causes some patients with AIDS lose significant amounts of weight and muscle mass and to alleviate chronic pain that does not respond to opioids, among other applications.
Marijuana for the treatment of autoimmune diseases
The study by the University of Southern California has uncovered a new potential application for marijuana: the suppression of the immune response for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The work is based on the latest scientific discoveries that say that the environment in which the human being lives, can actually trigger changes that occur outside human DNA, but nevertheless can produce alterations in the function of the genes controlled by the human body. DNA These external molecules that have the ability to alter the function of DNA are collectively known as epigenome. In this study, the researchers wanted to find out if the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content found in marijuana has the ability to affect the expression of DNA through epigenetic pathways outside of DNA itself.
Recent findings show that THC can change critical epigenome molecules called histones, leading to the suppression of inflammation. These results suggest that despite the potential negative impact of smoking marijuana it could be beneficial for the suppression of inflammation in the body. But they also suggest that, due to its epigenetic influence towards the suppression of inflammation, the use of marijuana could be effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, lupus, colitis, multiple sclerosis and the like, in which Chronic inflammation plays a central role.