Brilio.net/en - Marijuana, or also called Cannabis, is a plant that produces a resin, containing compounds called cannabinoids that are psychoactive chemical, that cause effect like drugs on throughout the body, going to the brain as central nervous system and the immune system, and changing mood or consciousness. Cannabis is grown in many parts of the world but categorized illegal in most of the countries, including USA. However, some parts of the states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
The use of cannabis as medicinal use had been done since the ancient times. Health researches done today had gone back to the nature to cure diseases, including using cannabis as treatment for cancer. The main chemical ingredients in cannabis were found effective in fighting against colon cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and several other forms of the disease. It is proved to relief pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and loss of appetite.
The main active cannabinoid is delta-9-THC, and the other is cannabidiol (CBD), which may relieve pain, lower inflammation, and decrease anxiety without causing the high of delta-9-THC.
"A laboratory study of delta-9-THC in hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) cells showed that it damaged or killed the cancer cells. The same study of delta-9-THC in mouse models of liver cancer showed that it had antitumor effects," said the US Governments Cancer.org website that updated earlier this year.
The website also claimed that "studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells. A study in mice showed that cannabinoids may protect against inflammation of the colon and may have potential in reducing the risk of colon cancer, and possibly in its treatment.
The studies resulted that both cannabis and cannabinoids may have benefits in treating the symptoms of cancer or the side effects of cancer therapies, also an indication to treating children with these substances for nausea symptom. But even the cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory, there is not enough evidence to recommend that patients can really cured by inhaling or ingesting cannabis.
Two of cannabinoids, the dronabinol and nabilone, are drugs already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as prevention or treatment for chemotherapy, related nausea and vomiting. Still, the FDA is not (yet) approving cannabis for use as a cancer treatment. In USA, the use for cannabis is still controlled and special licensing is required.