Scientists Discover a Potential COVID-19 Blocker in Medical Cannabis Plant

Jun 4th 2020

Scientists Discover a Potential COVID-19 Blocker in Medical Cannabis Plant

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, the world has been on its feet to discover the best remedy that may end this pandemic and give us our lives back. Even every effort aimed at reducing the spread of the virus, the number of cases seems to be on the high side. At the time of writing this article, about 6.05 million people have been affected by the COVID-19 virus, with over 369 thousand deaths.

It is quite unsure when these numbers will stabilize hence the need to speed the search for potential remedies that can either limit the spread of the virus or provide immunity against it. To achieve this, scientists and medical practitioners have been at the forefront of affairs in finding a cure.

Recently, a group of scientists from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, are optimistic and excited to have discovered a potential breakthrough blocker for the COVID-19 virus that has held our world captive. Based on the findings of these scientists, it was observed that some strains of medical cannabis might possess some active anti-inflammatory CBD and other compounds that can help to prevent the spread of the disease.

In this research, the scientists subjected strains of medical cannabis to different levels of testing and discovered how about twelve of them were high in CBD concentration. This CBD had an excellent anti-inflammatory property hypothesized to modulate the ACE2 pathway. This is the pathway through which the virus gains entry into the body.

Although it is pertinent to note that this finding may not lead to vaccine development, it will, however, suggest other possible delivery methods that could make people more resistant to the virus.

The scientists believe the extracts from the tested cannabis strains could be used in mouthwash and throat gargle products. It can also come in handy in inhalers for both clinically and home-based treatment practices. 

There are also hopes on how the cannabis extracts may potentially reduce COVID’s entry points by about 70 to 80 percent. The aim is to block the virus from gaining entrance into the body system without causing harm to the body. The group of scientists from Canada is, however, confident the findings from their work could have a great influence on the global market since there are not many drugs that have achieved such a feat. They are confident this will reduce the spread of the infection by 70 to 80 percent. The findings of the researchers have been published in Preprints and are hoping to place the study on peer-review and clinical trials as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Apart from possessing an excellent anti-inflammatory property, CBD has been reported by researchers to exhibit antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and antidepressant properties. These have played important roles in reducing the spread of diseases and also promoting our response to cognitive activities such as appetite, pain sensation, and internal balance.

Let us know what you think about using CBD in mouthwash and throat gargle. We would love to hear from you soon.