Marijuana And Crohn's Disease/Gastrointestinal Disorders

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O'Shaughnessy's published a study in its Autumn 2005 issue entitled "Cannabis Alleviates Symptoms of Crohn's Disease," by Jeff Hergenrather, M.D., that found:

"[Crohn's] patients described marked improvements with the use of cannabis.

Beneficial effects were reported for appetite, pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, activity, and depression. Patients also reported that cannabis use resulted in weight gain, fewer stools per day and fewer flare-ups of less severity...

Cannabis-using Crohn's patients not only report significant relief of their symptoms, they are also able to reduce the amount of immunosuppressive medications that have been a mainstay of conventional treatment...

Crohn's disease is so debilitating and life-threatening and so difficult to manage with conventional medications it is very encouraging to find that cannabis is proving to be an effective treatment for it right now."
(Autumn 2005) O'Shaughnessy's


The Journal of Clinical Investigation published an article in April, 2004 by F. Massa et.al. from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, entitled "The Endogenous Cannabinoid System Protects Against Colonic Inflammation," that found:

"The major active constitutent of the plant Cannabis sativa (marijuana), THC, and a variety of natural and synthetic cannabinoids have been shown to possess... anti-inflammatory activities...

Results indicate that the endogenous cannabinoid system represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of intestinal disease conditions characterized by excessive inflammatory responses."
(April 2004) The Journal of Clinical Investigation


Gut, a peer-reviewed medical journal, published a June 2001 review entitled "Cannabinoids and the Gastrointestinal Tract" by R. Pertwee, Ph.D., that found:

"Cannabinoid receptor agonists delay gastric emptying in humans as well as in rodents, and they may also inhibit human gastric acid secretion.

It is also worth noting that there have been a number of anecdotal accounts of the effective use of cannabis in the past against dysentery and cholera."
(June 2001) Gut


Cell and Tissue Research published an article in October 2000 entitled "Localization of CB1-Cannabinoid Receptor Immunoreactivity in the Porcine Enteric Nervous System" by A. Kulkarni-Narla et al. that observed:

"Cannabis has been used for centuries in the medicinal treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. "
(October 2000) Cell and Tissue Research


The United Kingdom Parliament's 1998 Science and Technology-Ninth Report noted:

"Dr. Anita Holdcroft of Hammersmith Hospital...has reported the results of a placebo-controlled trial of cannabis in a patient with severe chronic pain of gastrointestinal origin...

The patient's demand for morphine was substantially lower during treatment with cannabis than during a period of placebo treatment."
(1998) United Kingdom Parliament