X-Message-Number: 27846 References: <> From: David Stodolsky <> Subject: Cannabinoids Promote Wound Healing Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:24:04 +0200 The podcast: Cannabis to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease? from Audio Medica News (available from the iTunes Podcasts directory) gives a summary of the roll of cannabinoids in promotion of wound healing. Cannabinoids upregulate the production of an endogenous anti- oxidant, thereby increasing cell survival. However, recent news doesn't give a clear picture of the role of cannabinoids, in general: Role of the endogenous cannabinoid system in the human gastrointestinal tract http://www.bath.ac.uk/pharmacy/staff/klw.shtml Bowel study backs cannabis drugs http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4728605.stm 'Cannabis' brain tumour drug hope http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3561686.stm 'Natural' cannabis manages memory http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2163405.stm 'Cannabis' may help mentally ill http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4606475.stm From the literature: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j. 1471-4159.2003.02327.x/abs/ Our results indicate that cannabidiol exerts a combination of neuroprotective, anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects against - amyloid peptide toxicity, and that inhibition of caspase 3 appearance from its inactive precursor, pro-caspase 3, by cannabidiol is involved in the signalling pathway for this neuroprotection. http://www.omma1998.org/McPartland-Russo-JCANT%201(3-4)-2001.pdf Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? John M. McPartland Ethan B. Russo SUMMARY. A central tenet underlying the use of botanical remedies is that herbs contain many active ingredients. Primary active ingredients may be enhanced by secondary compounds, which act in beneficial synergy. Other herbal constituents may mitigate the side effects of dominant active ingredients. We reviewed the literature concerning medical cannabis and its primary active ingredient, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Good evidence shows that secondary compounds in cannabis may enhance the beneficial effects of THC. Other cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid compounds in herbal cannabis or its extracts may reduce THC-induced anxiety, cholinergic deficits, and immunosuppression. Cannabis terpenoids and flavonoids may also increase cerebral blood flow, enhance cortical activity, kill respiratory pathogens, and provide anti-inflammatory activity. http://drugpolicy.org/docUploads/hemp_for_headache.pdf Hemp for Headache: An In-Depth Historical and Scientific Review of Cannabis in Migraine Treatment Ethan Russo ABSTRACT. Cannabis, or marijuana, has been employed in various forms throughout the millennia for both symptomatic and prophylactic treatment of migraine. This document examines its history of medicinal use by smoking and other methods in ancient cultures, including the Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek and Roman, as well as in the Islamic world, and its subsequent adoption by Renaissance and Industrial Age Europeans. The most prominent physicians of the age in the century between 1842 and 1942 preferred cannabis to other preparations in migraine treatment, and it remained part of Western pharmacopoeias for this indication throughout the period. The writings of this era are examined in great detail in an effort to emphasize useful medical documentation that has subsequently been forgotten. In modern times, ethnobotanical and anecdotal references continue to support the efficacy of cannabis for headache treatment, while biochemical studies of THC and anandamide have provided scientific justification for its use via anti-inflammatory, serotonergic and dopaminergic mechanisms, as well as by interaction with NMDA and endogenous opioid systems. These are examined in detail. The author feels that this collective evidence supports the proposition that experimental protocols of cannabis usage in migraine treatment should go forward employing modern controlled clinical trials. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1277837 Furthermore, compounds found in cannabis have been shown to kill numerous cancer types including: lung cancer [9], breast and prostate [10], leukemia and lymphoma [11], glioma [12], skin cancer [13], and pheochromocytoma [14]. The effects of cannabinoids are complex and sometimes contradicting, often exhibiting biphasic responses. For example, in contrast to the tumor killing properties mentioned above, low doses of THC may stimulate the growth of lung cancer cells in vitro [15]. dss David Stodolsky Skype: davidstodolsky Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=27846