Researchers Calculate Exact Dosage of Cannabidiol Needed for Pain Relief

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]E[/dropcap]xisting laws that have prohibited use of cannabis in varying degrees over the years have significantly slowed the development of what we know about its biology and its effects on the human body. Researchers in various parts of the globe are now looking into how cannabis interacts in various conditions and how it can be utilized in the medical world to treat and even heal ailments.

Recently, a group a researchers at the Research Institute at the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University in Quebec, Canada published their study on cannabidiol in the journal, Pain. The scientists were able to calculate the exact dosage of cannabidiol (CBD) needed to reduce pain and anxiety without the euphoric effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The abstract of the study shares that CBD, which interacts with a specific serotonin receptor in the human brain, “may possess analgesic and anxiolytic effects.” The team of nine investigators conducted the study using rats to evaluate the specific impact CBD has on neuropathic pain.

After a seven day period of CBD treatment, the animals showed a reduction of mechanical allodynia (pain caused by stimuli), a decrease in anxiety-like behavior and normalized neuronal activity. At the end of the study, researchers had calculated the exact amount of CBD to produce these results. Through their research the team also demonstrated that CBD does not interact with the same receptors as THC. “In animal models of neuropathic or chronic pain, we found that low doses of CBD administered for seven days alleviate both pain and anxiety, two symptoms often associated,” shared post-doctoral fellow Danilo de Gregorio, one of the authors of the study.

Because CBD is also non-addictive, it makes a great candidate to work in place of the commonly prescribed opioid drugs. Considering the current opioid epidemic in the United States, those with chronic pain may soon look forward to an alternative treatment option nationwide. “There is a few data showing that CBD provides pain relief for humans but more robust clinical trials are needed,” said Associate Professor Dr. Gobbi, lead author of the study.