Cannabis Oil
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POTION OR POISON? Cannabis oil Nataly Martini BPharm, MSc, PhD annabis oil is a resinous substance EVIDENCE: An early clinical trial whose primary extracted from Cannabis sativa or end point was to determine the safety of highly Cannabis indica. Obtained by separating purified THC administered intracranially in Cthe resins from cannabis flowers using isopropyl patients with glioblastoma multiforme, showed alcohol, cannabis oil is increasingly being sought possible antiproliferative actions on tumour cells. after for its purported anticancer activity. However, owing to obvious legal reasons, virtu- ally all research has been in vitro or in animal PREPARATIONS: Cannabis oil can be taken orally, models. Thus far, the best laboratory results have inhaled by vaporisation, applied topically or for- come from using a combination of highly puri- mulated into suppositories. High quality oil has fied THC and CBD, which have shown to exert a high percentage of active constituents, and is anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, anti-migratory dependent on the cannabis species, quality of raw and anti-invasive actions in a variety of cancers. plant material, and the extraction procedure. Conversely, evidence suggests that cannabinoids may encourage cancer cell growth, or have dif- COMMON NAMES: Marijuana oil, hash oil, pot oil, ferent effects depending on the receptors present CBD oil, Rick Simpson Oil (RSO). on the cancer cell. Resistance to cannabinoids is also likely. More human trials are needed to LATIN NAME: Cannabis sativa and C. indica belong understand exact mechanisms and signalling by to the Cannabaceae family. which cannabinoids function. ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS: The cannabis plant con- ADVERSE EFFECTS: Cannabinoids are considered to tains over 500 compounds including flavonoids, have a favourable safety profile.
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