The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect millions of lives globally, with countries across Europe already preparing and bracing themselves for the virus’ ‘second-wave’; as the search for a vaccine stretches on. This has impelled medical experts to widen their scope and go beyond the traditional forms of treatment and experiment with various alternative forms of treatment. Cannabidiol (CBD), which is found in CBD oil, has emerged as an effective component in the treatment of certain severe cases of COVID-19.
In Canada, health officials have been instructed to develop a whole host of novel cannabis sativa extracts; as existing research supports the idea that CBD-rich cannabis sativa extracts have important anti-inflammatory properties. This aspect makes a potential CBD-based approach significant for severe cases of COVID-19 wherein the patients have underlying cardiac or respiratory complications. In severe cases of COVID-19, the human body can have an inflammatory response to the virus; which compels the already overworked cardiovascular and respiratory mechanisms to function even harder, thereby often resulting in rapid retrogression and deterioration of health.
How CBD can cure COVID-19
To elaborate, during the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases a medical condition called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) may get developed; which promotes a hyperactive inflammatory response in our body. ARDS, which is colloquially also referred to as a ‘cytokine storm’, can have fatal repercussions, as this syndrome adversely affects cell communication and can thus often trigger multiple organ failure. In such cases, CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties could prove to be potentially life-saving!
In fact, CBD in combination with a special cannabis terpene formulation has been found to be twice as efficient and effective as the current global choice of anti-inflammatory medication, Dexamethasone. This has also made medical professionals understand about cannabis terpenes’ medicinal properties; which was largely used for its aromatic properties till now.
Research into benefits of cannabis oil
From a global viewpoint, there’s no shortage of optimism and enthusiasm in the medical community, as the United States’ Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently permitted a certain biotech firm to conduct clinical trials to study the cardio-protective aspects of CBD with exclusive focus on COVID-19 patients with a history of underlying cardiovascular complications. If successful, subsequent clinical trials could also allow researches to narrow down upon the ideal dosage of CBD and the point at which it can be introduced in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
However, as of now, there’s no clinical proof of commercial CBD oil directly and immediately eradicating the virus from an individual’s body, and thus rumours of a ‘CBD cure’ remain unsubstantiated. But medical professionals believe that if not for a cure, the properties and benefits of CBD oil or other cannabis extracts, could be employed to create COVID-19 preventive products such as oral-based solutions like mouthwashes. In addition, other benefits of CBD oil include its ability to reduce stress and anxiety, without giving an individual the usual ‘high’ associated with cannabis-related products; and thus CBD oil can be a great product from a psychological standpoint, during what continues to be a testing time for our mental and physical health.
