Last Updated 3 years by Upright
Is CBD really a miracle to stop the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic? I tried to give you a brief idea of the possibilities.
Researchers over the past two years have been working on different avenues to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. We have seen people trying various traditional herbal medicine to modern technologies to fight against SARS-CoV-2. The world lost far too many people in this period and we are still counting!
So, the world leans towards any sort of information where there is a success to defeat SARS-CoV-2 infection. By this time, we all know how this virus infects a person and replicates inside the body then spreads/infects others. The best mode of protection would be limiting its replication inside the body which might limit its activity to spread over time.
Vaccination is the ultimate way to combat this virus, however, we need to consider its mutation and variation over time in the different regions of the world. Also, it will take some time to vaccinate the whole world completely before the rise of another version of the SARS-CoV-2. With all these considerations, people are still relying on some sort of magic to happen.
Recently, a group of researchers published in a reputed journal where they claimed that cannabidiol (CBD) inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through induction of the host endoplasmic reticular (ER) and innate immune responses. Obviously, the whole world erupted into this since it includes CBD, a medicinal compound of the regulated plant Cannabis.
Cannabis produces a range of phytochemical compounds which are believed to be important for various medicinal purposes. Since its recent inception of legalization in first-world countries, more and more researches are underway in treating cancer to epilepsy, and many more.
Is CBD really a miracle to stop the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?
We need to be careful to make any conclusion from this study because many other potential SARS-CoV-2 treatments that showed promises in the lab, ultimately failed in the clinical trial.
This research claimed that only CBD and its metabolite 7 hydroxy cannabidiol (7-OH-CBD) can block SARS-CoV-2 infection at early, sometimes at later stages, of infection in the lab experimentations. This whole process hypothesized to be achieved by activation of the interferon, a group of signaling proteins released by the host cells in response to the presence of viruses. They also demonstrated a pre-clinical study where it showed that CBD treatment reduced viral titers in the lung and nasal turbinates of SARS-CoV-2 infected mice.
However, the researchers urged to spend more time and resources into it to find out the proper dosing of CBD required to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. In parallel, researchers emphasized that many CBD products including pure CBD available in the market won’t be the solution to stop the SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to this claim, they also warned people not to consume cannabis as a whole because some other compounds such as THC, the psychedelic compound of cannabis, might act to counter CBD antiviral efficacy.
The authors concluded that a proper clinical study is required to determine whether CBD is really effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Author: Mr. Lukman Syed Rony (Ph.D.) is the Lab Director of Innovate Phytoceuticals Inc, a Canada-based company. Experts in regulatory compliance, research, product development, and testing. Everything you need under one roof. Dr. Sarker is a molecular biologist with expertise in analytical chemistry.
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