Over the last 10 years there has been a notable increase in the popularity and consumption of Cannabis, both for recreational and therapeutic purposes. More and more research is confirming the therapeutic properties of Cannabis and its active chemical compounds. Among the latter we find cannabidiol, with the acronym CBD. This cannabinoid has potential medical applications, including treating symptoms related to Parkinson's disease.
CANNABIDIOL (CBD)
CBD is one of the hundred active cannabinoids present in Cannabis and represents 40% of the plant extract of this plant. One of the main reasons why CBD is now the subject of medical research is that, unlike the more popular THC (the “recreational” component), it is not psychoactive. Simply put, CBD doesn't get you high. This is a very important aspect in clinical therapies, where we always try to minimize side effects. According to numerous studies, even at high doses, CBD is well tolerated by our body and, therefore, safe for human consumption. Some of the most important therapeutic properties of CBD are the reduction of nausea, anxiety, depression, the contrast of the development of tumor and cancer cells and other important properties found in scientific literature. Unfortunately, most of this clinical evidence comes from animal testing, while no comprehensive research has yet been conducted on humans. Furthermore, CBD remains illegal in many parts of the world, a further reason why this field of research should be explored further and the effects on human health and potentially treatable pathologies should be verified.
CBD AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE
According to several studies conducted in Brazil, Israel, Czechoslovakia, Spain and Italy (referred to below) by independent teams, Cannabidiol-based treatment can improve the quality of life of Parkinson's patients. Some studies conducted on animals would also confirm that Cannabis compounds have the ability to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
September 2004
“Survey on Cannabis use in Parkinson’s disease: Subjective improvement of motor symptoms”
By: Charles University in Prague
Sample: 339 patients
Result: “An anonymous questionnaire sent to all patients attending the Prague Movement Disorder Center revealed that 25% of 339 respondents had taken cannabis and 45.9% of these described some form of benefit.”
July 2005
“Cannabinoids provide neuroprotection against 6-hydroxydopamine toxicity in vivo and in vitro: relevance to Parkinson's disease.”
By: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular III, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, 28040-Madrid, Spain
Result: “Our findings support the view of a potential neuroprotective action of cannabinoids against in vivo and in vitro 6-hydroxydopamine toxicity, which may be relevant for PD. Our data indicate that these neuroprotective effects could be due, among others, to the antioxidant properties of some plant-derived cannabinoids, or exerted through the ability of cannabinoid agonists to modulate glial function, or by a combination of both mechanisms.”
Full text deposited by PUBMED: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996104002827
November 2009
“Cannabidiol for the treatment of psychosis in Parkinson's disease.”
By: Department of Neuropsychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. awzuardi@fmrp.usp.br
Sample: 6 patients
Result: “These preliminary data suggest that CBD may be effective, safe and well tolerated for the treatment of the psychosis in PD.”
Full text deposited in SAGE Journals: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881108096519
December 2009
“ Cannabidiol: a promising drug for neurodegenerative disorders?”
By: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, Naples, Italy. iuvone@unina.it
Result: “However, among Cannabis compounds, cannabidiol (CBD), which lacks any psychotropic side effects, may represent a very promising agent with the highest prospect for therapeutic use.”
Full text deposited by PUBMED: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-5949.2008.00065.x/full
March 2014
“Cannabis (medical marijuana) treatment for motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease: an open-label observational study.”
By: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva; and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.<<<
Sample: 22 patients
Result: "There was also significant improvement of sleep and pain scores. No significant adverse effects of the drug were observed. The study suggests that cannabis might have a place in the therapeutic armamentarium of PD. Larger, controlled studies are needed to verify the results."
November 2014
“Effects of cannabidiol in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease: an exploratory double-blind trial.”
By:
1) Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil INCT Translational Medicine (CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil Barretos School of Health Sciences – Dr. Paulo Prata, Barretos, Brazil mchagas@fmrp.usp.br mchagas@facisb.edu.br.
2) Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil INCT Translational Medicine (CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.
3Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
4) Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Sample: 140 patients
Result: "Our findings point to a possible effect of CBD in improving quality of life measures in PD patients with no psychiatric comorbidities; however, studies with larger samples and specific objectives are required before definitive conclusions can be drawn."
December 2015
“The neuroprotection of cannabidiol against MPP⁺-induced toxicity in PC12 cells involves trkA receptors, upregulation of axonal and synaptic proteins, neuritogenesis, and might be relevant to Parkinson's disease.”
By:
1) Department of Clinical Analyses, Toxicology and Food Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: neife@fcfrp.usp.br.
2) Department of Clinical Analyses, Toxicology and Food Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
Result: “Our findings suggest that CBD has a neurorestorative potential independent of NGF that might contribute to its neuroprotection against MPP(+), a neurotoxin relevant to Parkinson's disease.”
Full text deposited by PUBMED: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887233315300047
Source http://comitatoparkinson.it/
