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Can Minor Cannabinoids Found in the Cannabis Plant Help Fight Cancer?
Can Minor Cannabinoids Help You Fight Cancer? Here’s What The Studies Say
Most of us already know about THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary psychoactive in marijuana which gets you high.
Studies have shown that THC is responsible for getting you stoned, but it also has numerous medicinal benefits. In addition, we also know about CBD (cannabidiol), the relaxing cannabinoid which also happens to be the second most prominent active ingredient in weed. It’s found in such trace amounts in marijuana but CBD is abundant in hemp, and CBD’s powerful therapeutic properties have prompted manufacturers to learn how to produce it in a laboratory.
In addition, there are a couple hundred more other cannabinoids out there. It’s believed that there are a minimum of 60 cannabinoids that are unique to marijuana, while the rest can be found in other herbs, plants, vegetables, and even fruits. But do these cannabinoids that are far less popular than THC and CBD have any value at all?
Cannabinoids’ Potent Therapeutic Properties May Help Fight Cancer
There has been growing interest in researching the therapeutic potential and medical applications of minor cannabinoids over the last few years. That said, there are lots of ongoing studies that are working to uncover possible new uses for cannabinoids in medicine.
There have been studies on CBG (cannabigerol), which has been given the nickname, “mother of all cannabinoids” because it’s a precursor to THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids. CBG has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antibacterial. CBC, or cannabichromene, is an anti-depressant, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. It also has the potential to promote neurogenesis. Other popular minor cannabinoids include CBN (cannabinol), THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin), CBDV (cannabidivarin), and more.
Now, some studies show that cannabinoids may even have the potential to treat cancer. It’s unfortunate that given the numerous conventional treatments available for cancer, we still have not been able to completely treat cancer. Is Big Pharma hiding something? Only time can tell.
That said, it’s clear that the treatments available today leave much to be desired. Chemotherapy and radiation, the most common treatments recommended for cancer, don’t always work 100% of the time. They also have extreme side effects, including nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and loss of appetite, which greatly affect patients’ quality of life. It is certain that we need more breakthrough therapies for treating cancer – and the answers we’ve been seeking may be found in cannabis all along.
Studies On Cannabinoids And Cancer
A recent study, which was published in the medical journal called BioFactors, analyzed minor cannabinoids and their impact on multiple myeloma (MM), which is a rare cancer affecting plasma cells. When multiple myeloma strikes, it turns healthy cells into dangerously unhealthy cells which can wreak havoc on tissues, bones, and blood.
For the study, they looked at CBG, CBN, CBC, CBDV, and even CBN in an animal model. They were surprised to find these positive results: “Together, our results suggest that CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV can be promising anticancer agents for MM,” wrote the authors. They added that the cannabinoids possess cytotoxic properties for multiple myeloma.
In addition, the researchers added that the cannabinoids possessed a “beneficial effect on the bone in terms of reduction of MM cells invasion toward the bone and bone resorption (mainly CBG and CBN).” Furthermore, they found that CBG, CBN, CBC, and CBDV “reduced the invasion of MM cells toward osteoblasts cells”, which are cells that create new bones and contribute growth to current bone tissue. It’s also interesting to note that CBN was found to be effective in reducing the tumor mass size.
Another study from 2020, which was financed by an American cannabis company called Cannabics Pharmaceuticals, was carried out by Israeli researchers to determine if CBG and CBC have feasible anti-tumor properties against gastrointestinal cancer cells and other types of cancer cells. The study was conducted in Cannabics Pharmaceuticals’ High Through-put Screening (HTS) facility located in Israel, and the HTS platform was used to look for the necrotic properties of these cannabinoids.
They found that CBG and CBC were both effective in significantly causing necrosis among cancer cells. “My working assumption is that these results show that a correlation may exist between a cannabinoid’s Topological Polar Surface Area (TPSA) value and its ability to induce anti-tumor activity, diminishing cancer cell’s viability rates. CBC and CBG, as neutral cannabinoids, were both found to have a TPSA value which allows the cannabinoid molecule to penetrate a cancer cell’s membrane, whereas their acidic form (CBCA and CBGA) do not,” explained Dr. Yaakov Waksman, who heads cannabinoid research for Cannabics Pharmaceuticals.
“Gastrointestinal cancers are amongst the leading and most wide-spread causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. We are intrigued by the results we have obtained in the lab, and our aim is to consider placing an emphasis on this organ system, and to further explore the differential anti-tumor properties of cannabinoids,” added Dr. Eyal Ballan, the company’s co-founder and CTO. “We believe that these preliminary results vindicate our vision; which is to bring personalization into cannabinoid-based cancer treatments.”
Conclusion
These studies demonstrate the promising anti-cancer properties of minor cannabinoids in marijuana. Whether by inducing cell death or inhibiting tumor growth, these mechanisms by which various cannabinoids can help treat cancer and reduce the proliferation of cancer cells is important for helping save lives. Certainly, more studies on the benefits of minor cannabinoids for cancer cells are necessary to help us better understand its benefits and learn how to use it in medical and clinical settings.
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