The World and COVID-19 Now
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants such as the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and now Omicron have changed the whole world. Mental health and neurological consequences such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are also some of the big issues we currently face. Due to widespread and extensive efforts, a lot of information has already been known about COVID-19. Treatments and vaccines were also created to fight this highly contagious and infectious disease but there are still uncertainties as to when and how this pandemic will end. Scientists and researchers around the world are still looking for alternative treatments against COVID-19 and its variants. Here comes CBD and its potential to aid against a number of health and mental issues. In this article, we will talk about the journey and efforts to prove the effectiveness of CBD for COVID.
CBD Against COVID-19
Through secondary metabolism, numerous chemicals are produced in Cannabis Sativa plants. These include cannabinoids, terpenes, and phenolic compounds. Studies show that Cannabinoids such as Cannabidiol (CBD), Cannabinol (CBN), and Cannabigerol (CBG) among others exert outstanding antimicrobial, antiviral, and therapeutic properties and therefore, systematic investigations are being done to know if they can be a potential treatment against COVID-19. One thing that is very important to understand is the inflammation process, its origin, and its development.
Cannabidiol is known for its therapeutic benefits as a natural anti-inflammatory agent so studies are being made to fully identify the efficacy of CBD for COVID. Currently, a recent early study has been published about CBD inhibiting the COVID virus replication in a human lung. This test has been done in a lab using high potency and pure Cannabidiol. The results showed that CBD potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 viral replication under non-toxic conditions. CBD showed to be effective in blocking the entry of the virus in the host cells but even better, it was very effective (~95–99%) at inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein expression in host cells at 2 and 6 hours after infection post entry.
‘it was very effective (~95–99%) at inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein expression in host cells at 2 and 6 hours after infection post entry’
The Pandemic, Mental Health, and CBD
CBD is also being advertised for the treatment of mental health issues and substance use disorders brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. CBD is known to help alleviate anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other cognitive illnesses as well as pain.
At this moment, there is limited research that includes CBD as a potential treatment for patients with opiate, alcohol, and tobacco abuse. No clinical trials have yet to prove its effectiveness against COVID-19 and its associated mental health issues so studies are being made to validate these claims. But anecdotal evidence has shown CBD’s worth in aiding substance abuse.
CBD has come a long way
There is no denying the great amount of progress made by CBD in terms of its medical use through the years. From being recognized for its benefits since ancient times by several medicinal systems to being one of the most investigated medicinal plants in the world, Cannabinoids can truly be considered as wonder drugs.
CBD has an extensive variety of usage and there are a lot of claims supporting its effectiveness against certain health and mental issues. Now that the pandemic is still nowhere near the end, demand for complementary and alternative medicines has surged and will continue to rise so finding alternative treatments is critical.
We may need more research and clinical trials that will prove the efficacy of CBD for COVID patients but there is a lot of promise for CBD and surely, it won’t be long till more will be discovered.
