I am often asked by patients what I think of CBD oil. When I think of the “CBD shops” or the internet presences of CBD-containing products with names like “Dream Drops” or “Hanfosan” that are springing up like mushrooms, and imagine that my patients are referring to these advertising offers, then the answer is simple: “Absolutely nothing!”. However, there are cannabinoids as pharmacological active ingredients with potential.
However, the topic must be viewed in a more differentiated way: Cannabinoids – i.e., the constituents of the hemp plant, including cannabidiol (CBD) – are indeed interesting pharmacological substances that have been used as medicinal products since the 19th century. However, they have been inadequately researched due to the stigmatization of cannabis as an illegal drug since the 1930s. This has significantly improved in recent decades. This is probably the reason for the “wild growth” of how cannabinoids are currently used and marketed.
Treat cannabinoids like medicine
For me, cannabinoids are pharmacological active ingredients that have potential. As such, they should be properly researched, tested, and approved like all other drugs. In my view, they should not be marketed as dietary supplements, medical products, or cosmetics with healing promises for various chronic diseases by third-party providers – as is unfortunately the case at present.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is definitely an effective drug. Not without reason was CBD recently approved for certain rare childhood epilepsy forms (Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) as an orphan drug. Moreover, CBD is an ingredient of the cannabis-based finished drug Sativex, which has been approved for the treatment of MS-induced spasticity for several years.
CBD binds to the body’s own endocannabinoid system and mediates analgesic (pain-relieving), anticonvulsant (spasm-relieving), and anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) effects. It also antagonizes the psychoactive effects of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the cannabinoid of the hemp plant that is primarily responsible for the psychotropic effects of cannabis and is therefore subject to the Narcotics Act. For the production of Sativex, THC and CBD are combined, which results in alleviating spasticity without causing disturbing psychological side effects.
The example of the finished drug Sativex shows the potential of cannabinoids. Such serious therapy developments would also be desirable in the future. In addition to treating epilepsy syndromes, the potential of CBD could lie in the therapy of chronic pain patients due to its pain-relieving properties. Because of possible anti-inflammatory effects, there are also approaches to inflammatory diseases such as MS – but as I said, this requires well-planned clinical studies to prove an effect.
Since these studies do not currently exist, from a medical perspective – except for the finished drug Sativex – no recommendations can be given for the use of CBD in MS. In this context, the advertising messages of the different CBD providers should also be viewed. According to the current state, the oils they offer are probably only advantageous for the provider.
