Studies on cannabis reveal new therapeutic applications of the plant all the time, which brings more evidence of how big the cannabis sector could be. Companies like World High Life Plc (NEX: LIFE) realize that and position themselves to benefit from this burgeoning industry.
A new American study suggests that therapeutic cannabis could help reduce pain by half when treating people with chronic headaches or severe migraines.
Prescribed to relieve chronic pain associated with specific conditions such as epilepsy or cancer, therapeutic cannabis could also reduce migraine headaches by half, according to a new study by researchers at Washington State University.
The study was conducted using records from the Strainprint application, which tracks and reports symptom trends before and after the prescription of cannabis products from Canada, where the use of cannabis for medical purposes has been permitted since 2001.
Medical cannabis in Europe
In Europe medical cannabis is still an emerging market, and individual countries are slowly legalizing use of the plant for medical purposes. While in North America the cannabis market is booming, companies in Europe are just beginning to take advantage of this new sector.
For example, World High Life Plc (NEX: LIFE) is an investment company from the UK, that designed their business model around identifying and acquiring medical cannabis and CBD companies with great potential. Their first successful acquisition was Love Hemp Ltd., UK’s leading CBD company that produces a variety of oils, sprays and vapes, edibles, CBD-infused beverages, and cosmetics. Together with Love Hemp, WHL plans on entering other European markets on 2020, starting with Germany.
Studies on cannabis keep discovering new therapeutic applications of the plant, which just confirms how rich in potential this market is.
Study among home users
Published in the Journal of Pain, the Washington State University research lists the reports of 1,200 patients with headaches and 653 with migraines. From the Canadian application, participants provided information to describe the evolution of their symptoms before and after the use of therapeutic cannabis.
Led by Carrie Cuttler, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Washington State University, the research suggests that cannabis inhalation could reduce the severity of headaches and migraines by 47.3% and 49.6% respectively, according to results based on volunteer reports.
“We wanted to address this issue in an environmentally sound way, by examining patients who use whole plant cannabis to treat themselves at home and in their environment,” says Carrie Cuttler.
Cannabis oil is said to be more effective than dried flowers
The study indicates that the beneficial effects on headaches and migraines were more effective when medical cannabis was prescribed as a concentrate, for example in oil, compared to other forms such as dried flowers.
Cuttler’s team also notes that variations in doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – the two main components of cannabis – in the different products cited did not show any significant difference in their role in reducing pain.
However, Professor Cuttler notes some limitations in this study, including the absence of a placebo control group and encourages the scientific community to further explore the possibility of medical cannabis in reducing headaches and migraines. “More research is needed,” she insists.
Kamalpreet Singh
Working as a freelance contributor for several news platforms over the years, Kamalpreet has a well-thriving interest in the education sector. Kamalpreet heads at the post of editor at BO Herald and he contributes his knowledge and expertise in reporting Education News.
