The Benefits of Cannabis with Tuberculosis

For thousands of years cannabis has been used as a folk medicine to treat tuberculosis.

Cannabis is a powerful medicine for its anti-microbial properties. Marijuana can treat infections that have shown drug resistance such as TB, pneumonia and MRSA.(Source)

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious bacterial infection that is transmitted through airborne particles. TB needs oxygen and therefore proliferates in the lungs. It causes a chronic cough, weakness, fever, weight loss and sometimes death. It is common to become a carrier of the disease without showing symptoms. A weak immune system increases susceptibility to the disease.

TB is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide. In 2013, there were 9 million new cases of tuberculosis worldwide with only 9,582 cases of TB in the US. This same year 1.5 million died from the disease.(Source)

Cannabis has been used as a folk medicine for TB worldwide. In India, cannabis is grown in the location where a cobra snake was killed. They believe this gives the plant stronger medicinal properties.(Source) The Zulu's of South Africa use cannabis with hot water infusions as medicine to treat TB and other respiratory ailments. It is still commonplace in Mexico to smoke cannabis to treat TB.

Dating back to pre-WWII in Czechoslovakia, it is often produced as a recipe of ground hemp seed steeped in warm milk. A 30-year study for this remedy shows significant improvement in symptoms and cures for TB. It is believed that the high protein content of edestin in hemp seed helps in the treatment as well as immunity. The high content of linoleic acid in cannabis has shown to destroy TB bacteria.(Source)

Source:

http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/statistics/tbtrends.htm

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/tuberculosis/en/

http://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/cannabis-treatment-tuberculosis/

The Cannabis Terpene Alpha Pinene

Alpha Pinene is the most common terpene in the plant world and also found in cannabis. Other plants such as basil, dill, parsley, pine needles, and rosemary are rich in α-pinene . Some of the cannabis strains that offer the most alpha pinene terpene are Bubba Kush, Chemdawg, Jack Herer, Super Silver Haze and Trainwreck.

Terepenes offer medicinal effects when consumed or used topically. Terepenes have shown to help in the biosynthesis for CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system.(Source) Alpha pinene works synergistically with THC to help regulate the psychosis effects when consuming cannabis.(Source) Alpha pinene is an organic compound offering medicinal value for many applications.

Alpha pinene has shown to give anti-inflammatory properties(Source). This allows for uses in arthritis, celiac disease, crohn's disease, joint pain and multiple sclerosis where a reduction in inflammation can aid in pain relief. Memory retention is increased with alpha pinene for it's ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain.(Source)

Currently research is being conducted to show the benefits of alpha pinene slowing cancer tumor growth. A 2013 study showed how cancer cells were reduced with pinene on neurblastoma cells.(Source) A 2014 study using an anti-tumor drug concluded that pinene mitigated hepatoma carcinoma.(Source)

Many patients seek cannabis strains high in alpha pinene for it's benefits in asthma treatment and infections. Pinene has shown to be a bronchodilator. It helps to open the airways of the upper respiratory system.(Source) Pinene also has been found to be anti-microbial with the ability to treat bacteria as well as virus infections. Certain bacteria infections have shown positive results with pinene. Pinene has also been found to treat the infectious bronchitis virus. This virus is much harder to treat than bacterial infections.(Source)

Source:

http://theleafonline.com/c/science/2014/10/terpene-profile-pinene/

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x/abstract

http://www.revistas.usp.br/rbcf/article/viewFile/44190/47811

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15740071

http://link.springer.com/article/10.2478%2Fs11756-013-0230-2#page-1

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165946/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24815485

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12122569

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21350392

Essential Fatty Acids in Cannabis

Cannabis in the form of hemp seeds holds forty-four percent of it's weight in edible oils.  These oils comprise eighty percent of essential fatty acids (EFAs) which include Linoleic Acid (55%), Alpha-Linolenic Acid - Omega-3 (22%), Gamma-Linolenic Acid - Omega-6 (1-4%) and Stearidonic Acid - Omega -3 (0-2%)(Source). Cannabis derived from flowers has been found to include many fatty acids including palmitic, myristic, oleic and stearic acids. (Source)

Omega 3 Fatty Acids in plant form have been found to help with arthritis, depression, infant development, asthma, ADHD, Alzheimer's and Dementia. These acids have been shown to act primarily as an anti-inflammatory agent.(Source) Studies have also shown that an increased diet including Omega 3 fatty acids helps to reduce ADHD symptoms.

Omega 6 fatty acids, also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), have been shown to help with brain function, growth and development, skin and hair growth, metabolism regulation, bone health and the functions of the reproductive system. (Source) A diet with higher levels of Omega 3's vs. Omega 6 has been shown to be healthiest overall. However Omega 6 acids have been found to help with specific health  problems which may not be addressed solely through a diet including use of Omega 6 acids. Linolenic Acid (GLA) has been shown to help with nerve pain in people with diabetic neuropathy or arthritis. Studies have shown more allergies in woman with low GLA in breast milk or blood. GLA has been shown to help with a breast cancer drug tamoxifen and help inhibit tumor activity. (Source)

Cannabis is a nutritious food source that offers essential fatty acids, all 9 essential amino acids and 65% of globulin edistin.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/omega-3-fatty-acids-fact-sheet

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega6-fatty-acids

http://forendex.southernforensic.org/uploads/references/MicrogramJournal/5.1-4.20.25.pdf