Spanish researchers have found that cannabis extract can make brain tumors shrink

The compound cannabinoid cuts the blood supply to the cancer tumors

Scientists at the Complutense University, Madrid, Spain have tried to understand whether they can suppress the growth of cancer tumors, by impairing its blood supply. The Spanish researches conducted experiments with lab mice. They gave the compound cannabinoid to the mice and results showed that it really reduced the growth of the tumor and killed some of the cells. Apparently the chemicals in the cannabis, which also have the name cannabinoids, could kill the tumors by leaving them without food. The chemical cuts the blood supply to the cancer tumors and this is what kills them slowly. Glioblastoma multiforme, also known as brain cancer, is one of the most difficult cancers to treat – it is not affected, or very little, from any known therapy, like chemotherapy, radiotherapy. And after surgery it usually starts spreading again.
The mice were infected with cancer which is similar to the human brain cancer. Then they were fed with cannabinoids and examined. The results were very promising. The team wanted to see if the procedure will be also effective on humans.
The Spanish team selected two volunteer patients who had brain cancer which was already ineffectively treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery. They were examined before and after the treatment with the cannabis chemicals. The solution was directly injected into the tumors. Both patients reacted very well to the treatment and the tumors were effectively treated. But in order to be sure about their findings the Spanish team will need to make more experiments and tests. “The present findings provide a novel pharmacological target for cannabinoid-based therapies” , said the leader of the study Dr. Manuel Guzman, citied by MNT.
These results add to the conflicting data on the effect of cannabis on human health. Previous studies have shown that it may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke for healthy people. But other studies had found many benefits of cannabis, such as delay in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and according to many doctors cannabis helps combat with the low body weight, associated with AIDS.