In America, before the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, cannabis was a common ingredient in medicinal tinctures, and sellers didn’t even have to include it on their labels.
Marijuana has been used for at least 5000 years as an industrial material and botanical medicine throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.
The term “medical marijuana” refers to the use of the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant and its pure extracts to treat a disease or improve a symptom. It must be sourced from a medicinal-grade cannabis plant that has been meticulously grown without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilisers.
In a CBS interview, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy acknowledged that marijuana may be useful for certain medical conditions. Likewise, CNN’s chief medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta also made a highly publicised reversal on his marijuana stance after the production of his two-part series Weed.
Marijuana’s claim as a potential panacea is backed up by countless studies crediting its healing potential to its cannabidiol content. Cannabinoids interact with naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors embedded in cell membranes throughout your body.
It’s known that cannabinoid receptors play an important role in many body processes, including metabolic regulation, cravings, pain, anxiety, bone growth, and immune function.
Dr Allan Frankel, a board-certified internist in California who has treated patients with medical marijuana, says he has seen good results with tumours in some patients using no other therapy except taking 40 to 60 milligrams of cannabinoids a day.
Other common ailments being treated with medical marijuana include:
• Mood disorders.
• Degenerative neurological disorders such as dystonia.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Parkinson’s disease.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Seizures.
CBD may also relieve pain and treat anxiety.