Researchers Continue to Share CBD’s Potential in Fight against COVID-19.

In late 2020, multiple medical research university departments published their thoughts and findings regarding CBD and COVID-19 to the British Pharmacological Society. Asking for others to be as inspired as they were to create “further targeted studies” into the potential that they found, four departments from three countries showcased their reasons that they felt CBD was worthy of being considered.

In the most recent study released this month the researchers say it's possible the cannabis plant has potential to prevent and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection: The researchers found that two cannabinoid acids commonly found in hemp varietals of cannabis, cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, also known as CBDA, can bind to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. By binding to the spike protein, the compounds can prevent the virus from entering cells and causing infection, potentially offering new avenues to prevent and treat the disease.

Another Study titled The Potential of Cannabidiol in the Covid-19 Pandemic, the authors suggest that “cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid, has the potential to limit the severity and progression of the disease for several reasons” and that cannabidiol should be considered as a “support drug against the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Of these reasons that they list, the published research states that “high-cannabidiol extracts are able to down-regulate the expression of the two key receptors” for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2), and that they had found that to be so in “several models of human epithelia” that they had studied.

Another reason they stated that CBD should be looked at more seriously as a potential assistant is that “cannabidiol exerts a wide range of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and it can mitigate the uncontrolled cytokine production responsible for acute lung injury.”

This uncontrolled cytokine production is often referred to as the “cytokine storm” and it is believed to be a big part of the most severe cases of COVID-19. In a study out of Japan titled: How COVID-19 Induces Cytokine Storm with High Mortality, it was stated that “accumulating evidence suggests that the severity of COVID-19 is associated with an increased level of inflammatory mediators including cytokines” and that more perilous cases of COVID-19 were characterized as having that issue. By keeping that at bay, the severity of the case is showing to potentially follow suit.

The third reason stated by the multi-country text is that CBD “can display direct antiviral activity” because of it being a “PPARy agonist”. A PPARy, which they describe as being a “regulator of fibroblast / myofibroblast activation” can “inhibit the development of pulmonary fibrosis” which – they believe – can help better the lung function in those who have already recovered from the virus.

This is not the first group to be published with these thoughts and ideas, however. Back in May of 2020, we had shared several pieces about some early research that was being done, such as one  peer-reviewed study from researchers at The University of Nebraska and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. Published in Brain, Behavior & Immunity, their spring study agreed that it is CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties that could be the key to being able to be potentially helpful.

And it is not just CBD, too. Researchers in Israel poured through possibilities saying that it is not just CBD alone – but also minor cannabinoids and terpenes – that can help facilitate the positive response, as well. The study suggests that “a combination of CBD with terpenes was 3 times more effective at inhibiting cytokine activity than dexamethasone, a corticosteroid which a recent study found to be an effective treatment for Covid-19 cytokine storms”.

With all this research being conducted around the world, and articles regularly being shared throughout the internet, will this printed call-to-action be just the right amount of inspiration that it takes to push the conversation? Will this be what opens talks of CBD (and the Cannabis family of plants that the compound comes from) and the potential for humanity? 

As more people share conversations on the plant family, their hundreds of active compounds and how they work with the body, the positives of CBD and other hemp extracts will continue to be found.

Representations regarding the efficacy and safety of Kurativ CBD have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease. Consult your physician prior to use if you are pregnant, nursing or using other medications.