The road to eradicating the menace that is the COVID-19 pandemic is sure to travel down many pathways over the coming months. And one area science is currently navigating is none other than cannabis.
Researchers at the University of Lethbridge have recently reported that while clinical trials still need to be completed, the data that they’ve been collecting over the past four years demonstrated promise that some cannabis extracts “may assist in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.”
Doctors Igor and Olga Kovalchuk have been working with cannabis and cannabinoids since 2015, using varieties from around the world to create brand new hybrids and develop extracts that demonstrate certain therapeutic properties.
According to Igor, “There’s a lot of documented information about cannabis in cancer, cannabis in inflammation, anxiety, obesity and what not. When COVID-19 started, Olga had the idea to revisit our data, and see if we can utilize it for COVID."
"It was like a joker card, you know, coronavirus. It just mixes up everybody’s plans," says Olga.
She says they began to examine special proteins, or receptors, that the virus hijacks to enter the body. Now, they’ve submitted a research paper studying the effects of medical cannabis on COVID-19.
"We were totally stunned at first, and then we were really happy," says Olga.
The Kovalchuks say, based on the preliminary data and pending further investigations, anti-inflammatory high-CBD cannabis extracts can modulate the levels of the receptors in highly relevant tissues, such as the mouth, lungs and intestinal cells.
One of the receptors, known as ACE2, has now been shown to be a key gateway to how the COVID-19 virus enters the human body. Other key receptors allow the virus to enter other cells more easily and multiply rapidly. But some cannabis extracts help to reduce inflammation and slow down the virus.
"Imagine a cell being a large building," commented Igor. "Cannabinoids decrease the number of doors in the building by, say, 70%, so it means the level of entry will be restricted. So, therefore, you have more chance to fight it."
These early discoveries may indicate the cannabis extracts could be used in inhalers, mouthwashes, and throat gargle products for both clinical practice and at-home treatment. The Kovalchuks haven’t tested the effects of smoking cannabis and say you won’t find any of these extracts at your local pot store.
Over the past four years, they have tested hundreds of extracts, but only a small percentage have proven effective.
Those extracts contain high concentrations of CBD, but very low levels of THC, so users would not experience a "high."
The Kovalchuks say it’s a completely natural product and has no noticeable side effects.
The research was performed in partnership with the University of Lethbridge, Pathway RX Inc. and Swysh Inc. – two companies focused on researching and developing customized cannabis therapies. Many of the cannabis varieties have been patented and are currently licensed to Pathway Rx’s partner Sundial Growers Inc., a Calgary-based cannabis licensed producer.
They stress their data is based on human tissue models and the next step would be to do clinical trials, something the researchers say they are actively pursuing.
Does Cannabis Dampen Inflammation?
Furthermore, it appears that cannabinoids dampen the immune system’s response to a new infection. Cannabis’ immunosuppressive qualities stem from the fact that it reduces inflammation.
Those properties are useful in fighting some viruses that exploit inflammation to replicate. Still, it’s not clear from the research whether these immune effects would be helpful or harmful for coronavirus, but we expect to see more researchers studying it.
Remember, everyone is in this together. Keep calm. Carry on.
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