Compounds in Hemp Block COVID-19 from Entering Human Cells
CBD or cannabidiol, a compound found in hemp products, has been touted as a natural alternative to remedy a great many health problems already, but most prominently has been shown to actively prevent spread and infection rate of COVID-19 in recent clinical studies.
A new study suggests that certain acids found in CBD products will actively block the replication of the COVID-19 virus in the lungs. This process essentially reverses symptoms associated with the virus, and in some cases, goes as far as preventing the infection from spreading into the host’s healthy cells.
In isolated studies, COVID-positive cells were shown to not only have their replication process essentially halted in the midst of attempts at replication, but those exposed to concentrated CBD had the numbers of COVID positive cells reduced by a margin of almost 80 percent.
“So what does this mean for us,” is the next question that comes into play when discussing a possible “remedy” for the virus. If these numbers remain consistent throughout other studies, this could spell an end to potential spread and contraction of the virus in CBD users.
COVID-19 is dangerous in that it attacks the respiratory system, causing “spike cells” to develop in the lungs, often resulting in the infected experiencing issues with breathing and oxygenation of blood cells. This study was performed by researchers affiliated with Oregon State University. In their summary, they state that these acids will prevent the entry of the COVID-19 virus into cells, thus rendering it’s infection throughout the body useless.
The study was led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center in the College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, along with researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University.
Van Breemen also added that the compounds, CBDA and CBGA, were equally effective against the two emerging COVID variants we’ve seen emerge over the past few months. This information is a primary concern for many health officials, as many vaccination efforts used the spike proteins found in early cases of SARS-CoV-2, the initial pathogen we know as COVID-19.
Van Breemen noted in his research that “These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans,” because they do not contain any sort of psychoactive elements, as CBD does not contain any THC, the psychoactive element of marijuana.
Image via: https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=23312
Although there is obvious need for more testing and result replication for this method to remain a viable alternative, we here at Moon Exotics will strive to keep you all up to date as this new research develops.
Research article link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7987002/