By Justin GardnerA new study in the journal Neuropharmacology is showing yet again the incredibly diverse ways that medical cannabis can heal the body. We already know of several physical conditions it can treat—such as epileptic seizures, Crohn’s disease and neuropathic pain—but medical cannabis is also showing promise for the treatment of depression.
Researchers at the Universidad de Cantabria focused on cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, finding that that CBD has fast-acting antidepressant effects that can be sustained with continued doses.
Our results demonstrate that CBD exerts fast and maintained antidepressant-like effects as evidenced by the reversal of the OBX-induced hyperactivity and anhedonia…The scientists used an established method of research on mice that has proven to be an accurate model for human depression, allowing study of the biological causes and potential treatments. They discovered that CBD acted to reverse depression symptoms by causing an increased release of serotonin and glutamate.
In conclusion, our findings indicate that CBD could represent a novel fast antidepressant drug, via enhancing both serotonergic and glutamate cortical signaling through a 5-HT1A receptor-dependent mechanism.
Mice with the OBX surgery showed significantly reduced symptoms of hyperactivity 30 minutes after CBD was administered, in comparison to mice that were given a placebo. Continued daily administration of CBD was found to completely reverse the effects of OBX surgery on the mice’s loss of interest in sugar after one week. Examination of chemical activity within the mice’s brains indicated that CBD caused increased release of serotonin and glutamate.In January we reported that people who have discovered the therapeutic uses of cannabis are giving up prescription drugs. Big Pharma is very concerned that their manufactured products could be replaced by a miraculous plant.
Glutamate release was affected dramatically in all mice who received CBD, both immediately after the first dose and after weeks of repeated administration. The impact on serotonin was more subtle after the first dose, and it persisted over time only in mice who had OBX surgery, suggesting that this change may have occurred only in response to the depression-like conditions in the mice’s brains. — PsyPost.org
As we reported last month, chemical antidepressants may be causing an increase in suicides, and government-backed pill pushers are trying to hide these destructive effects. This new study brings more bad news for Big Pharma, as CBD could prove to be more effective than their notorious products.
Justin Gardner writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.
