Does Cannabis Help With Inflammation? What Studies, Patients and Experts Say

Research suggests cannabis may help with inflammation: cannabinoids like CBD and THC show anti-inflammatory effects, mostly in lab and animal studies, by acting on the body's endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate immune response. Many patients with arthritis, lupus or inflammatory bowel disease report relief, but solid human clinical trials are still scarce. People have used cannabis medicinally for centuries, and inflammation is now one of the most promising areas of research.

These compounds interact with the body's endocannabinoid system, a network of receptors and signaling molecules that plays a key role in regulating the immune response and inflammation. Through that interaction, cannabis may help reduce inflammation, ease pain and improve quality of life for people with chronic inflammatory conditions like arthritis, ulcerative colitis and related disorders.

Cannabis for inflammation: a promising area of research

Cannabis as an anti-inflammatory is a broad field that spans plenty of medical conditions. Over the past decade, much of the research on how weed may tackle inflammation has been done in animals, which shows how badly we need more human studies and clinical trials. Still, the available research is encouraging, and it highlights CBD in particular as a possible way to fight inflammation.

What studies on medical cannabis and inflammation show

Arthritis pain relief

A 2018 Medical News Today article looked at whether CBD oil can relieve arthritis pain. It pointed to animal studies showing that CBD has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.

CBD acts on receptors in the brain and the immune system, which may lead to less pain and inflammation.

The therapeutic potential of CBD oil

A 2011 paper in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine examined CBD's potential role in a range of conditions tied to inflammation.

Its author, George W. Booz, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, noted that inflammation and oxidative stress are deeply involved in the development of many human diseases.

Untangling that relationship with drugs has been tough, he explained, partly because inflammation and oxidative stress feed off each other. But in his view, CBD looks like a promising starting point for new drug development thanks to its antioxidant effects (relatively modest ones) and its anti-inflammatory action on immune cells.

A 2016 review of medical cannabis research

More encouraging news for CBD came from a 2016 literature review in BioMed Research International. The researchers flagged CBD as a possible key tool for controlling the spread and growth of cancer cells, while stressing that much more research is needed.

The University of Colorado clinical trial

A clinical trial at the University of Colorado Boulder set out to supply some of that crucial research. Starting in 2018, researchers have been measuring how inflammation levels change before and after cannabis use, compared against blood levels of THC and CBD.

At last report the trial was still in its early stages, with researchers recruiting participants.

What patients say

Using medical cannabis for lupus

Swollen joints, skin rashes and long-lasting fatigue are among the most common symptoms of lupus. Lupus Corner reported the results of a survey of 781 people with lupus about using cannabis for their autoimmune disorder.

Thirty-six percent said they were using cannabis, whether by smoking it, applying CBD oil or another method like edibles. Among those who used cannabis specifically to manage their lupus symptoms, 83% said they'd recommend it to someone else with lupus.

A striking 96% said their doctors had never talked to them about using cannabis for lupus, a sign that most patients are seeking out medical cannabis on their own.

Recovering from painful surgery

Other patients are turning to cannabis to recover from painful surgeries. Catherine McCormick, 53, had knee replacement surgery and walked away from high post-op doses of ibuprofen and a cocktail of other meds.

In 2018 she told The New York Times that smoking cannabis had improved her quality of life: more energy, able to walk again, no pain, feeling much better overall.

Part of what these patients feel may come from the anti-inflammatory properties of the terpenes in cannabis. Valencene, cymene, menthol and terpineol are just a few of the terpenes that have shown possible anti-inflammatory effects.

What experts say

Managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Some researchers are optimistic about how cannabis could help manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Specifically, endocannabinoids may be able to switch on a pathway that shuts down the body's inflammatory response.

Research pharmacologist Randy Mrsny, Ph.D., struck a careful tone in a 2018 Science Alert piece: the mechanism is a plausible explanation for why cannabis users report relief from IBD symptoms, but so far it had only been tested in mice, not in human experiments. Even so, he said, the team hoped the findings would help develop new ways to treat intestinal disease in people.

CBD research and pain relief with CBD oil

In a 2018 piece for Harvard Health Publishing, Dr. Peter Grinspoon reviewed earlier research on CBD and pain relief across a whole range of inflammation-related conditions.

He wrote that CBD may offer an option for treating different kinds of chronic pain, citing a European Journal of Pain study in which CBD applied to the skin of animals helped reduce arthritis pain and inflammation.

He also pointed to another study that showed how CBD inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain, two of the hardest types of chronic pain to treat, and added that more human studies are needed to back up the pain-relief claims made by CBD advocates.

Why medical cannabis needs more research

The common thread in the scientific studies and expert opinions is the call for more research. More clinical trials like the one at the University of Colorado Boulder are critical to understanding what cannabis can and can't do for chronic inflammation.