Q&A

Can I take CBD for arthritis?


Hi there.

Yes, you absolutely can. There’s many options in the cannabis world for you.

"There are two cannabinoids found in marijuana that have especially profound efficacy for those with arthritis: CBD and THC. CBD, or cannabidiol, is responsible for immune system modulation, meaning it is helpful for an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis" https://www.whaxy.com/learn/best-cannabis-for-arthritis

There’s also a cream called "Sweet Releaf" that helps with pain of arthritis.

I hope this was helpful!

  • Nurit

nurit


You can definitely use CBD as a treatment for arthritis pain and inflammation. There are lots of ways to take CBDโ€”from vapor pens, to tinctures, as well as topicals and patches.

My mom uses CBD to help with arthritis pain in her knee. She prefers to use a CBD vapor pen because effects happen immediately.

You can also try a high CBD tincture for your arthritis, which can take anywhere from 15 min to one hour to take effect. Iโ€™ve interviewed a lot of folks who use CBD for various symptoms, and many of them talk about taking CBD as supplement, rather than for acute reasons. They all say that you need to let CBD build up in your system to get the maximum benefits. These folks all take a CBD tincture with a ratio of their choosing 2 to 3x a day.

CBD topicals and patches are another option for arthritis pain. Topicals are nice becasue they can be applied locally to a particular area, while patches are applied to a veinous area of skin and from there, CBD is absorbed and should reach the rest of your body.

You may also want to get products that contain some THC. This molecule also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and its presence can make CBD more efficacious.

If you’d like more info on arthritis pain & cannabis.

Danielle Lim


Reducing the discomfort of chronic arthritis pain is one of the most common reasons patients use medicinal cannabis. There is good laboratory science showing CBD, THC, and other compounds occurring in cannabis have biologic activity that supports the calming of inflammation or the moderating of pain impulses in the nervous system, but the clinical effects are what matter most and my patients consistently report finding benefit in a variety of cannabis preparations. CBD is not-psychoactive and is remarkably non-toxic, and there is no reason I can give not to freely experiment with it to see if it seems helpful. But for many patients with arthritis pain using medicinal cannabis turns out to be a "whole is greater than the sum of the parts" situation – they get more relief of discomfort via the "entourage effect" when using whole plant medical cannabis preparations. There is abundant science demonstrating the interactions of CBD and THC and altering of THC effects by even modest amounts of CBD. For patients who don’t want to be "high" (meaning they want to avoid psychoactivity that might compromise focus or performance) it may be helpful to find a CBD:THC ratio delivering the benefits of THC for relieving their discomfort without unwanted effects. Response to THC is also highly dose dependent; effects at low doses may change into other effects as higher doses are used. More is not always better. I suggest cautious experimentation to discover what seems most helpful.

drelkind


Due in large part to the recent paradigm shift in how our society views cannabis, more and more arthritis patients are turning towards cannabis as a safe, natural and effective medicine for the treatment of chronic pain. However, due to its psychoactive effects, there are many arthritis patients who would never consider adding cannabis to their arthritis treatment regimen…until now. After legalization, and the resulting media blitz covering the cannabis industry, thousands of THC averse arthritis patients, such as yourself have become intrigued by the non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid, CBD.

Similarly — while cannabis research has historically focused on THC, synthetic cannabinoids or our own naturally occurring cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) — there is an evergrowing body of research regarding the potential medicinal benefits of CBD. In fact, a very recently published study concluded that "topical CBD application has therapeutic potential for relief of arthritis pain-related behaviors and inflammation without evident side-effects."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851925/

In a study with very exciting implications — this time performed on mice with artificially induced arthritis — researchers concluded that "CBD, through its combined immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions, has a potent anti-arthritic effect" which may even "block the progression of arthritis."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10920191

drkim


Additionally, there are several pre-clinical studies which have found that the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, as well as our natural cannabinoids, were prevalent in the synovium of joints, again suggesting that phytocannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, may help treat arthritis.

One of the more interesting studies in this group demonstrated that the endocannabinoids AEA and 2-AG were present in the synovial fluid of arthritic patients. However, in the healthy controls, AEA and 2-AG were absent. Taken together, these findings suggest that our endocannabinoid system helps modulate arthritic pain signalling.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18416822

Considering the above, here are a few recommended products without, or very little, THC

  1. The Tansdermal CBD Patch found at
    https://www.marysmedicinals.com/products-properties/
  2. https://www.cbd.org/products/cbd-sublingual-spray 18:1
    https://www.cbd.org/products/cbd-sublingual-spray 18:1
  3. https://treatwellhealth.com/products/high-cbd-tinctures/ 20:1

drkim


In a study with game changing implications — this time on mice with artificially induced arthritis — researchers concluded that "CBD, through its combined immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions, has a potent anti-arthritic effect" which may "effectively block the progression of arthritis."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10920191

Additionally, there are several pre-clinical studies which have found that the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, as well as our natural cannabinoids, were prevalent in the synovium of joints, again suggesting that phytocannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, may help treat arthritis.

One of the more interesting studies in this group demonstrated that the endocannabinoids AEA and 2-AG were present in the synovial fluid of arthritic patients. However, in the healthy controls, AEA and 2-AG were absent. Taken together, these findings suggest that our own naturally occuring cannabinoids help modulate the pain of arthritis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18416822

Considering the above, here are a few recommended products without, or very little, THC

  1. The Tansdermal CBD Patch found at
    https://www.marysmedicinals.com/products-properties/
  2. https://www.cbd.org/products/cbd-sublingual-spray 18:1
    https://www.cbd.org/products/cbd-sublingual-spray 18:1
  3. https://treatwellhealth.com/products/high-cbd-tinctures/ 20:1

drkim


In a study with exciting implications — this time on mice with artificially induced arthritis — researchers concluded that "CBD, through its combined immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions, has a potent anti-arthritic effect" which may even "effectively block the progression of arthritis."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10920191

Additionally, there are several pre-clinical studies which have found that the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, as well as our own naturally occuring cannabinoids, were prevalent in the synovium of joints – again suggesting that phytocannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, may help treat arthritis.

One of the more interesting studies in the above group demonstrated that the endocannabinoids AEA and 2-AG were present in the synovial fluid of arthritis patients. However, those same endocannabinoids were absent in the synovial fluid of healthy controls. Taken together, these findings suggest that our own naturally occuring cannabinoids are specifically sent to unhealthy joints to help alleviate arthritis pain.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18416822
Here are a few recommended products with very little or no THC

  1. Tansdermal CBD Patch
    https://www.marysmedicinals.com/products-properties/
  2. https://www.cbd.org/products/cbd-sublingual-spray 18:1
    https://www.cbd.org/products/cbd-sublingual-spray 18:1
  3. https://truefarma.com/product/sweet-releaf-extra-strength-2oz/

drkim

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