Can cannabis protect you from corona?

A new study has found that certain components in cannabis can have an effect on corona infection - which could help with future treatments.

But, and there is a but, it does not really include your joint

Walla!

health

13/01/2022

Thursday, 13 January 2022, 10:15 Updated: 11:03

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In the video: The prime minister warns that we will reach millions of people infected in Corona, clarifies that there is no room for panic and responds to Netanyahu's criticism (Photo: GPO)

The more the corona virus is with us, the more the studies grow and expand into all sorts of areas we never thought of.

A new study has found that certain cannabinoids of cannabis have the power to block SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes corona - from entering human cells.

Just before you send this to all your smoking friends, it is important to explain that this research was done only in the lab, not in humans, and there is nothing to suggest that cannabis use will strengthen corona immunity, as unfortunately it is not that simple.

What does this study say?

That some of the compounds in cannabis may pave the way for some interesting antiviral therapies in the future.

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To the full article

Scientists at the University of Oregon whose study was published in the Journal of Natural Products of the American Chemical Society used a special chemical survey technique to test certain cannabinoids found in cannabis (cannabis sativa).

To their surprise, they found that a pair of cannabinoid acids - cannabigrolic acid or (CBGA) and cannabidiol acid (CBDA) - bind to the spike protein of the corona virus in vitro.

Do not get excited yet.

Two joints (Photo: ShutterStock)

The spike protein is a central part of the corona virus used to enter the virus into human cells, so blocking it may prevent the process the virus uses to infect humans.

To test this idea, the researchers placed the pair of acids in a petri dish with human epithelial cells.

When they introduced SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into the mixture, they noticed that the cannabinoids prevented the entry of the live virus into human cells.

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"Every part of the infection and replication cycle is a potential target for antiviral intervention, and the connection of the spike protein receptor domain to the human cell surface ACE2 receptor is a critical step in this cycle," explained Richard van Bremen, author and researcher at the Global Hemp Innovation Center in Oregon. . This means that cell entry inhibitors, such as the acids from cannabis, can be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also shorten infections by preventing the infection of virus particles in human cells. They bind to the spike proteins so these proteins cannot bind to the enzyme ACE2, Abundant on the outer membrane of healthy endothelial cells and other organs, "he explained.

It is important to say that CBGA and CBDA do not cause a "hi" feeling, as the main psychoactive effects of cannabis come from THC. However, these two cannabinoid acids are “digested” well by humans, meaning they have little to no negative side effects.

As mentioned, more and more research is needed on humans.

In addition, the study examines only the effects of CBGA and CBDA on alpha and beta versions, not the delta and omicron versions, which are currently the most contagious strains of the virus.

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