CBD has turned out to have a very important role in health for several years now, since it was discovered that this compound could relieve certain ailments, the studies began, which have obtained very surprising results that put cannabidiol in a very high position as a possible option for treatment of certain diseases.
But will CBD be an excellent option to help cure a disease as serious as hepatitis C? Or on the contrary, will the non-psychoactive compound of cannabis lose this battle? In this article we will discuss all these questions, evaluate the studies carried out and conclude with a satisfactory answer to so many questions.
hepatitis C virus
A number of between 130 and 150 million people worldwide are estimated to be have chronic infectious hepatitis C, this virus also called HCV (hepatitis C virus) is one of the viruses belonging to a family that has different names from each other, a type of virus for each one and with different characteristics, but all with the same vision, damaging the liver.
In turn, it is characterized by having symptoms, such as pain intense, fatigue, liver failure, depression, jaundice, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, among others, as well as extrahepatic symptoms such as joint pain, sensitivity disorders, muscle pain and skin itching may also occur.
This series of symptoms occur in an acute stage of the disease at which it is estimated that only between 20 and 30% of those affected develop them, however, the most common thing is that patients develop symptoms when the disease is already in an advanced phase. chronic stage, which occurs a long time after the infection, that is, we would have a patient infected with the hepatitis virus, asymptomatic, who after a long time begins to present conditions more serious such as weight loss, chronic fatigue, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, among many others.
This has led to the treatment for hepatitis C being quite specific and broad, from antivirals to treat the infection, to medications to counteract the symptoms, as well as blood tests to perform serology to identify the virus.
CBD and HCV, studies support
There are numerous studies that have been carried out to investigate the interaction between CBD and hepatitis C, with the aim of discovering its effectiveness as a treatment for HCV.
A victorious study carried out in 2017 by Dr. Henry Lowe and other scientists, demonstrated that CBD is a potential hope for people who contain the virus, which consisted of examining an in vitro sample that contained 10 micrometers of CBD and 3 micrometers of HCV, where the result was stopping the spread of the virus by CBD by 86,4%.
“This new discovery, which has fantastic potential for the future, is especially crucial for people in developing countries, because there is a drug developed for the treatment of hepatitis C, but it costs more than $85,000 per treatment and very few people in the developing world can afford this,” Dr. Lowe said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, adding, “Therefore, it is very important that we find less expensive means of treatment, and that is why this discovery and “its potential to control this disease is so important.”
Another study with slightly less satisfactory results was the one published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology in 2006, which consisted of a prospective observational study where 71 patients with standard hepatitis treatments with interferon and ribavirin were gathered, of which 22 used cannabis and 49 did not.
The result was improvement in a certain number of patients, others simply abandoned the treatment, while a minority did not see such favorable results. This led researchers to conclude that moderate cannabis consumption can offer symptomatological and virological results. positives in some patients on pharmaceutical treatment for HCV.
In 2004, the University of Sydney carried out a study where they proposed the relationship between the action of CBD, the endocannabinoid CB1 receptors and lipid metabolism, and the study demonstrated the close connection between lipid metabolism and hepatitis C virus replication, where an antagonist blocked CB1, inhibiting virus replication, as well as the viral protein and the ineffectiveness of the virus.
If we base ourselves on the effectiveness of cannabis compounds such as cannabidiol on endocannabinoid receptors, we could say that this could be an excellent treatment to eradicate the disease.
CBD as an antiviral for hepatitis C virus
Thanks to recent research, a great advantage of CBD over hepatitis C has been discovered, since apparently its composition allows it to neutralize the replication of the virus in vitro, functioning as an antiviral. This is great news for those people who suffer from hepatitis C. that this scope of CBD could allow them to eradicate and therefore cure the disease.
CBD may have antiviral effect in both hepatitis C and autoimmune hepatitis, it has been shown through studies that CBD acts on CB2 receptors, consequently inducing apoptosis in thymocytes and spinocytes, inhibiting the proliferation of T cells and macrophages responsible for damaging liver cells or inducing the release of proinflammatory cytokines that cause autoimmune hepatitis.
This activation of the CB2 receptor allows the eradication of inflammation and modulates the immune response to viral infection; On the other hand, CBD has an important benefit on liver fibrosis, which can occur as a consequence of poorly treated or chronic hepatitis C, activating hepatic stellate cells or HSCs, inducing apoptosis through interaction in the endoplasmic reticulum, according to studies carried out. .
It was proposed that CBD, with its antiviral characteristics on the hepatitis C virus in vitro, could act in the same way in vitro depending on the CB2 receptors, effectively developing as a antiviral treatment for the disease.
How CBD can help in the treatment of hepatitis C
In short, Cannabidiol or CBD is being developed in the treatment of hepatitis C, obtaining a series of beneficial results that could change the patient's life. These benefits are observed both from the point of view of its antiviral action and its ability to commonly heard of treating the symptoms of diseases.
La liver inflammation It is one of the side effects of hepatitis C in which the CBD has a notoriously satisfactory role, allowing reduced liver scarring, which could cause serious consequences such as liver cirrhosis or cancer, all this thanks to his anti-inflammatory effect about the organism.
The symptom of exhaustion It is also another of the side effects in which CBD could help us, since, due to the symptoms of the disease, it is normal for this type of patient to suffer from interrupted dreams in the middle of the night, which does not allow them to achieve conciliation. of the dream showing as a result a Sleep disorder and one noticeably affected patient.
CBD thanks to its sedation effect allows the patient monitor your sleep hours allowing a correct conciliation of the same, this in turn will help the patient to heal more quickly; which also allows for greater performance during the day and a possible eradication of exhaustion.
Thanks to the effects of CBD on the nervous system, it allows hepatitis C patients who suffer from side effects such as mood swings, to regulate their mood, allowing them to avoid being so conflictive on occasions that it is not warranted, since These changes are usually drastic, almost as if they suffered from bipolarity.
Loss of appetite in patients infected with the hepatitis C virus is common, especially in chronic stages. This may be due to nausea caused by the disease itself or by side effects of various medications, CBD interacting with the receptors. serotonin could help improve nausea and stomach symptoms In general, therefore, this would lead to better appetite.
The analgesic effect of CBD also helps the pain caused by the disease, we talk about joint, muscle and abdominal pain, present in acute stages of the disease, allowing the patient to have better symptoms and eradicating one more symptom of the disease, promoting prompt healing of the body.
The itching or itching of the skin caused by the hepatitis C virus can also be treated with CBD, thanks to the various forms in which CBD is presented, such as creams or balms which are relevant, the itching can be eliminated by the action of cannabidiol directly on the surface.
On the other hand, and without leaving any symptoms out, the hepatitis virus, through various consequences, could cause the patient to present some cognitive damage, such as concentration or the ability to remember certain things, this is due to a change that is made in the normal activity of glutamate that can cause the impairment and, therefore, death of brain cells.
Cannabidiol, thanks to its neuroprotective effect, could eradicate this possibility of damage to cells, protecting them from any condition of the body, this will allow the patient maintain mental health much more satisfying.
Last but not least, we have the depression and anxiety possibly present in serious diseases such as hepatitis C, this is mainly due to the fact that the patient finds himself in a quite compromising situation which can cause feelings of anxiety or depression, this in turn could be a side effect of some medicines.
However, CBD can also help in these cases, since cannabidiol is known to help patients deal with these nervous system problems, giving them much more satisfactory mental stability.
Is there a prescribed dose of CBD for the treatment of HCV?
Although today there are many speculations about the proper use of cannabidiol, we recommend consulting with a health professional for its correct implementation, since he will be able to study your clinical case, evaluate the stage of your disease and based on Based on these data, we recommend medical treatment plus supplementation with cannabis components if necessary, and in this way avoid poor dosage, as well as regulate the effects of CBD in your body and side effects.
It is important to read the manual for CBD users called "A Patient's Guide to Medicinal Cannabis" by Leonard Leinow and Juliana Birnbaum, which recommends certain dosages and a standard dosing method called staggering, which consists of the progressive administration of CBD from a microdose to getting the right one.
In our CBD guide We have included an article about a good CBD dosage and use based on this manual that you can consult completely free of charge.
The negative side of interaction
Although some studies have shown quite positive results, there are some others that attack the research with their own studies, these will be explained below.
In 2008, a study was carried out which showed that cannabis consumption is part of the risk factors for steatosis or fat accumulation in the liver in patients infected with the virus in the chronic stage, this is due to the interaction with CB1 receptors. which were found in organs that control energy balance such as the liver and not only in the central and peripheral nervous system, since steatosis is caused by an activation of these receptors in the liver.
In addition, there is talk of an increase in the complication of the disease due to an interaction that exists between some undefined proteins and these fats, produced by viral replication.
However, another study highlights that researchers from the University of Ottawa demonstrated in 2014 that cannabis use did not promote steatosis, inflammation or fibrosis in hepatitis C virus infection, it is not known why the results differ. , but it is believed that the amount of alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI) could have affected it.
So can CBD help in the treatment of HCV?
Thanks to the information presented, we can conclude that there are cases in which CBD needs more studies for confirmation in the treatment of some diseases, taking advantage of its countless benefits. However, there are certain properties of cannabidiol that can help the symptoms of diseases such as hepatitis C.
Currently we have an 80 – 20 balance in the dispute between the good or bad effects of CBD as a treatment for the hepatitis C virus, so, under medical supervision, we could take advantage of this cannabis compound on the symptoms of the disease, helping to improve quality of life.
The disease of hepatitis is sometimes silent, and is only noticed when it is in a stage of difficult treatment, so the implementation of cannabidiol in the cure of the disease along with other medical methods could be very satisfying for patients. patients, however, science advances daily and studies will be carried out and presented with results that we hope will be the desired ones.