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How cannabis derivatives could help to preserve the miracle of modern medicine

Could cannabinoids, including CBD, provide a partial solution to the growing danger of diseases becoming resistant to existing antibiotics? That tantalising possibility is being investigated by scientists from Canada to Denmark, Italy to Australia.

Research has been held back in the past by the classification of cannabis as a dangerous and illegal narcotic. Even now it remains in its early stages, with human trials some way off yet, but early signs are encouraging.

In-depth news analysis by CBD-Intel reveals that all five major cannabinoids – CBD, CBG, CBN, CBC and THC have been found in lab tests to work in tiny doses against the well-known and deadly antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacterium.

CBG has also been found to be effective, in combination with other antibiotics, against E. coli, a common cause of serious food poisoning.

And that is significant both because it establishes the potential for cannabinoids to treat several types of bacteria, and because it suggests their possible use in making existing antibiotics more effective.

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    Indeed, in the short term the most promising application for cannabis derivatives would appear to be in combination treatments with other antibiotics.

    There is as yet no miracle cure for the threat to modern medicine posed by the evolution of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

    If arguably the biggest advance made by medicine in the 20th century is not to be undone, however, the need for novel antibiotics is becoming desperate. This much-needed drug of tomorrow may in part arise from scientific exploration of cannabinoids.

    – CBD-Intel staff

    Photo: Herney Gómez

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    CannIntelligence

    This article was written by one of CannIntelligence’s international correspondents. We currently employ more than 40 reporters around the world to cover individual cannabis and cannabinoid markets. For a full list, please see our Who We Are page.