CBD Kills Cancer Cells, Leaves Healthy Cells

Despite a growing number of reports

and case studies regarding the cancer-busting properties of cannabis, the clinical use of cannabinoids as a treatment for cancer is unlikely to get the green light until scientists can figure out exactly how it interacts with tumors. While research on this subject has been frustratingly slow, a series of new studies have begun to shed light on the potent anti-cancer properties of CBD.

Commenting on these findings,

lead researcher Dr. Matt Dun explained that “we initially used leukemia cells and were really surprised by how sensitive they were [to Eve]”. The team later tested their high-CBD cannabis on pediatric brainstem glioma cells and found that it was equally effective at killing off these cancerous cells.

Significantly, though, Dun says that “the cannabis didn’t kill normal bone marrow cells, nor normal healthy neutrophils [white blood cells].” This is hugely important, as it suggests that CBD works via some sort of “cancer-selective mechanism,” whereby it is able to recognize and target tumors while leaving healthy cells untouched.

The race is now on to figure out how CBD produces these anti-cancer effects, with hopes high that cannabis could soon become an approved cancer treatment.

So far,

studies have indicated that CBD targets cancer via a number of different pathways. For instance, it is generally accepted that CBD differs from other cannabinoids like THC in that it has a low affinity for the body’s cannabinoid receptors, and instead binds with other kinds of receptors known as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). One such receptor, known as GPR55, has been found to play a significant role in the development of numerous types of cancer, and researchers theorize that CBD may interfere with this process by binding to this receptor[i].