Well! Just reading that made me giggly and gave me the munchies. Think I’ll go eat lunch now.Treatment with the active ingredient of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can destroy human and mouse cancer cells by stimulating autophagy, the natural process leading to cell death, according to a report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.Maria Salazar, of Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, and colleagues cultured a human glioma cell line (U87MG) and mouse cancer cells, then treated the study cells with THC. The researchers examined treated and untreated cells under electron microscope for comparison. Immunostaining was performed to detect markers for endoplasmic reticulum stress response, a cellular process that stimulates autophagy and cell death. The researchers also examined biopsy tissue from two glioblastoma multiforme patients who were treated with THC.The investigators found that the THC treatments induced ceramide accumulation, eukaryotic translation and phosphorylation that activated an endoplasmic reticulum stress response in the THC-treated cells, a pathway that led to autophagy. Cells displaying increased autophagy also were observed in the tumor samples obtained from the two THC-treated glioblastoma patients. Conversely, in cells in which the autophagy process was genetically inhibited or inhibited by drugs, the THC was ineffective, the report indicates.“These findings describe a mechanism by which THC can promote the autophagic death of human and mouse cancer cells and provide evidence that cannabinoid administration may be an effective therapeutic strategy for targeting human cancers,” the authors write.
Marijuana can effectively treat many medical conditions, and it would not cost very much if its price were not kept artificially high because it’s an illegal drug in many parts of the world.
Marijuana can be easily grown almost anywhere. When used to treat various diseases it has minimal side effects. The powers that be hate effective, safe and affordable medications.
Yeah, no kidding–especially when they grow so easily that you can find them as roadside weeds if you know where to look. Even severely ill people can readily grow their own pot indoors–a Toronto friend of my brother’s, who has severe epilepsy, does that in his apartment. He’s one of the few who have permits to do it, too, and he STILL gets busted by overzealous cops who don’t know the difference between personal use cultivation and a grow-op. This guy swears it’s the only thing that stops his seizures without doping him. Which leads me to conclude that when used medicinally, it won’t make you high or otherwise impair you. The body directs the active compounds to where they need to go.
I recall reading somewhere, too, that nerve cells in our bowels have receptors specially fitted for the uptake of THC and other cannabinoid compounds. This would indicate to me that we are evolved to use marijuana medicinally, particularly for neurological conditions. That’s something you’ll never see these puritanical prohibitionists admitting to!
I’d grow pot in my organic herb garden if it were legal. Keep some for my rheumatism and irritable bowel, and give the rest to my doctor to prescribe for patients with MS, epilepsy, glaucoma, cancer, etc. I’m good at tincturing medicinal herbs, and I’m sure that stuff would work in eyedropper doses for what ails me.