Cannabinoids vs. COVID – The first cannabinoid-based COVID-19 treatment hits the public market

It’s been three years since the pandemic broke out, and while it may seem like life has returned to normal for many of us, there are still thousands of people who have or will get COVID-19.

But thanks to science, vaccines, and medicines, even more lives have been saved. However, that doesn’t mean the fight is over. The virus still exists very much around us and therefore we need more advanced treatments. Fortunately, researchers have found that cannabis, hemp, and its therapeutic cannabinoids have the potential to fight and treat COVID-19.

Now, a company has created the first cannabinoid acid-based product designed to prevent and treat COVID-19. Van Breemen, which makes herbal and wellness products, created the hemp-based Original Wellness Formula, a blend invented by researcher Dr. Richard van Breemen of Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, reports Benzinga. dr van Breemen has just started his company as he founded his work based on research which found that some cannabinoid acids in the hemp plant are beneficial for the treatment and prevention of coronavirus.

Last January, the research work of Dr. van Breemen entitled “Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants” in the renowned medical journal Journal of Natural Products. It was a breakthrough for the industry and the world at large as scientists were still struggling to find ways to prevent and treat this mysterious virus. They intend to submit the formula to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval soon.

“We believe in improving the conversation by bringing physicians and scientists together and delivering a product we can stand behind,” Jacob Crabtree, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told Benzinga. “Van Breemen’s wellness formula is this product,” he said.

“Our goal is to achieve optimal health through the use of plants and science and to change the way we look at complementary medicine,” said van Breemen. “Cannabinoids like CBGA and CBDA are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. These cannabinoids are abundant in hemp and have a positive safety profile in humans. We are very proud to be able to offer consumers our first such hemp-based product,” he said.

The original flavor of the wellness formula product is pineapple, with more flavors to be developed soon. Designed for sublingual use, it is a full-spectrum cannabis product at 124 mg per serving. The suggested retail price is currently $49.99.

The study

dr van Breemen led the study, which found that CBDA and CBGA were the most promising cannabinoids for targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. In the experiments, they found that when a pseudovirus expressed the spike glycoprotein, it was successful in blocking the human epithelial cell.

It was also significant that both hemp-derived cannabinoids successfully stopped infection, as did their variants, including the beta and alpha strains. The study authors stated that the concentrations required to stop infections of 50% of the viruses are clinically achievable. Additionally, CBDA bioavailability data indicated that serum concentrations and micromolar plasma can be used for tolerability and efficacy.

“Because we believe that the primary binding site for CBGA is allosteric, there may be even less evolutionary pressure for SARS-CoV-2 to mutate its binding sites compared to the orthosteric binding sites typically favored by neutralizing antibodies,” they said the authors.

“Clinical trials are absolutely necessary to prove that the mechanism of action that we have identified in small molecules can indeed prevent infection in humans or shorten the course of our COVID infection in humans,” said Dr. van Breemen to The Sun.

Can Cannabis Really Treat COVID?

The use of cannabis to treat and prevent COVID-19 is downright controversial. It’s garnered a lot of media attention, but we think it’s deserved. Finally, cannabis is known for its numerous therapeutic and antiviral properties.

But we cannot deny what science says.

Another recent study suggests that CBD may help prevent or treat the dreaded virus. According to University of Chicago’s Marsha Rosner, lead researcher on a team that discovered CBD helped treat the virus in laboratory experiments, CBD makes strong arguments without claiming that it would work.

For their study, the researchers used small doses of purified CBD, similar to what patients with severe epilepsy would take medication with. Rosner and her team discovered that instead of stopping the virus from infecting cells, CBD acted immediately once the virus entered cells, although it stopped it from making copies of itself through its action on interferon, an inflammatory protein to replicate.

Meanwhile, another animal study in 2020 discovered that CBD could be effective at reducing cytokines, which helped improve clinical symptoms in mouse models exhibiting symptoms similar to COVID-19.

No endorsement from the FDA

Both the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are warning consumers against using CBD to treat COVID-19. They have issued 7 warning letters to hemp CBD companies that do not claim their products can “mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure” any disease.

“The FDA has not approved or approved any CBD-containing drug to treat or prevent COVID-19,” they said.

“We ask that you take immediate action to stop the sale of any unapproved or unauthorized product used to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19,” the FDA wrote.

It is best for consumers to consult with cannabis-savvy physicians before self-medicating with cannabis for such a life-threatening condition. However, we hope that more research can be done to save more lives.

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