Cannabis Research Studies Update: Insights from the Latest Healer Webinar

On October 23, 2024, Dustin Sulak, DO, founder of Healer, a cannabis education and product resource, hosted a two-hour webinar discussing several recent research studies involving cannabis. The monthly webinars are designed to provide a deep dive on certain studies involving medical cannabis and are open to attendees of any background. This month’s webinar covered cannabis for rheumatic disorders, menstrual symptoms, studies on cannabis roots, and eczema.

The first study presented in the webinar, Substituting Medical Cannabis for Medications Among Patients with Rheumatic Conditions in the United States and Canada, was a secondary analysis of an existing survey and published in September 2024 in ACR Open Rheumatology. One of the highlighted findings in this analysis was the high percentage of participants who reported substituting medications, including opioids and benzodiazepines, for cannabis. “What I liked about this study is that there are so many different conditions in this group, and then there's so many different classes of medications,” Dr. Sulak explained. “And it's amazing to me how versatile cannabis can be and how much it can substitute for these others, which tells us about its broad, versatile pharmacology.” He also discussed the limitations of the study and the interactions of the endocannabinoid system with the conditions.

The roots of the cannabis plant were the focus of the next study. “Rooted in therapeutics: comprehensive analyses of Cannabis sativa root extracts reveals potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and bactericidal properties,” was published in September 2024 in Frontiers in Pharmacology. Dr. Sulak first explained that cannabis roots are 30-50% of the plant’s biomass, yet there is little scientific evidence on the extracts. In this study, cuttings from the same mother plant, which were grown indoors in hydroponic and in soil conditions, were ground into powder, extracted in three different ways, then diluted to result in the same potency. Ultimately, six different extracts were examined. Dr. Sulak explained the various compounds discovered in the roots, and their potential therapeutic uses. “Antioxidant, anticholinesterase, anti-inflammatory properties, ability to protect mitochondrial membranes – these are all very valuable therapeutic properties,” he stated. “This study validates the traditional uses of cannabis roots, and it challenges the conventional status of cannabis roots as a waste product.”

The next study, “A survey-based, quasi-experimental study assessing a high-cannabidiol suppository for menstrual-related pain and discomfort,” was published in August 2024 in npj Women’s Health. Dr. Sulak described the setup of the survey, explaining the significance of results at one and two months into the survey, noting that, “correlations for premenstrual symptoms did not reach statistical significance, so didn't seem like these suppositories were that useful for the PMS, moreso for the actual menstrual symptoms, and more for congestive symptoms.” Guest speaker, Megan Mbengue, MSMCT, BSN, RN presented data on an open label cohort study involving cannabis suppositories for menstrual symptoms, discussing the results and answering attendee questions.

The final study, “An oil-in-water emulsion containing a combination of ginger extract and synthetic cannabidiol with potent in vitro anti-inflammatory effects alleviates symptoms of atopic dermatitis in a clinical trial,” was published in August 2024 in the European Journal of Dermatology. Dr. Sulak explained the three parts of the study: the screening of 24 proprietary extracts, the culture cell study, and the clinical trial with 44 participants. “One limitation on the study is that it lasted only five days,” Dr. Sulak explained. “But even in that short period of time, 75% of people got clinically meaningful itch relief. They consider this product an 'emollient plus,' so they have the emollient, which is there to add moisture and improve the barrier, but they're putting things in it that could address the underlying pathophysiology of the disease, in this case, CBD and ginger. And we now know that ginger is something that interacts with the endocannabinoid system, with cellular proof.”

The second part of the webinar was an open discussion on questions from attendees. “No question is too basic or too advanced,” Dr. Sulak stated. Topics involved reactive oxidative stress, osteoarthritis, and more on cannabis and cognitive decline.