Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease affecting joints. Its symptoms include pain, swelling, and stiffness. An estimated one percent of world population suffers from RA, with the majority of patients being women.

Progressive Patients

Studies have shown that RA patients often medicate with cannabis even without doctor’s recommendation. In 2005, Australian researches found out that 25 percent of respondents who illegally using cannabis have RA.

Unfortunately, the number of studies in this field is still negligible. One controlled experiment conducted in 2006 in the UK concluded that cannabis extract was capable of treating RA. Main benefits included significant decrease in pain during movement and calm state, the improvement in the quality of sleep, and inflammation and pain reduction. Experts did not observe any significant adverse side effects.

Studies on Animals

Studies with animals and laboratory cells suggest that cannabis can slow down gradual worsening of the disease. An academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published an article of British scientists in 2004, which shows that the administration of CBD (cannabidiol) suppressed the progression of RA in animals and cell cultures. After the symptoms flared up, cannabidiol was able to protect joints and stop further progression of arthritis.

In 2005, National Institute of Neuroscience published summary of existing research concerning RA. Their article in Journal of Neuroimmunology claims that “cannabinoid drugs could function not only as suppressors of swelling and joint pain, but also as direct medicine, which can slow down the progression of RA.”