Study: Cannabis Can Slow, Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
Article updated in May 2020 adding new resources and studies to the article
A study conducted by researchers at the Roskamp Institute in Florida, and published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience,
has found that cannabis can slow the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, and may in fact be able to halt it entirely.
According to Corbin Bachmeier, Ph.D – who’s the lead researcher of the study – Alzheimer’s Disease is “the result of impaired Aβ [Amyloid-β protein] clearance from the brain”. According to this study, cannabis can solve this problem, making it a potential treatment.
Here’s the study’s abstract:
Emerging evidence suggests beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain is the result of impaired clearance, due in part to diminished Aβ transport across the blood–brain barrier (BBB).
Recently, modulation of the cannabinoid system was shown to reduce Aβ brain levels and improve cognitive behavior in AD animal models.
The purpose of the current studies was to investigate the role of the cannabinoid system in the clearance of Aβ across the BBB. Using in vitro and in vivo models of BBB clearance, Aβ transit across the BBB was examined in the presence of cannabinoid receptor agonists and inhibitors.
In addition, expression levels of the Aβ transport protein, lipoprotein receptor-related protein1 (LRP1), were determined in the brain and plasma of mice following cannabinoid treatment. Cannabinoid receptor agonism or inhibition of endocannabinoid-degrading enzymes significantly enhanced Aβ clearance across the BBB (2-fold).Moreover, cannabinoid receptor inhibition negated the stimulatory influence of cannabinoid treatment on Aβ BBB clearance. Additionally, LRP1 levels in the brain and plasma were elevated following cannabinoid treatment (1.5-fold), providing rationale for the observed increase in Aβ transit from the brain to the periphery.
The current studies demonstrate, for the first time, a role for the cannabinoid system in the transit of Aβ across the BBB. These findings provide insight into the mechanism by which cannabinoid treatment reduces Aβ burden in the AD brain and offer additional evidence on the utility of this pathway as a treatment for AD.
This research validates past studies including one presented in 2013, as well as one back in 2006), although this is the first to actually explain why cannabis can be beneficial to the disease.
A study was also completed in 2018 where THC was found to potentially reduce agitation in Alzheimer’s patients adding to the highly discussed benefits of both CBD and THC together in the cannabis plant.
More numerous studies have been conducted on the benefits of cannabis for vascular dementia, early and late stage dementia and dementia triggered by HIV that starting painting a promising picture of the value of cannabis to help sufferers of this disease.
Meanwhile, other plants like Tumeric and curcmin may also provide health benefits for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and may be valuable in conjunction to cannabis use.
Howard
There’s a terrific irony here. Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s disease (likely during part of his presidency). He possible could have benefited from cannabis to alleviate his condition. Yet he uttered this famous quote;
‘I now have absolute proof that smoking even one marijuana cigarette is equal in brain damage to being on Bikini Island during an H-Bomb blast.’
Hmm.
RonM
With millions and millions of aging citizens becoming afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia it has never been more important to loosen restrictions, decriminalize, and legalize marijuana.
Please sign the petition below we only need 9 more signatures for the petition to be posted on the Whitehouse petition website.
To all who cherish freedom,
Our nation watches and the resolve builds to end Marijuana Prohibition in the United States of America.
We have to keep the pressure on our government to decriminalize marijuana.
Please sign the new whitehouse petition,
http://wh.gov/lOmFK
Decriminalize marijuana, and pardon all marijuana convictions. Over 100,000,000 U.S. Citizens have used marijuana.
With over 500,000 marijuana arrests costing over $13 billion annually, and with more than half of U.S. Citizens favoring legalization the time is here to end marijuana prohibition.
Marijuana prohibition is very costly to society, wasting billions of dollars and billions of hours in law enforcement, justice system and penal system time, it also destroys families and personal lives and futures.
The effects of marijuana both physically and socially are less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, and adults should be entitled to make the decision whether or not to consume marijuana.
It’s time to finally put an end to the criminalization of marijuana, This would not only allow our government to save billions of dollars, but could be a source of income and bring in billions of dollars in revenue.
Please help to spread the word on any social media you can, we need this petition to go VIRAL!
Thank you,
RonM
GENNELL GRAHAM
LEGALIZE POT.
GENNELL GRAHAM
MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGALIZED. THERE ARE MORE PLUSSES THAN MINUSES.
toasty
Not for the Big Pharma companies.
Cindy Howell
At the age of 61 my husband has moderate to late Alzheimer’s . If this, or anything else, would help him, and the studies have been done…please put it out there for us to try!
Sally Jones
My husband is in the same shape as yours and there is no treatment at all. We would be happy to try anything at all if he could get even a little better.
Johnny
My mother who is 83 has Alzheimers its the hardest thing to look after her and slowly watch her waste away. She has wild mood swings from super happy to violent if the weed can help set it free and stop all our suffering
Patricia Vaughn
Cindy, I’m in the same boat and have been battling this disease for a number of years. I assume that I am carrying on the “family disease”. When I was diagnosed, I immediately became a Vegan and started exercising more. It really helped for quite some time. I think it still does, but just not as well. I still do everything I have always done. I still Take care of a large house, planning, shopping and cooking meals. I also still handle my own finances.. My Husband is very helpful and there to help when I am not having a good day.
D. Oberhaus
Now is the time, before I forget my children. Please allow us to opportunity to help ourselves by legalizing marijuana NOW.
KH Medical
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james
Yes please
Rebecca Franklin Spivey
Both my Mother in law and Father in law have cancer. I have spoken to both of them about cannabis oil, and they both were receptive to the ideal. My father in law is in really bad shape, and I would like so much to help them both. I love them and want them to heal from this disease, and I know cannabis oil will work. Problem is, I don’t know how to go about attaining it for them. Thank you.
carol
we carry it
Vicks kounelis
Like to know if I can get the cannabis oil to cure bone cancer stage 4 . I live in sydney australia.
Roxane
My husband who is 64 was showing very significant signs of cognitive impairment. Since both his parents have alzheimers it was very alarming. I read everything I could find about possible supplements for improving memory and started him on a number of them ( coconut oil, alpha gpc, huperzine a, ginko baloba, bacopa, etc.).
Recently I read about cannabis being more effective than the pharmaceuticals currently used for alzheimers, so I decided to try him on a very low non psychoactive dose daily.
I have been putting a very weak dose (not enough to be psychoactive) of homemade cannaoil in his coffee every night for the last two weeks and I have noticed he is no longer repeating himself and that his memory is significantly improved.
Perhaps there is no correlation and he is just having a good spell, but I am hopeful…
R. Boisvert
Roxane,
I see your post was in August, 2014. Have you noticed and more improvement since Aug. 2014
R. Boisvert
Maddy
I would like to know if you need the THC or only the thc free cannaboids to treat Alzheimer’s.
Pat
From what I have read, it is the THC that is good for the dementia (Google it). I come from a large family history of Alzheimer’s and was diagnosed at least about 4 or 5 years ago with mild cognitive impairment. I started doing research and kept coming back to articles about Cannabis helping Alzheimer’s. I do not want to spend my days high (it defeats the purpose), so I take CBD (the non psychoactive part of cannabis), two times during the day and THC at bedtime. So far that has worked very well for me. I have been doing this for at least several years and my Neurologist has been very happy with how slowly I am progressing. I do not take any of the recommended meds for dementia because I tried them early on and felt they did nothing for me. I also became a Vegan as soon as I was diagnosed and started exercising so much, that I have destroyed my knees and need at least one of them replaced. I don’t want to have surgery until I really have to for fear it will worsen the dementia. Basically, most people don’t eat really healthy and don’t exercise enough, so we need to “clean up our act” 😀 While it has not cured me, it has certainly not hurt me and like I mentioned above, my Dr. has been very pleased. Good luck to you. Please feel free to reply if you have any other questions. Just DON”T GIVE IN to this disease. We may not be able to cure it, but I have been able to slow it down and right now that will have to be enough.
Patricia Vaughn
I come from a huge family history of Alzheimer’s including my Mom, my maternal Aunt, my Grandmother, Great Aunt….When I was diagnosed, they gave me the standard meds for Alzheimer’s and they did nothing for me. I started doing research and decided that there was enough evidence that Cannabis may help that I decided to try it. That was probably about 5 years ago and I am still in the Mild Cognitive Impairment stage. I am still doing everything I have always done, including driving (just took a drivers test and aced it), taking care of my own finances and paying my own bills. Shopping and cooking all meals for my Husband and I, take care of our large house, cleaning, shopping, laundry etc. I am by no means cured, but I have not been progressing at the rate that I remember my other family members did. I think that part of it is my mindset. When my Mother was diagnosed, my Father never let her do anything after that. So she just sat down and let it happen. I refused to allow that to happen to me. I started researching and decided that it didn’t look like there was going to be a cure for a while, so I read about ways I might slow it down. I became a Vegan and started exercising so much I have destroyed my knees and need replacement on at least one. Because there is no cure at this point does not mean that we can’t slow it down. I will not kid you, it is not easy, changing your lifestyle, but the way I look at it is that it is better than what will happen if I don’t try. My Doctor has been quite impressed and I am hoping to keep it at bay until they find better treatments than what they have so far.
Patricia Vaughn
In regards to cannabis curing Alzheimer’s/dementia. My Mother’s side of the family must carry the gene because they all died with Alzheimer’s. I am next in line and decided I was not going down without a fight. After A LOT of research, I decided that there were no wonder drugs that were going to cure this disease and my best hope was to slow it down. Also from my research I found that my best bet was going to be “LIFESTYLE CHANGES”. I became a Vegan and started exercising so much I have destroyed my knees (they can be fixed). So far so good. My Neurologist has been very happy with how slowly I am progressing. I still doe EVERYTHING I have always done including taking care of a large house, planning, shopping and preparing all meals for my Husband and I. I also take care of my own finances. Fortunately, I really took to the Vegan diet and would continue even if I didn’t have health issues that it has helped. Everyone asks if it is hard and I tell them that it was a bit in the beginning, but I love the diet, so it doesn’t bother me to cook my Husband a nonvegan meal along with my vegan meal. My feeling has always been that you do what you need to do to stay healthy and happy.
Patricia Vaughn
Google CBD & THC for Alzheimer’s. My Mom’s side of the family has been plagued with it and I am next in line. I decided I was not going down without a fight. I started using CBD twice during the day and THC at night. While my neurologist is not condoning it she cannot ignore the fact that I am not progressing a fast as most. So far, so good.