Study: THC and CBDA Effective in Treating and Preventing Nausea, Stimulating Appetite
Administration of extremely small amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) – both cannabis compounds – is effective in treating and preventing nausea, and stimulating appetite, in those going through chemotherapy, a new study has found. The study was published in the journal Psychopharmacology, and published online by the National Institute of Health.
“The objective of this study was to determine the effect of combining subthreshold oral doses of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) on acute and anticipatory nausea in rat models of conditioned gaping”, states the study’s abstract.
In conducting the study, researchers found that; “For acute nausea, i.g. administration of subthreshold doses of THC (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) or CBDA (0.5 and 1 μg/kg) significantly suppressed acute nausea-induced gaping, whereas higher individual doses of both THC and CBDA were maximally effective.”
They continue; “Combined i.g. administration of higher doses of THC and CBDA (2.5 mg/kg THC-2.5 μg/kg CBDA; 10 mg/kg THC-10 μg/kg CBDA; 20 mg/kg THC-20 μg/kg CBDA) also enhanced positive hedonic reactions elicited by saccharin solution during conditioning.”
For anticipatory nausea; “combined subthreshold i.g. doses of THC (0.1 mg/kg) and CBDA (0.1 μg/kg) suppressed contextually elicited conditioned gaping. When administered i.g., THC was effective on its own at doses ranging from 1 to 10 mg/kg, but CBDA was only effective at 10 μg/kg. THC alone was equally effective by intraperitoneal (i.p.) and i.g. administration, whereas CBDA alone was more effective by i.p. administration (Rock et al. in Psychopharmacol (Berl) 232:4445-4454, 2015) than by i.g. administration.
The study concludes; “Oral administration of subthreshold doses of THC and CBDA may be an effective new treatment for acute nausea and anticipatory nausea and appetite enhancement in chemotherapy patients.”
The full study can be found by clicking here.