MARIJUANA'S HEALING PROPERTIES

A substance in marijuana that does not have any mind-altering effects may
be useful for protecting the mind from the damaging effects of stroke and
disease.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Mental Health found that
cannabidiol appears to protect the brain cells of rats in experiments in
the laboratory, according to a report in the July 7 issue of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Aidan J. Hampson and his colleagues put cannabidiol into laboratory dishes
with rat brain cells that had been exposed to toxic levels of a brain
chemical called glutamate.

Strokes can cause the release of levels of glutamate that overstimulate and
kill brain cells. So-called antioxidants can protect against this process.
In the experiments, cannabidiol did exactly that, performing better than
vitamins C and E.

The findings suggest, the scientists say, that the substance may be useful
for protecting the brain from strokes, as well as brain diseases such as
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Checked-by: Richard Lake