CANNABIS MAY HELP LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

New York, June 20 (IANS) A chemical compound found in cannabis, also
known as hashish or marijuana, may help lower blood pressure, say
scientists after testing it on rats.

Yehoshua Maor, a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Israel, has created a synthetic version of a minor cannabis
constituent named cannabigerol, which has been shown to help in
lowering blood pressure, reported science portal The News Medical.

Maor carried out laboratory experiments with rats and found that this
novel compound reduced blood pressure when administered to rats in
relatively low doses.

The additional tests carried out by him also showed that the compound
brought about another beneficial effect -- relaxation of the blood
vessels. The compounds produced an anti-inflammatory response.

These qualities have the potential for development of a valuable new
clinical drug with a major market potential, especially for patients
suffering from inflammation of the blood vessels as a result of
hypertension, and others with metabolic irregularities, Maor believes.

Cardiovascular disease accounts for about one-third of all deaths in
industrialised countries, and is the leading reason for visits there
to physicians as well as for drug prescriptions.