NEW MERIT SEEN IN CANNABIS REMEDY

A cannabis folk remedy has been resurrected by scientists who
found that active ingredients in the drug reduce allergic reactions.

The research, conducted on mice, points the way toward new
cannabis-based treatments for irritated skin.

Extracts from the hemp plant were traditionally used to treat
inflammation and could be bought from chemists in the early part of
the 20th century.

But fears about the intoxicating effects of tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the chemical that causes the cannabis high, led to a ban on
sales in the 1930s.

The new research suggests that the herbalists who used cannabis
ointments to treat eczema knew what they were doing. Scientists now
believe that cannabis skin lotion, in a safe form too diluted to
affect the brain, could make a comeback.

The team from the University of Bonn in Germany stumbled on the
anti-inflammatory effect of THC while conducting a brain study on mice.

The animals were genetically engineered so they could not respond to
cannabinoids, either THC or its natural equivalents generated in the
brain.

Unexpectedly, the skin around ear clips placed on the mice to identify
them became red and sore. The scientists realised what this meant -
that cannabinoids act like a brake preventing the immune system from
running out of control and triggering inflammation.

For 20 years, scientists have known that the brain produces
cannabinoids, but it has not been clear why.

They appear to have psychological effects, and influence bone growth.
Another possible explanation now seems to be that they help regulate
the immune system.

The German scientists confirmed their suspicions by dabbing THC
ointment on the skin of mice exposed to allergens.

Professor Thomas Tuting, a member of the team, said: "If we dabbed THC
solution on to the animals' skin shortly before and after applying the
allergen, a lot less swelling occurred than normal.

"The THC attaches itself to the cannabinoid receptors and activates
them. In this way, the active substance reduces the allergic reaction."

He said the amount of THC needed to treat skin allergies would be far
too small to produce intoxicating effects.

Another treatment option was to develop drugs which prevent the
breakdown of natural cannabinoids in the brain.