Can Cannabis Oil Cure Prostate Cancer?

July 17, 2013 by Dr. Geo Espinosa, N.D., L.Ac, CNS, RH (AHG)

Can Cannabis Oil Cure Prostate Cancer?

Cannabis oil has been on the minds of men with prostate cancer. It seems that many people want to know if cannabis oil can cure prostate cancer. If you ask any man who has used cannabis oil for prostate cancer and had his cancer go in remission, the answer is yes. If you ask a scientist, the answer will be that there is not a lot of data on the medical uses of cannabis oil. Read on to learn more about this alternative treatment for prostate cancer.

What Is Cannabis Oil?

Cannabis oil comes from Cannabis sativa, a plant that has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. This plant goes by many names, such as marijuana, hemp, or cannabis. Scientists have discovered in cannabis 66 biologically active components that are called cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are a group of compounds found in Cannabis species (Cannabis sativa L. and Cannabis indica Lam.). The most powerful cannabinoid is thought to be the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC. Other substances in the plant are also being studied for their medical benefits. Cannabinoids may have benefits in the treatment of cancer-related side effects. Hemp generally refers to the stalks and sterilized seeds, which have a much lower concentration of THC, and hempseed oil is more of a health food.

Health Benefits of Cannabis Oil vs. Hempseed Oil

The THC in cannabis is known to relieve pain, control nausea and vomiting, and stimulate appetite in people with cancer and AIDS. There are studies that suggest that cannabis oil or hemp oil can shrink cancer tumors as well as diabetes, ulcers, arthritis, migraines, insomnia, infections, skin cancer, and many other diseases.
Hempseed oil is considered a superfood with high levels of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and protein. The plant has a unique ratio of omega-3, omega-6, and GLA of 2:5:1. Hempseed oil is made from varieties of C. sativa that do not have a lot of THC, namely 0.3% or less. The phytosterols may offer some protection against prostate and other cancers, but hempseed oil does not contain the cannabinoids found in cannabis oil. You can also buy hempseed oil online or at a health food store.
Can Cannabis Oil Treat Prostate Cancer?
What proponents like about cannabis oil is that it is a natural treatment that does not seem to cause harm to other cells in the body and is better tolerated than chemotherapy. Unfortunately there are few reputable US studies on Cannabis for treating humans for prostate cancer. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence however of cannabis oil shrinking prostate cancer tumors while reducing pain, eliminating insomnia, and helping the patients have a general sense of well-being.
There are many stories of people who have used cannabis oil to shrink prostate cancer tumors, and many of the people had success combining the oil with traditional therapies to fight their cancer. The problem with getting hard data and studies is that United States laws make it challenging for clinical studies on the marijuana plant to take place. Plus, there seems to be a lack of funding for the research. The studies that have taken place tend to focus on symptoms (such as pain relief and nausea) rather than the efficacy of the cannabis oil to shrink cancer tumors.

Can Cannabis Oil Help with Cancer Symptoms? 

Cannabis oil contains cannabinoids. The potential benefits of cannabis oil is for relieving prostate cancer are shrinking tumors, pain relief, improved sleep, and and over feeling of well-being. Doctors who prescribe or recommend cannabis to cancer patients most commonly to do so for symptom management.

Are There Any Facts Showing Cannabis Works?

There are limited studies on medical uses for the cannabis plant. Most of the research involves cannabinoids, including THC, and not the low-THC hempseed oil.
In 1997, the US Government authorized an in-depth investigation into the medical use of marijuana. The Office of National Drug Control Policy commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the risks and health benefits of marijuana. The IOM offered several conclusions regarding the usefulness of medical marijuana.
According to the IOM, scientific data shows that cannabinoids, THC in particular, have some potential to relieve pain, control nausea and vomiting, and stimulate appetite. The effect of cannabinoids on the immune system is not clear. The research found that the reduced anxiety, sedation, and euphoria from cannabinoids could help certain patients and situations, but this could be distressing for others.
The researchers reviewed many studies and found that smoking marijuana delivers harmful substances and could increase lung diseases and certain types of cancer. Because marijuana contains many active compounds, the drug cannot provide precise effects unless they isolate individual components.
In recent discussions, scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD (cannabidiol) can kill or slow the growth of certain cancer cells growing in laboratory dishes. Some studies involving animals also suggest certain cannabinoids may slow growth and reduce spread of some forms of cancer. The problem is that these substances have not been tested in humans. At this time there is not any scientific evidence from US controlled studies in humans that cannabinoids can cure or treat cancer in people.
In 2008, a team of scientists in a combined effort between Spain, France, and Italy conducted laboratory tests that they published in The Journal Of Clinical Investigation. The researchers showed THC as a cure for brain cancer as well as had the ability to terminate other cancer cells in the body. They found that THC inhibits cell death and tumor metastasis while not affecting and maybe even protecting normal cells.

Is Cannabis Legal?

Cannabis is a controlled substance that classified as a Schedule I agent (which means that it is a drug with increased potential for abuse and no known medical use).
Legal Facts about Cannabis:

• By federal law, the possession of Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is illegal in the United States.
• Several states have medical marijuana laws that allow medical use of cannabis.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved cannabis as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition.
• Cannabinoids are chemical components of cannabis. Some cannabinoids such as dronabinol and nabilone are approved for the treatment of cancer-related side effects.

Laws define marijuana as, “all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin. It does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination.”

How Do You Get Cannabis Oil?

You can make your own cannabis oil. You can read about this at  CureYourOwnCancer.org. How much to take and how potent your oil will be are good questions. There just are not solid answers. Patients start by taking an amount about the size of a grain of rice and ramp up the amount.
A group in Santa Cruz, CA, called the Wo/men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), make a cannabis oil (from organic herb they grow) called “Milagro oil,” to treat various conditions. For cancer they recommend a gram of oil per day for 60 days, although some patients are affected by the psychoactive side effect. Diluting with hempseed oil is helpful for those cases.
There are several videos about how to make cannabis oil hosted by Rick Simpson online. Simpson has been providing people with instructions for making this oil for years and has politically active in getting word out about the medical value and cancer-fighting properties in cannabis oil. He has testimonials from patients on his site. The oil is usually ingested for cancer, but is also used topically or vaporized for other conditions. The process involves highly flammable alcohol and needs to be done with caution.
The level of cannabinoid in the cannabis plant is unpredictable and lower than the doses that have been used in animal studies; therefore any benefit from this compound requires the use of a purified and concentrated form. This applies to cannabis oil, because purified oils contain about the same ratios of compounds as the plants from which they come. Even though some fans of cannabis oil prefer to use Cannabis indica (rather than C. sativa) for its higher cannabidiol levels and lower THC levels, the levels are not consistent or predictable.
If you are interested in cannabis for treating prostate cancer, do further research on this drug. Be sure to check the laws in your state or country and talk to your doctor about possible complications.

References:

Cancer.gov
Cannabis and Cannabinoids. National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. 21 Mar 2013.
 Marijuana Growers Page
Raw Michelle. Cannabis oil is a highly efficient cancer cure. NaturalNews.com. 28 Sept 2011.
 Safe Access
Sircus, Mark. Spain Study Confirms Cannabis Oil Cures Cancer. Zen-Haven. 22 May 2013.
Simpson, Rick. Run From the Cure: How Cannabis Cures Cancer and Why No One Knows. Cannabis Culture. 7 Mar 2008.
Velasco G, Sánchez C, Guzmán M: Towards the use of cannabinoids as antitumour agents. Nat Rev Cancer 12 (6): 436-44, 2012.  [PUBMED Abstract]
Filed Under: Latest News and Articles, Men's Health, Prostate Cancer, Prostate Cancer Treatment

About Dr. Geo Espinosa, N.D., L.Ac, CNS, RH (AHG)
Dr. Geo is the Director of the Integrative Urology Center at New York University Langone Medical Center and the Chief Science Officer at Prostate Research Labs. Before joining NYU, Dr. Geo was a clinician, researcher and director of clinical trials at the Center for Holistic Urology at Columbia University Medical Center. He is a licensed naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Registered Herbalist. Dr. Geo is an author of the naturopathic entry in 1000 Cures for 200 ailments, by Harper Collins; March 2007 and “Prostate Cancer – Nutrients that may slow its progression,” Food and Nutrients in Disease Management – Maryland: Cadmus Publishing, 2009. He also serves on the editorial board of the Natural Medicine Journal.

Dr Geo is a frequent speaker at universities, medical schools and conferences on Integrative Health, nutrition and natural treatments for prostate disease. More on Dr. Geo

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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