Quick Take
A social media post claims cannabis can treat Alzheimer’s disease. We fact-checked and found the claim to be False.
The Claim
A Facebook post claims, “🌿🌿save it‼️Pickled cannabis with honey.. Properties that help treat 40 symptoms, according to the 15 day honey pickle recipe. 1. Alzheimer’s, forgetfulness”.
We found another social media post on Twitter that claims, “Cannabis has almost completely cured my mom of Alzheimer’s. So many people doubted that cannabis can cure “incurable” diseases if you eat a lot of cannabis over time”.
Fact Check
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease that degrades thinking and reasoning skills. The condition affects memory and makes it difficult for people to strike up a conversation.
As the condition worsens, people often find themselves unable to coordinate their five senses and think, reason or remember better. Such a situation withdraws people from their social life. An isolated person may experience loneliness or low self-esteem that further aggravates the condition making it tough to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
What is cannabis?
Cannabis is a cannabinoid drug that comes from the Cannabis sativa plant. Cannabis is a psychoactive drug widely known as marijuana used for recreational and medicinal purposes.
Can Cannabis treat Alzheimer’s disease?
Not exactly. No evidence confirms cannabis treats Alzheimer’s disease. The available literature only speculates cannabis may subdue dementia behaviours, agitation and aggression being the most common. Researchers are exploring the underlying mechanism of cannabis that reduces the dementia behaviours among people with the disease. That being the case, a study has shown that components of cannabis like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) might be effective and safe for use.
In conclusion, there is a lack of evidence to prove the claim. Moreover, the above-hyperlinked studies have also highlighted the need for more research on side effects, such as sedation, that comes along with the regular consumption of cannabis among people with dementia.
We asked Neurologist, Dr Abhishek Juneja, to share his expert opinion on current research on cannabis against Alzheimer’s disease. In response, Dr Juneja said, “Despite extensive ongoing research relating to cannabis and cognition, the existing evidence is inconclusive regarding its role in preventing or delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease”.
The Healthy Indian Project (THIP media) has already discussed cannabis may kill cancer cells in detail here.
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