COVID-19 does not yet show any sign of slowing down and vaccinations are already several months out, maybe even a year away. In an effort to minimize the effects of such an insidious epidemic, the drive to try medicines already on the market has contributed to drastic transactions by some governments.
Early reports show that medicinal cannabis could have the ability to relieve COVID-19 symptoms.
Scientists have shown in a recent study that one of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids in cannabis-CBD-reduces lung damage caused by cytokine storms triggered by COVID-19 by encouraging a normal peptide to increase in levels.
A research exploring the prospect of applying CBD to oral solutions such as mouthwashes and throat gargling liquids with a view to ‘reducing or modulating ACE2 levels in high-risk tissues’ includes innovative approaches to the prevention of COVID-19. Studies also shown that during the evolution of COVID-19, ACE2 levels shift and hence the ability to modulate these levels becomes especially important as ACE2 has been shown to be necessary in animal models of SARS viruses for lung function.
The ability of cannabinoids and terpenes to lower the response of the immune system without suppressing it has been the focus of much research in this field.
The development of a possible cell therapy drug that utilizes CBD-loaded exosomes to treat COVID-19 patients is another novel method currently being explored in Israel.
