THC and CBD Edibles More Effective at Pain Relief Than CBD Alone
/By Pat Anson
Yet another study has found that cannabis products containing both THC and CBD are more effective in treating chronic pain than products made with CBD alone.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder enrolled 243 people with chronic low back pain to evaluate the pain relieving effects of marijuana edibles over a 14-day period. Participants visited a dispensary of their choice and selected a THC-dominant edible, a CBD-dominant edible, or an edible that contained both CBD and THC.
Of the 243 participants, 97 selected CBD-dominant products, 112 chose THC/CBD products, and only 36 selected a THC-dominant product. They were told to take the edibles as often as they wanted for two weeks.
The study findings, published in the journal Biomedicines, show that pain levels were modestly lower for participants who selected THC-dominant products or edibles containing both THC and CBD. No comparable reduction was reported among those using CBD-dominant products.
After 14 days, the most significant reduction in pain intensity was -14.4% for those who took THC/CBD edibles, followed by THC-dominant edibles (-7.9%), and CBD-dominant edibles (-1.9%).
Because there was no uniformity in the frequency or doses of THC and CBD that participants took, researchers say their findings should be viewed with caution.
But overall, there was a greater benefit from using products with both THC and CBD, suggesting there is a synergistic effect between the two substances in reducing inflammation, one of the primary causes of chronic pain.
“These findings indicate a complex interrelationship between THC and CBD, with THC-associated reductions in daily pain intensity attenuated by increasing doses of CBD, and products containing both THC and CBD associated with longitudinal reductions in pain intensity,” researchers said.
“Statistically, the use of CBD-dominant products was not associated with any reductions in pain intensity at the daily or longitudinal levels, and these associations did not change regardless of how often participants used their products.”
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, while CBD (cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound believed to have health benefits. About 3 times as many participants in the study chose CBD-dominant edibles over THC-dominant ones, suggesting they wanted to avoid sensations of getting “high.”
“Many individuals see CBD as an attractive alternative therapy for mitigating chronic pain compared to THC. This may be the result of CBD not producing the intoxicating effects that are associated with THC. Yet, the use of CBD-dominant products and increasing doses of CBD were not associated with reductions in pain intensity in the present study,” researchers concluded.
Previous studies of cannabis products have shown that the pain-relieving benefits of CBD alone are minimal, at best.
A recent review of studies found that cannabis products with relatively high levels of THC provide small improvements in chronic pain, while those with high levels of CBD have minimal or no effect on pain.
In a 2019 study of self-reported data from over 3,300 cannabis users, researchers said THC was more effective than CBD alone in treating chronic pain, insomnia and other medical conditions. Cannabis products containing higher doses of THC provided the most relief.
Another small study conducted in Israel found that microdosing small amounts of THC significantly reduced pain levels in patients suffering from neuropathy.
