Cannabidiol (CBD), extracted from the cannabis plant, is said to have a positive effect on many physical complaints. The MedUni Vienna has now taken a closer look at the promise of pain relief in a study – and has not achieved particularly positive results.
Even at high doses, CBD has not shown demonstrable effectiveness as a pain medicine, the scientists summarized the results in a press release. Nevertheless, CBD is used by some providers as a painkiller, e.g. marketed for knee osteoarthritis. Animal tests have shown that the substance has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect on joint wear. This was not the case in humans.
Substance that has been studied on humans for the first time
Pain researchers from MedUni Vienna investigated the effectiveness of the substance from the hemp plant against pain in humans for the first time. The results of the clinical study with patients from the University Clinic for Anesthesia, General Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy at MedUni Vienna and the General Hospital of Vienna have been published in the respected scientific journal “The Lancet Regional Health – Europe”.
High dosage, still no effect
The study involved 86 men and women with an average age of approximately 63 years who suffered from severe pain due to joint wear and tear in the knee (gonarthrosis). While half of the patients received oral doses of high-dose CBD, the other group received a placebo that was not recognizable as such, that is, a medicine without an active substance. As shown in the tightly controlled eight-week study period, CBD did not have a stronger analgesic effect than the placebo.
“No alternative to pain therapy”
“CBD is therefore not an alternative to pain therapy for knee osteoarthritis, so the search for more effective options must continue,” emphasizes Sibylle Pramhas, lead author of the study.
Currently, knee pain associated with gonarthrosis is treated with painkillers such as diclofenac, ibuprofen and/or tramadol. Side effects, but also contraindications due to the generally older age of those affected, prove to be major challenges.
Source: Krone
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