CBD AND COVID: Is there a correlation to relief?

The last two years have changed the way we think about the world. We’ve been living with an ongoing global pandemic that has left us with a lot of unanswered questions about the health of our species as a whole. And one of those questions has been: Does weed help COVID?

There are some new studies that are actually suggesting the answer to that question could be a positive one. Covid 19 marijuana research is still in the very early stages of its infancy, but there are a few cannabis scientists who say the research that has been done thus far seems to look promising.

Several studies have been done by a few different institutions on the interactions between COVID and cannabis, and most of them point to CBD, CBDA, and CBGA being the most potentially effective for cannabis coronavirus relief. But there’s also some budding evidence that may suggest that other cannabinoids may be beneficial for coronavirus relief as well.

We’re here to take a look at the research that’s been done up until this point so we can share with you what we know so far. Scientific research and discoveries are constantly changing, so it’s important to stay updated. As of the writing of this article (January 2022), this is what we’ve learned so far about the interactions between COVID and cannabis.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. Delta Munchies is not endorsing, promoting, or recommending the use of cannabis to cure or prevent COVID-19. Delta Munchies is not endorsing, promoting, or recommending the use of cannabis as a replacement for the COVID-19 vaccine. Everything included in this article is for discussion purposes only.

COVID and Cannabis

There’s one study in particular that has people talking, and it was done by the Journal of Natural Products which can be found in the National Library of Medicine. To summarize the findings of the study, two chemical compounds within the raw cannabis plant, CBGA (cannabigerolic acid) and CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), were found to show some promise in regards to combating coronavirus by binding to the spike proteins found on the virus and blocking it from infecting the host with the viral pathogen.

It’s important to remember that these studies were done on CBGA and CBDA, both of which turn into different cannabinoids (CBG and CBD, respectively) after undergoing the process of decarboxylation (or combustion.) This means that smoking weed may alter the way these chemicals interact with the body which will, in turn, change how they interact with the coronavirus.

Because the studies done thus far have pointed to the chemical compounds CBGA and CBDA as the most effective when it comes to coronavirus relief, this could lead some to believe that the best method of consumption would actually be eating weed raw. When you consume the weed before it undergos the process of decarboxylation, it lets you reap the full benefits of the raw compounds CBGA and CBDA.

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Does Smoking Weed Help With Covid?

So, is weed good for covid? The research is pointing toward a potential yes, but not by smoking it. COVID-19 is a disease that primarily attacks the respiratory system, so smoke inhalation of any kind poses a potential risk of increased damage, irritation, inflammation, or exacerbation of existing respiratory trauma.

Edibles and COVID

Edibles are a great way to use weed to help with COVID since you’re not inhaling the cannabinoid through the lungs. Since COVID has been known to cause severe and long-lasting damage to the lungs and respiratory system, it’s important to keep them as strong and clear of toxins as possible.

Thankfully, edibles are one of the most popular ways to enjoy cannabis, so there are endless options to choose from. If you enjoy the psychoactive experience, you can use edibles containing THC, but if you’re more interested in the medical effects without the high, you can also find edibles that contain strictly delta-8 or CBD.

CBD and COVID

Besides CBDA and CBGA, CBD has been the most widely researched cannabinoid for it’s potential relief with coronavirus. A study done in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Science Advances by a team of 33 researchers from both the University of Chicago and the University of Louisville stated that, in a survey of 1,212 Americans, those who were regularly taking CBD showed negative COVID-19 tests at a much higher rate than those who did not.

Even though CBD shows huge promise when it comes to cannabis coronavirus relief, it’s best administer in ways that don’t include smoking. CBD comes in many different forms other than as raw flower or in vapes––you can use an oil-based CBD tincture, CBD gummies, or even CBD-infused beverages to administer the cannabinoid into your body without having to smoke it.

Cannabis as Medicine

The industry will certainly continue to study potential cannabis coronavirus relief. Cannabis has been used in medicine for thousands of years, so it’s not surprising that there is research being conducted now about how COVID and cannabis potentially interact.

Since many of the symptoms of COVID are things that cannabis is known to help with, it seems only right that it may produce some relief. People have used marijuana as a fever reducer, pain reliever, sleep aid, and inflammation reducer. Marijuana will not cure any diseases, especially a virus, but they can be extremely beneficial for helping to alleviate the severity of certain side effects.

So, can weed help with covid? To have a concrete answer to that question, a lot more research needs to be done. Since COVID-19 is such a new virus, there are still a lot of unknowns about it how it works, the long-term effects of the virus, and what kinds of medicines and methods work the best against it.

Thankfully, it seems that the cannabis industry is focused on continuing the research that has been done so far. So hopefully, in the future, we will be able to have a more definitive answer surrounding the interactions of COVID and cannabis.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. Delta Munchies is not endorsing, promoting, or recommending the use of cannabis to cure or prevent COVID-19. Delta Munchies is not endorsing, promoting, or recommending the use of cannabis as a replacement for the COVID-19 vaccine. Everything included in this article is for discussion purposes only.