Among the 15 patients who adhered to treatment for at least 6 months, 10 were non-epileptic or had not experienced seizures for at least 1 year (Table 2 and Figure 1B). These patients showed positive effects in almost all evaluated categories, namely: ADHD, MD, AD, CSID, CD, and SD. Particularly among non-epileptic, nine (90%) Presented Improvement Equal to or above 30% in at least one of these categories, six (60%) presented improvement of 30% or more in at least two categories, and four (40%) presented improvement equal to or above 30% in at least four symptom categories (Table 2). Therefore, the present observational study corroborates the notion that the range of therapeutic benefits of CBD-enriched CE extends to several distinct autistic symptoms, even in non-epileptic patients.
The key statement above is, “these patients showed positive effects in almost all evaluated categories.” It’s actually quite remarkable, and with cannabis now being legalized around the world, at least medical cannabis, scientists and researchers are having an easier time conducting studies, which previously wasn’t so easy to do.
This particular study, from where the quote above comes from, was recently published in the Journal Frontiers in Neurology. You can access the full study here.
The study was conducted by Brazilian researchers, and they analyzed CBD-rich extracts containing 75:1 CBD:THC ratios among 19 patients. 4 of these patients were on other medications, and all experienced negative reactions to CBD in conjunction with prescription medications, which is important to note. CDB only had positive results on the the children who were not already on other medications. The study took 6 months, and the participants’ ages ranged from 6-17 years. They also consumed between 50-100mg of CBD orally each day.
The study concludes: “The findings presented here, taken together… indicate that CBD-enriched CE [cannabis extracts] yields positive effects in multiple autistic symptoms, without causing the typical side effects found in medicated ASD patients. Most patients in this study had improved symptoms even after supervised weaning of other neuropsychiatric drugs.”
There is also other research to compliment this.
Rachel White, a research associate scientists at Frances Jensen’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania recently presented at the 2019 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. She presented how “CBD had positive effects in the animals, and no negative ones. She also expressed how CBD eases eases seizures and improves learning and sociability in mice with mutations in an autism gene called CDKL5. The results add to the already robust evidence that cannabidiol, or CBD, can treat epilepsy and autism.
Another recent study conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center has concluded that medical cannabis can be a safe and significant treatment option for many symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in patients ages 18 and under. These symptoms include seizures, tics, depression, restlessness and even “rage attacks.”
In fact, the study, which monitored just under 200 Israelis under the age of 18, revealed remarkable information even Alex Berenson might have trouble disputing: Over 80 percent of the participants who were treated for six months showed either significant or moderate improvement, according to Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider of the BGU-Soroka Clinical Cannabis Research Institute. Less than 10 percent of participants experienced no noticeable effect from cannabis. And how many reported negative effects? Zero
