A recent study from the Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, has examined the Pain reducing and anti-inflammatory properties of chemical components, called cannabinoids, in cannabis.  Specifically, CBD, Cbda (CBD’s acidic precursor, cannabidiolic acid) and THC were studied in an animal model of acute inflammation, in the paw of a rat.  Cannabis has shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperalgesia (lowering of pain response) properties, but the exact plant components causing these effects were the target of this study.

Researcher results demonstrated that CBDA was the most effective at relieving both pain and inflammation when administered intraperitonially 60 minutes prior to carrageenan-induced inflammation.  Both CBDA and THC given orally had anti-hyperalgesia effects, and the THC also reduced inflammation.  Comparatively, equal dosage of CBD did not display the same pain-relieving results, which led researchers to conclude that CBDA is more effective for this application.  Interestingly, when very low doses of CBDA and THC were not effective on their own, when combined, they produced anti-hyperalgesia effects, along with, reduced inflammation.

This study was able to importantly identify the effects of different components of the cannabis plant and the medicinal properties they possess.  While CBD was not the most effective at managing pain and inflammation in this study, a different cannabinoid, CBDA, was extremely effective.  CBDA can be found in many CBD-rich products such as tinctures, topicals and edibles.

To read more about the aforementioned study from the University of Guelph, click here.