The mysterious syndrome that marijuana causes can be calmed down by a hot shower

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• Cough, runny nose, and colds affect most of us during the winter season. Although it is difficult to directly cure these ubiquitous viruses, we can at least significantly alleviate their symptoms - and this is exactly where medicinal cannabis can help.
• Read on to learn how to incorporate cannabis and coneflower (Echinacea) into your lifestyle to relieve cold symptoms.

What causes coughs and colds in winter?

The common cold is a disease of viral origin that spreads very quickly, especially during the winter season. This disease, caused not by one but by as many as 200 types of viruses, involves a whole range of symptoms, such as a dry or wet cough, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, fever, and fatigue.

One of the most common viral culprits is the so-called rhinovirus ("rhino" means "nose" - simply translated as the "nasal virus"), which has 3 basic types and as many as 99 subtypes. The common cold is also often caused by viruses such as coronavirus, adenovirus, enterovirus, or the influenza virus.

How does a cold affect the human body?

The viruses that cause colds are transmitted mainly through touch and through the air. That is why it is extremely important to maintain proper hygiene and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing!

As soon as the virus enters the body, it immediately gets to work. First, it infects the mucous membrane of the nose, mouth, and throat, and then it begins to multiply rapidly. In most cases, these viruses cannot cause permanent damage - however, they do trigger an immune system response, which recognizes the foreign intruder and tries to eliminate it. However, in people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or a weakened immune system, the common cold can be a serious problem.

Many rhinoviruses act in a similar way - they first bind to an immune system protein (intercellular adhesion molecule 1, ICAM-1), which is found on the outer layers of epithelial cells - which form the outer layer of the mucous membrane. In this way, the virus enters the cell, infects it, takes control of it, and begins to multiply.

ICAM-1 molecules hold together primarily in response to certain forms of external stress or damage. Once they are infected by rhinoviruses, they trigger an immune response that causes such an unpleasant sore throat. The immune response of these molecules is key to recovery, but at the same time, it is responsible for most of the unpleasant sensations associated with a cold.

Cannabinoids and ICAM-1

The fact that the endocannabinoid and immune systems of the body are interconnected is well known today. The action of cannabinoids as triggers of a whole range of immune responses has been demonstrated in many studies. However, when it comes to what interaction occurs between ICAM-1 molecules, cannabinoids, and rhinoviruses, almost nothing is known - further research is needed.

However, there is some evidence of an interaction between these molecules. For example, it has been observed that cannabinoids can stimulate the activity of ICAM-1 molecules in breast cancer, which further leads to an improved ability of the body to program cancer cell death and thus prevents it from spreading.

This may be good news for people with cancer, but programmed cell death is not really useful for a cold. However, it appears that cannabinoids interact with ICAM-1 molecules differently depending on the situation. For instance, in the case of a cold, higher activity of ICAM-1 molecules is the last thing we need - viruses can use this activity to their advantage to multiply.

For example, during research into the effects of cannabis on multiple sclerosis, it was found that cannabinoids can, on the contrary, reduce ICAM-1 activity and thus slow down the progression of this disease. What is particularly interesting is that the development of multiple sclerosis has been linked to the activity of rhinoviruses.

However, much more research is still needed into the mechanism of transmission and pathology of rhinoviruses, along with their impact on the development of multiple sclerosis. Nevertheless, it is already clear that the endocannabinoid system plays an important role in any case. Thus, there is potential for cannabinoids to act as inhibitors of ICAM-1 activity, which could be helpful both in understanding the treatment of the common cold and in the therapy of more serious diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

So how can medicinal cannabis help with a cold?

No matter how hard we try, it is highly likely that sooner or later one of those 200 viruses will find its way through our defense mechanisms and give us a classic cough and sore throat. At this point, unfortunately, there is little to be done - viruses mutate quickly enough that we cannot develop a truly effective antiviral drug. So, there is nothing left to do but let the body's immune system do its work and accept that we will be feeling "under the weather" for a few days. What we can do, however, is try to alleviate cold symptoms as much as possible - gargle with salt water, drink tea with honey, rinse the nasal passages with saline, or take ibuprofen.

What about medicinal cannabis? There is a body of evidence suggesting that cannabis has both analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. THC, CBD, CBC, and CBG are cannabinoids known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, cannabis contains many terpenes and terpenoids that have a similar effect - for example, linalool, limonene, or eucalyptol.

In addition to their anti-inflammatory action, terpenes are also known for their calming and sedative properties, which can be particularly useful during illness and can enhance the subjective feeling of mental comfort. Moreover, many people lose their appetite during a cold - in such cases, the classic cannabinoid THC, well known as an appetite stimulant, comes in handy.

How to use medicinal cannabis for a cold

When you have a cold, your nose is usually stuffy, you have a sore throat, phlegmy or irritated bronchi, and red eyes - smoking anything will certainly not help in this case. Even vaping, a much gentler method of administration than classic smoking, may only make things worse.

Therefore, in case of a cold, it is best to stick to the application of prescription cannabis in teas, edibles, and other food products, ointments, and other things that will in no way irritate the already sore throat and bronchi.

By far the most popular choice for a cold is cannabis tea. The tea itself has a beneficial effect on subjective comfort. However, if you add a cannabis or CBD extract to it, you will additionally enrich it with anti-inflammatory effects. If you don't have a cannabis extract or CBD, check out our guide on how to prepare good quality tea from prescription medicinal cannabis.

The combination of cannabinoids and substances found in tea (for example, flavonoids called catechins, known as excellent helpers in the fight against colds) creates a very effective way to find relief on days when you have a cold.

Coneflower, endocannabinoids, and rhinovirus

Interestingly, one of the valuable studies on the endocannabinoid system and its reaction to the rhinovirus focuses on a completely different plant than cannabis - the plant known as coneflower (Echinacea). The active substances of this plant (alkylamides) interact with both known endocannabinoid receptors - CB1 and CB2. From previous research, it is known that these "cannamimetic" substances act as an antiviral agent and can shorten the duration of cold symptoms by up to 4 days.

Coneflower against the common cold

These results were obtained directly in clinical trials, on the basis of which the researchers concluded that coneflower can effectively reduce the intensity and duration of a cold. The overall mechanism of action of this plant is not yet fully understood, but it is known that its effect is mediated by the body's endocannabinoid system.

A combination of medicinal cannabis and coneflower emerges as an ideal choice for cold therapy. Although it is not entirely clear how exactly these two plants work in the human body, it would be a shame to overlook their medicinal benefits in the case of a cold.

The common cold is a disease that is the cause of most work absences and "sick leaves," and the sale of medications - in some cases of dubious quality - ultimately costs a lot of money.

Much more thorough research is needed to fully understand the mechanism of action of natural substances in the human body. However, as time goes by, it is becoming increasingly clear that we must "return to our roots" and investigate much more thoroughly the therapeutic potential of these very interesting plants.

Author: Seshata

Translation: Filip Maral

Source: sensiseeds

Photos: denalihealthcaremi garten