A team of scientists has high hopes for a potential breakthrough blocker for the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19).
It has discovered that strains of medical cannabis may help prevent contracting COVID infections.
At least a dozen cannabis plants of the hundreds tested were high in CBD that appeared to affect the ACE2 pathways that the virus uses to access the body, the researchers from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada discovered.
The findings won’t lead to a vaccine,
says the Calgary Herald
, but rather other delivery methods that could make people more resistant to COVID-19.
Early indications are that the cannabis extracts could be used in mouthwash and throat gargle products as well as inhalers for both at-home treatment and clinical practice,
according to CTV News.
The scientists say COVID’s entry points could potentially be reduced by as much as 70 to 80 percent by cannabis.
“Our work could have a huge influence — there aren’t many drugs that have the potential of reducing infection by 70 to 80 percent,” one of the scientists told the Calgary Herald.
The next steps are for the study to be peer-reviewed and for clinical trials to be scheduled.
The scientists’ results were published in Preprints, an online journal.
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