Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Although the exact cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) remains unknown, it is known that, like other various physiological processes, the GI tract is controlled by the body’s endocannabinoid system. Researchers explain that the colon muscle of someone with IBS is hypersensitive, which causes it to spasm after even the smallest stimulation because of a disruption in the communication pathway between the brain and the GI tract.

Cannabis can help alleviate symptoms of IBS because it can regulate the endocannabinoid system.

The most abundant psychoactive cannabinoid, THC, is known for being an effective reliever of pain and nausea, which are two of the most common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. CBD, the most abundant non-psychoactive cannabinoid works is a powerful anti-spasmodic that also produces calming effects in patients.

Experts report that, in the treatment of IBS and many other conditions, the medical efficacy of each individual cannabinoid found in medical cannabis increases dramatically when they work together in a process known as the entourage effect. For example, CBC works synergistically with THC to increase the amount of the gastrointestinal regulating endocannabinoid, anandamide, that is in the body at any given time. More anandamide in the system equates to reduced pain because it prevents excessive spasms in the gut wall.

Studies

• Cannabinoids and >GI Disorders: Endogenous and Exogenous
• Cannabidiol in inflammatory bowel diseases: A brief overview
• CBD reduces intestinal inflammation through the control of neuroimmune axis
• Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): Can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions?
• Cannabinoid actions at TRPV channels: Effects on TRPV3 and TRPV4 and their potential relevance to gastrointestinal inflammation
• Beneficial effect of the non-psychotropic plant cannabinoid cannabigerol on experimental inflammatory bowel disease 
• CBD and the gut: New developments and emerging concepts
• Endocannabinoids and the gastrointestinal tract
• CBD and gastrointestinal motility
• Getting into the weed: the role of the endocannabinoid system in the brain-gut axis
• Therapeutic potential of cannabinoid-based drugs