Hemp oil can help treat chronic neuropathic pain: study

Medical professionals and researchers throughout the U.S. are seeking to steer patients away from opioids and other addictive medications. The University of New Mexico released a study in May, published in the scientific journal Life, that offers positive long-term results related to the expanded use of hemp oil to treat chronic neuropathic pain.

The biggest takeaway from the study is the increased efficacy of hemp oil, which may represent an opportunity to move away from dependence on the pharmacological use of opioids and opioid-derivatives.

Conventional pharmacological drugs are reportedly ranking high as one of the leading forms of causing preventable deaths, and conventional medical errors are said to be the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

“Cannabis plants with low THC are still psychoactive, but tend to result in less psychedelic experiences, while still offering profound and often immediate relief from symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and depression,” says co-researcher Jacob Miguel Vigil, Ph.D., an associate professor in the university’s psychology department.

The researchers used mice to examine both the efficacy and the safety of cannabis products. For several hours after receiving a dose of hemp oil, the mice demonstrated reduced pain. Cannabis oils have been used to relieve aches and pains, anxiety, sleep disturbances and other maladies.

Cannabis plants can also produce cannabinoid (CBD). If your CBD oil is purified from hemp plants (hemp CBD), it’s federally legal in the U.S. If not, it’s still illegal on a federal level, classified as a Schedule 1 drug.

"There are many intriguing findings in pre-clinical studies that suggest CBD and hemp oil have anti-inflammatory effects and may be helpful with improving sleep and anxiety."

Farmers harvest the plant and collect CBD. But caution is strongly advised because the extraction process for THC is essentially the same as for CBD, which means the CBD that you just bought likely contains some level of THC.

“There are many intriguing findings in pre-clinical studies that suggest CBD and hemp oil have anti-inflammatory effects and may be helpful with improving sleep and anxiety,” says Dr. Brent Bauer, an internist and director of research for the Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine program. Dr. Bauer cautioned in 2019 that the studies on humans are still relatively limited.

There is still the need for additional information and continued study in the use of cannabis oils to alleviate pain. This is an evolving area that demands keeping up on the latest information for patients, medical professionals, retailers, law enforcement professionals, and city and state officials, among others.