Cannabis And Cancer Therapy

Although still considered illegal, new studies show that marijuana or marijuana contain active ingredients that can increase appetite in patients with advanced cancer.

Research from the University of Alberta, Canada, showed that the active ingredient in marijuana called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can increase appetite and taste ability in patients with advanced cancer.

Previously, marijuana has been known to reduce symptoms of nausea in cancer patients, so the use of THC also can function as an appetite stimulant.

Results showed 37 percent of cancer patients who took 2.5 milligrams of the compound in pill form of THC 2 or 3 times a day for 18 days, reported an increase in appetite, compared with 30 percent of patients who took placebo (empty medicine).

And 64 percent of patients who took THC reported appetite increases as compared with 50 percent of patients who took placebo.

"Cannabis has a bad reputation for healthy people, but studies show that marijuana also has a good effect for cancer patients," says researcher Wendy Wismer, a food scientist at the University of Alberta in Canada, as reported by LiveScience, "