CANNABIS ZAPS CANCER!
CANNABIS could hold the cure to pancreatic cancer, according to a promising new study out of Harvard University.
In lab studies, the deadly and difficult-to-treat condition, which kills 93 percent of those afflicted within five years, including Apple genius Steve Jobs and Little House on the Prairie actor Michael Landon, appeared to be affected by marijuanaderived, non-psychoactive compounds called flavonoids.
Though there are more than 6,000 types of flavonoids found in many plants, including fruits and vegetables, the Harvard scientists targeted a particular type found in cannabis to create a compound called FBL-03G.
After the substance proved
successful against pancreatic cancer cells in petri dishes, their testing advanced to mice, says study co-author Dr. Wilfred Ngwa.
“We were very surprised with the results we got,” he reveals.
The pot-sourced flavonoids eradicated tumors in 70 percent of the cancer-stricken mice tested and reduced the amount of killer cells present in the remaining subjects. Plus, the pot potion affected cancer that had moved beyond the pancreas. “We expected it to show some inhibition of tumor growth, but we were quite surprised that it also inhibited tumor progression in other parts of the body,” adds Ngwa.
The team isn’t sure exactly how FBL-03G works, but Ngwa says one theory is the flavonoid may create antigen cells that train the body’s T-cells to recognize the disease and fight it, much like a vaccine.
It’s unclear if the cancer would return after treatment, but the researchers say it’s possible the immune system could “remember” what it had learned and continue to attack the disease.
Ngwa cautions more testing is necessary — they hope to start trials on humans from 2021 — and says puffing pot isn’t the answer. Though he believes marijuana may contain anticancer properties, he adds, “each cannabis plant produces completely different levels of active components.”
‘We were very surprised with the results we got’