Medicinal Cannabis Reduces Frequency Of Epileptic Seizures By 86% In Children

Jan, 2022 - By SMI

New research found that whole plant cannabis products may aid in reducing frequency of seizures in children with acute epilepsy.

Researchers from the UK conducted a small study that showed 86% of reduction in frequency of seizure after treating children with severe epilepsy with whole plant medicinal cannabis products. The researchers appealed for direct clinical trials for testing the effectiveness of whole plant cannabis oils at the treatment of epilepsy compared to products consisting only cannabidiol (CBD).

The new study published in the journal BMJ Pediatrics Open on December 14, 2021, investigated 10 case studies of children, who used whole plant cannabis extracts for the treatment of severe epilepsy. The research found that children had 86% of reduction in the frequency of seizure with the use of different whole plant products. The scientists indicated that these findings were only observational and retrospective. The research did not consist a controlled trial with a placebo group. It studied only 10 individual case studies with unique case histories. Moreover, the research also noted that the data on the chemical composition of these whole plant product apart from CBD and THC is very small, however, the chemical analysis for these products is currently being conducted.  Hence, the combination of other compounds of cannabis contributing to the therapeutic results are still unclear.

Furthermore, the scientists highlighted that these findings are in line with other observational and interventional research that show considerable drop in the frequency of seizures after the medicinal cannabis treatment. Moreover, these new findings concluded that whole plant cannabis products are more efficient than CBD products at treating epileptic seizures. The study needs further investigation to understand the mechanisms under the exclusive clinical results of the chemical components of these whole-plant cannabis products.