Could weed be the cure for COVID? Maybe.

Researchers from Oregon State University claim two common chemicals found in cannabis prevents healthy cells from being invaded by coronavirus. They conclude these compounds could also be effective in treating a COVID infection.

The study was published in the Journal of Natural Products.

Before you smoke up in hopes of guarding against the omicron variant, though, know that the study has yet to be peer reviewed or the theories tested on human beings.

Senior author Fikadu Tafesse, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology in the OHSU School of Medicine, cautioned the research was very preliminary. “This is a lab study, so it hasn't been tested clinically,” Tafesse told OHSU News, "However, the study's implication is that some hemp-based consumer products have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection from the novel coronavirus.”

Cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid were equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351. Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2. - Oregon State University Research

The medicinal benefits of cannabis and cannabis extracts have long been known. More than 121,000 patients have registered for medical cannabis in New Jersey to treat everything from pain to anxiety.

State regulators are in the process of approving another 30 medical dispensaries and finalizing rules for recreational sales.

Demand for marijuana has been so high, concerns are being raised about whether providers will be able to meet demand for medicinal weed once the recreational market is opened.

LOOK: Food history from the year you were born

From product innovations to major recalls, Stacker researched what happened in food history every year since 1921, according to news and government sources.
 

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