Cannabis had the strongest clinical evidence among all medicinal plants reviewed for multiple sclerosis symptom management
A review of clinical evidence for medicinal plants in MS found Cannabis sativa had the highest level of support, with cannabinoids showing efficacy for spasticity, fatigue, incontinence, and tremor.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among ten medicinal plants with clinical evidence for MS symptom management, Cannabis sativa had the highest level of support. Its key bioactive compounds, THC and CBD, showed efficacy for spasticity, fatigue, urinary symptoms (incontinence, urgency, nocturia), memory performance, functional performance, and tremor.
Other plants with positive evidence included ginkgo biloba, ginseng, green tea (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), and boswellia. All herbal medicines reviewed were mostly well tolerated with mild to moderate adverse effects.
The review covered clinical studies only, spanning publications from 1966 to February 2017.
Key Numbers
10 medicinal plants with clinical evidence for MS. Cannabis sativa: highest evidence level. Effective for: spasticity, fatigue, scotoma, incontinence, urgency, nocturia, memory, functional performance, tremor. Key compounds: THC, CBD.
How They Did This
Systematic review of clinical studies from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Scopus (1966-2017). Only clinical studies evaluating medicinal plants for MS symptoms were included.
Why This Research Matters
By placing cannabis in the broader context of all medicinal plants studied for MS, this review provides perspective: cannabis is not just another herbal remedy for MS but the one with the most and strongest clinical evidence. This helps clinicians and patients make informed decisions about complementary therapies.
The Bigger Picture
MS patients frequently seek complementary therapies. This review provides an evidence-based ranking of options, with cannabis at the top. The breadth of MS symptoms that respond to cannabinoids (motor, urinary, cognitive, and neurological) reflects the widespread distribution of cannabinoid receptors throughout the nervous system.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
The abstract does not detail the number or quality of cannabis studies included. "Highest level of evidence" is relative to other herbal medicines, which generally have limited clinical data. The review included all plant-based therapies, not just cannabis, so cannabis-specific analysis may be limited.
Questions This Raises
- ?Which specific cannabis formulations and doses are most effective for each MS symptom?
- ?Can cannabis-based treatments replace conventional MS medications or only complement them?
- ?Would combining cannabis with other evidence-based medicinal plants produce additive benefits?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis: highest clinical evidence level among all medicinal plants for MS
- Evidence Grade:
- Systematic review of clinical studies from major databases. Good methodology but the evidence base for herbal medicines in MS is generally limited.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2017. Cannabis-based treatments for MS, particularly Sativex, have continued to accumulate clinical evidence.
- Original Title:
- Efficacy and Tolerability of Phytomedicines in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Review.
- Published In:
- CNS drugs, 31(10), 867-889 (2017)
- Authors:
- Farzaei, Mohammad Hosein, Shahpiri, Zahra, Bahramsoltani, Roodabeh, Nia, Marjan Moghaddam, Najafi, Fariba, Rahimi, Roja
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01375
Evidence Hierarchy
Summarizes existing research on a topic.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Is cannabis the best herbal treatment for MS?
Among the ten medicinal plants reviewed, cannabis had the most and strongest clinical evidence supporting its use for MS symptoms. However, this does not mean it is more effective than conventional MS medications, which were not compared in this review.
What MS symptoms does cannabis help with?
The review found clinical evidence for cannabis benefiting spasticity, fatigue, urinary symptoms (incontinence, urgency, nighttime urination), memory, functional performance, and tremor in MS patients.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- CBD-oil-quality-guide
- anxiety-medication-after-quitting-weed
- cannabis-chemotherapy-nausea
- cannabis-chronic-pain-research
- cannabis-epilepsy-CBD-Epidiolex
- cbd-anxiety-research-evidence
- cbd-for-weed-withdrawal
- cbd-vs-thc-difference
- medical-benefits-of-cannabis
- quitting-weed-before-surgery
- quitting-weed-medication-interactions
- quitting-weed-pregnancy
- quitting-weed-pregnant
- seniors-older-adults-cannabis-risks-medications
- weed-breastfeeding-THC-breast-milk
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01375APA
Farzaei, Mohammad Hosein; Shahpiri, Zahra; Bahramsoltani, Roodabeh; Nia, Marjan Moghaddam; Najafi, Fariba; Rahimi, Roja. (2017). Efficacy and Tolerability of Phytomedicines in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Review.. CNS drugs, 31(10), 867-889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-017-0466-4
MLA
Farzaei, Mohammad Hosein, et al. "Efficacy and Tolerability of Phytomedicines in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Review.." CNS drugs, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-017-0466-4
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Efficacy and Tolerability of Phytomedicines in Multiple Scle..." RTHC-01375. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/farzaei-2017-efficacy-and-tolerability-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.