A low-THC broad-spectrum cannabis oil effectively reversed pain sensitivity, thermal sensitivity, and depressive-like behavior in a mouse model of fibromyalgia, with effects lasting through 14 days of treatment.
Fibromyalgia patients, pain researchers, and clinicians interested in cannabis-based pain management.
Effective at 0.1 mg/kg; reversed pain and depression over 14 days
What the researchers found
Oral broad-spectrum cannabis oil (0.1-3 mg/kg) inhibited both mechanical hyperalgesia and thermal allodynia in a single dose. Repeated daily treatment for 14 days maintained pain reduction and also reduced depressive-like behavior. The oil worked through spinal, supraspinal, and peripheral routes, with direct spinal and supraspinal administration completely inhibiting pain responses.
Why it matters
Fibromyalgia affects millions and has limited treatment options. This study suggests that low-THC cannabis oil could address multiple symptom dimensions without the psychoactive effects of high-THC products.
The numbers in context
Effective at doses as low as 0.1 mg/kg orally. Single dose on day 4 inhibited pain. Four-day treatment reduced pain 1 hour after each dose. 14-day treatment mitigated pain, thermal sensitivity, and depressive behavior.
How the study worked
Reserpine-induced fibromyalgia model in mice. Tested single and repeated doses of broad-spectrum cannabis oil (low THC) via oral, intraplantar, spinal, and supraspinal administration. Measured mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal allodynia, depressive behavior, anxiety, and locomotor activity.
What this study cannot tell us
Mouse model of fibromyalgia may not fully replicate the human condition. Reserpine-induced pain is one model among several. Doses may not translate directly to humans.
How to read the evidence
Thorough preclinical study testing multiple routes and durations, but limited to a single mouse model.
When this study was published
Published in 2022.
The bigger picture
The effectiveness at very low doses and through multiple routes of administration suggests cannabis oil may act on pain pathways at multiple levels of the nervous system.
Questions still open
- Would these low doses be effective in humans? How does the multi-cannabinoid profile of broad-spectrum oil compare to pure CBD for fibromyalgia?
Common questions
Did the cannabis oil only help with pain?
Would this cause a high?
Read the original research
Broad-spectrum cannabis oil ameliorates reserpine-induced fibromyalgia model in mice.
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 154, 113552
Citation
Ferrarini, Eduarda Gomes; Paes, Rodrigo Sebben; Baldasso, Gabriela Mantovani; de Assis, Pollyana Mendonça; Gouvêa, Murilo Chaves; Cicco, Paola De; Raposo, Nádia Rezende Barbosa; Capasso, Raffaele; Moreira, Eduardo Luiz Gasnhar; Dutra, Rafael Cypriano. (2022). Broad-spectrum cannabis oil ameliorates reserpine-induced fibromyalgia model in mice.. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 154, 113552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113552
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