A crude cannabis extract showed significant pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and anti-menstrual-cramp effects in mice and rats at low doses.
Pain researchers, medical cannabis advocates, women's health researchers
Cannabis extract effective at 1-10 mg/kg for pain and inflammation in animals
What the researchers found
An ethanolic extract of Cannabis sativa aerial parts demonstrated antinociceptive effects in multiple pain models (hot plate, formalin, writhing tests), anti-inflammatory activity in paw edema, and reduced uterine contractions in a dysmenorrhea model, all at doses of 1-10 mg/kg.
Why it matters
While individual cannabinoids are well-studied, whole-plant extract research reveals how the combined chemical profile, including cannabinoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids, contributes to therapeutic effects.
The numbers in context
Effective at doses of 1-10 mg/kg oral. Higher doses (30-100 mg/kg) caused reduced mobility and hypothermia. Extract contained CBD, THC, CBG, flavonoids, and alkaloids.
How the study worked
Preclinical pharmacological study using Swiss mice and Wistar rats across multiple validated pain, inflammation, and dysmenorrhea models with oral administration of cannabis extract.
What this study cannot tell us
Animal model results do not directly translate to humans. Crude extract composition may vary between batches. No comparison with isolated cannabinoids to determine which components drive effects. Higher doses caused sedation.
How to read the evidence
Well-designed preclinical study with multiple validated models, but animal results require human confirmation.
When this study was published
2025 animal study using cannabis from Brazil's Vale do Sao Francisco region.
The bigger picture
This study supports the "entourage effect" concept, where whole-plant preparations may have different pharmacological profiles than isolated compounds. The dysmenorrhea findings are particularly notable given limited treatment options.
Questions still open
- Which specific compounds in the extract are responsible for each effect? Would standardized whole-plant preparations outperform isolated cannabinoids for pain? What is the therapeutic window between pain relief and sedation?
Common questions
Can cannabis help with menstrual cramps?
Is whole-plant cannabis extract more effective than isolated cannabinoids?
Read the original research
Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-dysmenorrheal activities of aerial parts of Cannabis sativa L. from the sub-middle region of the Vale do São Francisco.
Frontiers in pharmacology, 16, 1677987
Citation
Menezes, Pedro Modesto Nascimento; Rocha, João Lázaro de Oliveira; Silva, Murilo Soares; Silva, Juliane Maria Dos Santos; Araújo, Tarcísio Cícero de Lima; Deus, Deborah Lays Silva; Rolim-Neto, Pedro Jose; Matos, Luana Fernandes; Massaranduba, Ana Beatriz Rodrigues; Silva, Fabrício Souza; Rolim, Larissa Araújo. (2025). Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-dysmenorrheal activities of aerial parts of Cannabis sativa L. from the sub-middle region of the Vale do São Francisco.. Frontiers in pharmacology, 16, 1677987. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1677987
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