Cannabis has been used for gastrointestinal symptoms across cultures for millennia, and modern research on the endocannabinoid system provides biological rationale for its anti-inflammatory and motility-enhancing effects in the gut.
Gastroenterologists, medical historians, cannabinoid researchers, and patients with GI conditions interested in cannabis.
Cannabis used for GI symptoms across cultures for millennia; endocannabinoid system now provides biological basis
What the researchers found
Historical records from multiple cultures document cannabis use for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel conditions. Modern research confirms endocannabinoid system involvement in gut function, with THC:CBD preparations showing promise for inflammation and motility.
Why it matters
Understanding the historical use of cannabis for gut conditions provides context for modern research directions and highlights that this is not a new therapeutic concept but one that was interrupted by prohibition.
The numbers in context
Reviews evidence from multiple cultural traditions spanning thousands of years. Discusses the endocannabinoidome as an expanded system beyond classical endocannabinoid signaling in gastrointestinal modulation.
How the study worked
Narrative review combining ethnomedicinal history of cannabis for gastrointestinal conditions with modern pharmacological understanding of the endocannabinoid system and expanded endocannabinoidome in gut function.
What this study cannot tell us
Narrative review without systematic methodology. Historical accounts lack the rigor of modern clinical evidence. Modern evidence for cannabinoids in GI conditions remains primarily preclinical. Optimal formulations and dosing for GI conditions are unknown.
How to read the evidence
Narrative review combining historical accounts with modern pharmacology. Provides context but not clinical evidence.
When this study was published
Published 2023.
The bigger picture
The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act effectively halted cannabis research for decades. Reconnecting historical use with modern molecular understanding of the endocannabinoid system could accelerate development of cannabinoid-based gastrointestinal therapies.
Questions still open
- Which specific gastrointestinal conditions are most likely to benefit from cannabinoid therapies? Can the expanded endocannabinoidome be targeted more precisely than whole-plant cannabis?
Common questions
Has cannabis always been used for stomach problems?
How does the endocannabinoid system affect the gut?
Read the original research
Pharmacohistory of Cannabis Use-A New Possibility in Future Drug Development for Gastrointestinal Diseases.
International journal of molecular sciences, 24(19)
Citation
Thapa, Dinesh; Warne, Leon N; Falasca, Marco. (2023). Pharmacohistory of Cannabis Use-A New Possibility in Future Drug Development for Gastrointestinal Diseases.. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914677
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