Frequently Asked Questions

There is no convincing scientific evidence that medicinal cannabis has any effect on the growth of tumours. It is however known that medicinal cannabis has an effect on treatment side-effects, such as nausea. Medicinal cannabis can also stimulate the appetite.

Various sources underline the importance of standardised medicinal cannabis for serious conditions such as cancer; this cannabis always has the same composition and is not contaminated.

The most familiar constituents of cannabis are also referred to as cannabinoids. The best known of these are THC and CBD. There are also less familiar substances – such as terpenes – that can contribute to the effect of cannabis. Other cannabinoids include CBG and THCV.

Terpenes are aromas and flavourings that occur in virtually all plants, including cannabis. The cannabis plant has over 120 different types, which are responsible for the characteristic aroma and flavour. Terpenes in cannabis are thought to have a medicinal interaction with cannabinoids. They can increase the uptake of cannabinoids in the intestines and affect the body’s receptor binding mechanisms and metabolism.

Some terpenes have a medicinal effect of their own as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic or analgesic (painkiller).

CBD is a constituent of cannabis that is also known as cannabidiol. It is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that occurs in the cannabis plant. Studies have shown that it can be effective for people with symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, anxiety disorders and antibiotic-resistant infections.

Depending on the dosage and the time of being administered, CBD can neutralise some undesirable psychoactive effects of THC.

Bedrocan’s products are produced under the strictest pharmaceutical guidelines. This is also referred to as GMP, which stands for good manufacturing practice. Our entire production process, from cultivation to processing and storage, takes place under current European GMP rules.

Cannabis can have a relaxing effect on the body and mind. It can also be used as a painkiller, as an anti-inflammatory, and to prevent weight loss, nausea and vomiting. In some cases cannabis promotes sleep and appetite.

There is sufficient scientific evidence to demonstrate that cannabis is effective for the treatment of:

• Pain, muscle cramps and convulsions caused by MS and spinal damage
• Nausea, diminished appetite, emaciation and weakness caused by cancer and AIDS
• Nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy to treat cancer, hepatitis C and HIV infections and AIDS
• Chronic pain – especially if caused by the nervous system. Examples include damaged nerve bundles, phantom pain, facial neuralgia and chronic pain that remains following recovery from shingles
• Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
• Therapy-resistant glaucoma

Also, more and more information and positive feedback is being received from patients and doctors concerning the efficacy of cannabis for other disorders. However, this is has not yet been sufficiently scientifically demonstrated. Examples include Crohn’s disease, colitis ulcerosa, epilepsy, pruritus (itching), migraine, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD and brain trauma.

See also www.cannabis-med.org.

Medicinal cannabis is cannabis that is dispensed exclusively by pharmacies and is used as a medicine. Bedrocan’s medicinal cannabis is of pharmaceutical quality and meets the highest standards. As with ordinary medicines, the composition of the active substances in our cannabis is always the same.

Bedrocan’s products are also guaranteed to be free of pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria and fungi. Each batch is tested for this by an independent laboratory.

THC is a constituent of cannabis that is also known as dronabinol. THC is the best known of all the cannabis constituents. It is what creates the ‘high’ from using cannabis, but also has medicinal effects. It is known, for example, that THC contributes to improving sleep and appetite and also suppresses muscle spasms, nausea and vomiting.

The active constituents of cannabis, the cannabinoids, control receptors in the human body. These receptors then stimulate cells to perform certain functions. Up to now, two receptors that respond to cannabis have been identified: CB-1 and CB-2. The CB-1 receptors are found mainly in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). CB-2 receptors are found mainly in cells of the immune system.

The human body also produces its own substances that can bind to the CB-1 and CB-2 receptors. The interaction between these substances and the receptors is also referred to as the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system was not discovered until the nineteen-nineties.