Especially in the age of COVID, many of us wonder whether using cannabis hurts or helps the immune system. Especially given that many of us access it by smoking it, it’s a fair (and timely) question.
Unfortunately, there’s a shortage of research around this important question. While a growing body of clinical studies suggests that cannabis may help us fight pain, tame anxiety, and help us find deeper, more restorative sleep, it’s more difficult to gauge whether or not it functions as an immune system booster.
In today’s post, we’ll talk about the Endocannabinoid System, one of the body’s principal regulatory networks, and how cannabis interfaces with it. We’ll share what’s currently known about cannabis and the immune system, including some guidelines that should help you come to your own conclusions about your health and wellbeing.
The Endocannabinoid System: The Crucial Link Between Cannabis and the Body
The Endocannabinoid System—or ECS—is a very big deal. While it wasn’t even identified until the 1990s, many researchers are coming to the conclusion that it’s one of the body’s most crucial networks, helping to modulate memory and learning, sleep, and immune response, among other vital functions.
If you took note of the similarities between the words “cannabinoid” and “endocannabinoid,” you’re onto something. In a very real sense, cannabinoids such as CBD and THC are “speaking the same language” as our body’s own regulatory network. What this means on a practical level is that—unlike many pharmaceuticals—they act in partnership with the body, instead of numbing, overstimulating, or otherwise distracting our natural pain and immune responses.
This partnership is key in understanding how cannabinoids—and even some cannabis terpenes, such as caryophyllene—exert their gentle and sustainable effects. But it still doesn’t answer a central question: Does cannabis help or hurt the immune system, a crucial bodily network that’s governed in part by the ECS? The relationship status, as they say, is complicated.
Is Cannabis an Immune System Booster (Or a Stressor)?
As we pointed out earlier, while a growing body of evidence supports the medicinal efficacy of cannabis terpenes and cannabinoids, it’s more difficult to draw overarching conclusions. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, published in 2017 by the National Academies of Sciences, found there is “limited evidence to suggest that regular exposure to cannabis smoke may have anti-inflammatory activity.” Whether or not this is a positive or a negative, though, is harder to parse.
For example: A recent clinical review found that the cannabinoid CBD suppresses some inflammatory responses to injury or illness. THC, by the way, does much the same thing, though via different pathways and mechanisms.
Is this a good thing? It depends, in part, upon your body’s current state. Some research suggests this cannabis-induced modulation is useful if your immune system is currently dysregulated. In one example, a 2017 paper found that oral administration of CBD and THC resulted in a strong positive modulation of the lymphatic system, the body’s major source of immune system white blood cells.
But for those who are currently healthy, this immune-boosting effect may backfire. One study from 2003 found that in healthy test subjects, regular cannabis intake actually diminished immune system function. It’s possible that this effect is cumulative, meaning that those who regularly partake in cannabis might have a hindered ability to fight off infections.
Then again, there are conflicting indications as well. One study tabulating the effects of HIV and cannabis use suggests that cannabis produced a strengthening effect in the immune system, including a statistically significant decrease in viral load and a corresponding increase in cells that serve as markers of immune system health.
Cannabis and the Immune System: In Conclusion
If all those studies left you feeling confused, we can hardly blame you. It can certainly be difficult sifting through what sometimes appear to be conflicting reports. Until the science is more clear, we typically suggest that our customers pause or reduce their cannabis intake when they’re feeling unwell. In the majority of cases, giving our bodies the opportunity to rest and reset on their own is the best medicine there is.
Do you have other questions about the Endocannabinoid System, cannabis, and immune function? Stop by our dispensary; we’re always here to help!
At Exclusive, we offer premium cannabis items sourced in-house and from a range of local growers and product manufacturers. Our extensive menu includes pre-rolls, concentrates, cartridges, edible products, and much more. Check out our menu or download our app to place your order today.
