A study published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology has found that cannabis oil could significantly reduce the rate of seizures in children with severe epilepsy, while even eliminating convulsions altogether in some cases.
For the study, the researchers administered a cannabis oil that contained 95% CBD and 5% THC to 7 children with severe cases of epilepsy. Notably, none of the participants had any luck with other conventional medications.
Initially, the children were given a dose of 5-6 mg of cannabis extract per kg of body weight. Surprisingly, at this dosage, 4 of the 7 participants reported a reduction of more than 50% in the number of seizures experienced in a single day.
When the dosage was doubled all seven children witnessed considerable improvement, with 3 even seeing their seizures stop altogether!
“Some of the improvements noticed in the quality of life of these children were really dramatic – some of the children enjoyed huge improvements in their ability to communicate with their family members,” said study author Richard Huntsman in a statement. “Some of these children started to talk or crawl for the first time. They became more interactive with their families and loved ones.”
Although there are some ethical issues with administering children with THC, the researchers said that only 5% THC may not do any harm when weighed against the miraculous improvements the children experienced.
The researchers also kept a note of whether the children were experiencing any ‘high’ during the study. The blood plasma levels of THC stayed below the threshold for intoxication and none of the participants gave any indication of being stoned.
On the basis of the results, the researchers concluded that using cannabis oil with CBD and THC in 95:5 parts is a safe and effective method for the treatment of seizures in children with severe epilepsy.
Notably, the study was carried out by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan. You can read the entire piece of research here.
