December 21, 2021
Delta-8 as a treatment for COVID-19
Cannabinoids’ curative effects have long remained known, with cannabinoids like THCO and Delta 8 commonly used to treat various symptoms. But what effect does Delta 8 have on COVID-19?
Cannabinoids has evolved from that substance your parents warned you about that only hippies used. As research into cannabinoid’s therapeutic properties has developed, so has the mainstream use of Delta8 products. Cannabinoids like Delta8, CBD and THCO are dominant because of their huge therapeutic benefits and ease of use. With health benefits, including pain relief, improved anxiety, and reduced inflammation, it’s no wonder why cannabinoids products have risen in popularity.
Delta 8 and COVID: Can it help?
With its impressive healing capacity, you may be wondering if Delta 8 might be able to help fight the illness currently affecting the whole world. COVID-19 has resulted in millions of deaths, closed international borders, and caused economies to be on the verge of collapse. This contagious respiratory disease can leave you with a fever, feeling fatigued, and struggling to breathe. It can even be fatal. So can Delta 8 offer any help in the fight against COVID-19?
Cannabis and the cytokine storm
One of the major biological events that occur in patients with severe acute respiratory distress cases from COVID-19 is “cytokine storm.” A cytokine storm is where the body experiences an extreme increase in proinflammatory cytokines. These cytokines are a category of proteins, and the cytokines involved in a cytokine storm lead to an increase in inflammation.
COVID-19 patients often suffer from lung fibrosis, a serious and untreatable condition that leaves lung tissue scarred and makes it more difficult for you to breathe. If a substance could end the cytokine storm, it would be able to destroy inflammation, prevent lung fibrosis, and put COVID-19 patients in remission.
Multiple studies support cannabinoids and its cytokine storm fighting properties.
The Aging study isn’t the only piece of research that has concluded that cannabinoids demonstrate an ability to block a cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients.
A 2020 mouse-model study found that CBD, an active cannabinoid compound found in cannabis, reduced proinflammatory cytokines and improved the clinical symptoms of mice with symptoms similar to COVID-19.
The study suggests that CBD may work as part of the treatment of COVID-19 by reducing the cytokine storm and protecting lung tissue from inflammation.
Good news, Delta 8 is made out around 70% (depends which company are making the isomerization) of CBD.
How else could Delta 8 treat COVID-19?
Delta 8 shows effective potential in reducing inflammation and affecting in patients with COVID-19, but how else could Delta 8 help patients with COVID-19?
Composites in Delta 8 have shown promise in a range of other areas, including pain relief, and treating anxiety. While these therapeutic benefits have not been investigated in patients with COVID-19, they could offer exciting areas of future study.
Pain relief
With symptoms of COVID-19, including body aches, sore throat, and headaches, pain relief would be appreciated by many patients.
Delta 8 has shown significant potential as a pain reliever, principally from its ability to increase serotonin’s effects, a neurotransmitter that can generate pain relief.
Anxiety
Getting COVID-19 can be a stressful time for patients. Because of its highly infectious nature, patients are isolated from friends and family. The important and scary nature of the illness can also take a serious charge on your mental health.
Compounds within cannabinoids have shown extraordinary anxiety-reducing qualities, particularly Delta 8. Delta8 is a cannabinoid compound that could help reducing the symptoms of stress and anxiety. It increases serotonin activity and lower cortisol levels. Reducing these chemicals is essential for anxiety management as serotonin reduces anxiety, and cortisol is a stress hormone often found in higher levels in patients with anxiety and depression.
Is inhaling Delta 8 smoke a good idea for COVID-19 patients?
While consuming Delta 8 is most done by inhaling the smoke of Delta 8 flower, that is not the only way cannabinoids therapeutic compounds can be consumed. Most research involving cannabis uses oil extracts, like Delta 8 oil.
Delta 8 oil can be consumed through ingestion, vaping, nasal sprays, or topical application. Many delivery mechanisms don’t involve the lungs and leave out potentially harmful substances that come with smoke inhalation.
Delta 8 has shown a lot of potential in fighting against COVID-19, thanks mainly to its anti-inflammatory properties. The recent study published in Aging shows that cannabinoids such as Delta 8 could significantly improve the condition of COVID-19 patients by reducing a cytokine storm and protecting lung tissue from inflammatory damage.
Research also shows that cannabis and its compounds hold other major therapeutic properties, including pain relief and anxiety reduction. While these could offer relief to COVID-19 patients, research is needed into the pain-relieving and anxiety-reducing properties of Delta 8 on COVID-19 patients specifically before any conclusions could be drawn.
Although this recent research is thrilling and shows the potential power of cannabinoids in the fight against COVID-19, always follow your doctor’s advice when managing COVID-19.