Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Cannabis Sativa Americus( medical marijuana ) has been used for medicinal purposes for thousand years, said to be first noted by the Chinese in c. 2737 BCE. Medical marijuana came to the United States much later, burdened with a remarkably colorful, history. In spite of early robust use, after the invention of opioids and aspirin, medicinal cannabis use slowed. Medical marijuana was criminalized in the United States in 1937, against the advice of the American Medical Association submitted on record to Congress. The last 50 years have seen renewed interest in medicinal cannabis and medical marijuana, with the National Institutes of Health, issued statements of support for further research and development. The recent research on endocannabinoid system has greatly increased our understanding of the actions of exogenous marijuana . Endocannabinoids appear to control pain, and inflammation, among other effects. Medical marijuana contains more than 100 different cannabinoids and has the ability for analgesia through neuromodulation in anti-inflammatory mechanisms. This research reviews the current and emerging physiological mechanisms of medical marijuana in managing chronic pain, muscle spasticity, cachexia, and other debilitating problems.
Department of Medical Marijuana and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine
Marijuana includes over 60 different types of cannabinoids, which are its medicinally active chemicals which have the capacity for neuromodulation--through direct, receptor-based mechanisms--at 100 levels within the nervous system, providing therapeutic medical marijuana properties that may be applicable to the treatment of a variety of chronic pain disorders. These are basic rules, modulation of glial cells, and tumor growth regulation. Research news articles reviewed the current and emerging research on the physiologic mechanisms of medical marijuana in the management of neurologic disease.