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Washington, Oct 24: US researchers have revealed that a key chemical component derived from cannabis, or marijuana plant, could be used to relax the colon and reduce stomach cramping after eating.
The researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota compared the effects of dronabinol and placebo on colonic motility and sensation in healthy adults.
The doctors conducted a study on 52 volunteers and randomly assigned placebo or a single dose of dronabinol, a synthetic THC and a naturally-occurring compound in marijuana known as a non-selective cannabinoid agonist.
They found that dronabinol relaxed the colon and reduced post-eating contractions and cramping, and that the drug was most effective in females.
"The potential for cannabinoids to modulate colonic motor function in disease deserves a further look," said the lead researcher, Tuba Esfandyari, M.D., MSc of the Mayo Clinic.
The researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota compared the effects of dronabinol and placebo on colonic motility and sensation in healthy adults.
The doctors conducted a study on 52 volunteers and randomly assigned placebo or a single dose of dronabinol, a synthetic THC and a naturally-occurring compound in marijuana known as a non-selective cannabinoid agonist.
They found that dronabinol relaxed the colon and reduced post-eating contractions and cramping, and that the drug was most effective in females.
"The potential for cannabinoids to modulate colonic motor function in disease deserves a further look," said the lead researcher, Tuba Esfandyari, M.D., MSc of the Mayo Clinic.
