As people buy CBD oil in a world teeming with antibiotic resistant bugs, comes new, promising research. Studies now show CBD an effective fighter against superbugs. Cannabidiol, or CBD, certainly proves it in extensive studies for treating numerous health issues, and now, it seems, it has powerful antibiotic properties too. Antibiotic resistant bugs are wreaking havoc in hospitals and homes nationwide.
The great superbug threat is not new. It is a growing concern worldwide in the medical industry. Bacteria have, and continually are, becoming resistant to drugs, mutating into superbugs that render antibiotics ineffective. These bugs are very difficult, impossible actually, to treat. The need for drugs capable of fighting them without adding to this resistance issue is urgent. Critical.
Scientists at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience conducted a series of experiments with test tubes that show CBD killing a number of bacteria strains. These include the most resistant among them, such as MRSA, VISA, and VRSA. These strains become resistant to existing antibiotics over time, but they do not develop resistance to CBD.
The study exposed these bugs to CBD for 20 days. Results indicate that lab-tested CBD oil products can easily outmaneuver superbugs at every stage of their development. Mark Blaskovich, the study leader, claims no doubts whatsoever. CBD has a unique mechanism of action, and bacteria already resistant to other antibiotics cannot anticipate how it works. Neither can scientists, but CBD kills them off in droves.
A later study in the United Kingdom delved deeper into just how that interesting mechanism of action actually works. According to Science Direct, they focused on the membrane vesicles of Escherichia Coli, which is what the bacteria uses to communicate and spread. What the study found was CBD preventing the release of these vesicles, effectively inhibiting their activities.
These findings suggest that CBD might prove especially helping in the fight against specific bacteria, particularly tailored to work in conjunction with existing antibiotics. For now, the solution may be incomplete, but CBD remains a powerful compound that enhances the body’s own immune response to administered antibiotics. In that regard, it seems a powerful weapon in the fight against superbugs.
These two studies both confirm the power of CBD to fight antibiotic resistant bugs. This is igniting much interest within the medical community. It also attracts much coverage in both popular and trade publications. Because CBD disrupts biofilm, the layers of liquid that surround bacteria cells, and which antibiotics struggle to penetrate, it seems highly unlikely to cause resistance.
What is more, these studies also found CBD effective against Gram-positive bacteria, which are strains responsible for causing issues like skin infections and pneumonia. However, they also found it ineffective against Gram-negative strains, those linked to gastrointestinal issues, such as salmonella, and E. coli. Despite this, the U.K. study did make strides with E. coli, so this resistance point requires further study.
Despite presentation at the Microbe 2019 conference by the American Society for Microbiology, these studies remain unpublished in any peer-reviewed journals. Regardless of how promising this research appears, it is still in the very early stages. It has not even left the test tubes, so to speak. More study is necessary, including trials to find out if CBD can undeniably treat infections in humans.
Some studies will require patients to use lab-tested CBD products exclusively, such as CBD edibles, as a replacement for existing antibiotics. For now, experts recommend adhering to tried and tested antibiotics for severe infections. Research is in too early a stage to substitute them with CBD completely. Most suggest using it concurrently, with those antibiotics already prescribed to you by your doctor.
There is no doubt that the CBD industry is flourishing. With the Farm Bill having freed up the supply chain, prices are improving, becoming more affordable. People can now buy CBD oil almost anywhere. You can even order it online through a delivery service. Even so, science is still playing catch up with the CBD market. Evidence is overwhelming. It seems CBD might well be a super weapon against deadly bugs.