Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
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Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

2007, vol. 16, nr 6, November-December, p. 807–815

Publication type: review article

Language: English

Cannabis sativa in the Light of Scientific Research

Cannabis sativa w świetle badań naukowych

Alicja Szulakowska1,, Halina Milnerowicz2,

1 Students’ Scientific Group at the Department of Biomedical and Environmental Analyses, Silesian Piasts University of Medicine in Wrocław, Poland

2 Department of Biomedical and Environmental Analyses, Silesian Piasts University of Medicine in Wrocław, Poland

Abstract

Cannabis is one of the most controversial plants and it has been perceived by the world of science in many different ways over the years. At first it was proclaimed as a method of treatment, then as a remedy with side effects, and finally it was labeled harmful and became illegal in most countries. In the second half of the twentieth century, cannabis again became an object of interest among scientists. On the one hand it was seen as a cause of respiratory system dysfunction and mental and fertility aberrations, while on the other its enthusiasts perceived it as an alternative way of treating neurological disorders (e.g. multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy), vision disorders (glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy), and a supplementary therapy for cancer and HIV/AIDS.

Streszczenie

Konopie to jedna z najbardziej kontrowersyjnych roślin, która na przestrzeni wieków była bardzo różnie postrzegana. Początkowo została uznana za roślinę leczniczą, później stwierdzono, że nie jest całkiem bezpiecznym środkiem, następnie oceniono, że jest szkodliwa i w rezultacie zdelegalizowano w większości współczesnych państw. W drugiej połowie ubiegłego wieku stała się ponownie przedmiotem zainteresowań naukowców, którzy z jednej strony widzieli w niej przyczynę chorób dróg oddechowych, zaburzeń psychicznych i płodności, z drugiej zaś alternatywę w leczeniu bólu, chorób neurologicznych (stwardnienie rozsiane, choroba Parkinsona, choroba Alzheimera, epilepsja), zaburzeń widzenia (jaskra, retinopatia cukrzycowa) oraz w terapii pomocniczej w chorobach nowotworowych oraz w HIV/AIDS.

Key words

cannabis, marijuana, cannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors

Słowa kluczowe

konopie, marihuana, kanabinoidy, receptory kanabinoidów

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