Uses of Cannabis Sativa plant.

2009.05.05

Cannabis sativa is a plant found throughout the world. It has many uses and has been used for thousands of years for paper, fabric, food and medicine. It is the medicinal use that we consider here. This is a list of conditions that are considered helped by cannabis use:

Chronic Pain

Headache

Gastrointestinal (Nausea, Anorexia, Abdominal pain, Irritable bowel syndrome, Crohns disease, Ulcerative colitis, Chemotherapy)

Chronic anxiety

Depression

Insomnia

PTSD

Seizure disorder

Asthma

Glaucoma

Bipolar disorder

ADD

Multiple sclerosis (dysesthesia, muscle spasm)

Severe dysmenorrhea

Meniere’s (vertigo, tinnitus)

Restless leg syndrome

Phantom limb pain

OCD

Parkinson’s

Cannabis is also useful to control the side effects of cancer, hepatitis, and HIV medications. Medications that produce symptoms of illness even while treating the disease are difficult to take. Patients that are allowed to use cannabis during their treatments are often more likely to stay on a higher level of functioning. Studies have shown that patients on pain medication have been able to greatly reduce the dose of pain medication by supplementing with cannabis.

Since SB420 was passed in January of 2004, cannabis use is legal for qualified patients in California. This law is important and gives vital needed details. It is encouraging for anyone interested in medical marijuana to read this law. This state law has had a huge impact on the lives of countless patients suffering needlessly where pharmaceutical medications have failed and provided an option for those people who do not wish to take the traditional medications because of side effects or general preferences.