‘CBD supports the immune system’: Austrian clinic reports promising results from cannabis trial on Covid-19 ICU patients

Researchers in Austria’s Klagenfurt Clinic are reporting promising results from CBD trials on Covid-19 ICU patients that show reduced inflammation and quicker recovery times.

Cannabidiol or CBD oil was used as part of the overall course of treatment for Covid-19 patients in the hospital's ICU over the course of three weeks. 

Rudolf Likar, head of intensive care medicine at the clinic, started by administering a dose of 200 milligrams of CBD per day which later increased to 300 milligrams. 

"We have seen that the inflammation parameters in the blood go down and people leave the hospital faster than the comparison group," Likar said. “CBD supports the immune system.”

According to reports in Austrian media, Likar suspects the cannabidiol in CBD oil blocks the ACE2 receptor through which the SARS-CoV-2 virus gains access to human cells and begins self-replicating, with dire consequences for human health. 

CBD oil’s anti-inflammatory effects reportedly surpass those of other widely used drugs because cannabidiol crosses the blood-brain barrier and staves off some of the dramatic neurological damage associated with so-called “long Covid.”

A study of the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD oil is ongoing at the Klagenfurt Clinic, but the results so far look promising. 

“We are now evaluating the data and the data is looking relatively good. We'll probably use this routinely now because it doesn't have any side effects,” Likar said, adding that similar research into the efficacy of CBD oil in helping to treat Covid-19 is underway in Israel.

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