The Medicinal Uses of The Hemp Plant

The hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) is a tall Asiatic herb with a widespread distribution. More commonly referred to as marijuana, the plant has long been known for its powerful psychoactive, as well as its medicinal qualities. During the nineteenth century, for example, marijuana was applied to a variety of ailments. More recently, the herb has been considered as an antiemetic and appetite stimulant in patients with cancer and human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV). Investigations into marijuana's therapeutic efficacy, however, have provided variable results. Many researchers believe, therefore, that there are better drugs available.

Cannabis sativa, or marijuana, is sometimes grown for its fiber. The plant can be used to manufacture of rope, paper, and coarse fabrics. In addition, marijuana has also been grown for its psychoactive properties. Although Cannabis sativa contains hundreds of chemicals, 61 of these are unique to the plant, and have thus been termed "cannabinoids" (Rinaldi, 1994, p. 107). The cannabinoids represent a distinct pharmacologic class of drugs. The most active of these compounds, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was first isolated in 1964 and is primarily responsible for marijuana's intoxicant effects (Iversen, 1993, p. 12).

Marijuana has been used therapeutically for several centuries. Perhaps the earliest documented medicinal use of the plant occurred during China's Nung dynasty (i.e., in appr

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e behaviors. "Marijuana hunger" has been described as an increased appetite and, in particular, a craving for sweets (Hollister, 1976, pp. 59-67). The condition generally occurs between 3 and 6 hours after marijuana administration. Hollister (1976) tested marijuana's hunger stimulating effects by measuring the food consumption of fasted subjects treated with marijuana, alcohol, dextroamphetamine, and a placebo. Although the experiment did demonstrate a statistically significant association between increased food intake and the administration of marijuana, the data contained a high degree of variability. In fact, only slightly more that half of the study's subjects ate more food after receiving marijuana than after receiving placebo. Furthermore, in certain cases, the results were opposite to what would have been expected (Hollister, 1976, pp. 59-67). The mechanisms by which marijuana might possibly influence eating behaviors have not yet been established. Two possible influences proposed by researchers include the following: (1) social facilitation; and (2) decreased restraint. The low incidence of appetite stimulation in controlled studies (i.e., 50%) as compared to descriptive accounts (i.e., approximately 90%) may
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Thomas Abu-Shaar, Doblin Kleiman, Cannabis Therapeutics, Schwartz Beveridge, Schonle Conrad, HIV Investigations, Shaw Elsohly, Park NC, Lees Stern, Clinical Oncology, doblin kleiman, et al, beveridge 1994, schwartz beveridge, kleiman 1991, 1994 pp, schwartz beveridge 1994, doblin kleiman 1991, caswell 1992, beveridge 1994 pp, pp 53-63, 1994 pp 53-63, hollister 1976, cited caswell, cited caswell 1992,
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