Chemotherapy is an intense treatment that kills cancer while making the patient sick. Patients undergoing chemotherapy experience nausea and vomiting, reduced appetite, headaches, pain, and exhaustion. They lose weight, have a suppressed immune system, and fall sick easily. For some patients, chemotherapy treatment does not work to kill cancer cells, or the treatment is too much. For aggressive cancers, the chances of surviving one, five, or ten years after chemotherapy can be slim.
High doses of CBD oil may work to kill certain types of cancer cells. In fact, research published in the journal Oncogene found that survival from pancreatic cancer tripled when CBD was used in addition to chemotherapy treatment. It is not clear yet whether CBD oil taken at lower wellness doses, such as 10−50 milligrams under the tongue per day, has any beneficial effect on killing cancer cells.
CBD oil can help make chemotherapy more effective or at least tolerable for patients. It reduces pain and inflammation associated with both cancer and chemotherapy treatment. Cannabinoids in CBD oil, including CBD, CBA, THC, and THCA, have been found to reduce nausea and vomiting, and promote appetite, helping patients maintain their body weight. CBD oil can also improve depression and reduce anxiety around chemotherapy treatment and cancer diagnosis, reducing stress hormones and increasing the patient’s odds of survival.
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CBD oil can inhibit certain liver enzymes that break down medication, including some forms of chemotherapy. It may also cause liver damage at very high dosages or in patients with compromised livers. CBD oil is not a substitute for chemotherapy but may be appropriate as a wellness support. Talk with your doctor before using CBD oil.