Can Cannabis Ease Inflammation?

Anytime our bodies are injured, infected, or otherwise attacked, the immune system springs into action. White blood cells, our fast-acting, ever-circulating immune first responders, release signaling proteins into the affected area to protect us and help push out potential pathogens, kick-starting the healing process.

But the downside of this natural immune response can range from unpleasant to downright life-threatening: Those proteins increase blood flow and spark fluid secretions that produce the redness, swelling, hotness and pain generally known as inflammation. Left untreated, inflammation can be its own kind of menace.

While cannabis is generally known as an anti-inflammatory—thanks in large part to the principal cannabinoid THC—the whole picture is a bit more complicated. If you’ve ever considered cannabis as a solution to inflammation, you may be wondering if it causes inflammatory responses on its own or actually helps. From the causes of inflammation to the terpenes that may manage it, cannabis may be the perfect addition to your medicine cabinet.

Treatments for inflammation are as diverse as its causes.

There are many causes of inflammation, commonly from some sort of injury, whether infection, damaged cells, a pathogen, toxic compounds, or poor diet. While exercise is generally considered a healthful, supportive practice, in some cases, it can actually raise the risk of injury and inflammation.

Some causes of inflammation are temporary and easily addressed, but many people deal with chronic inflammation daily. It’s a bodily response where the immune system falsely identifies harmless substances—even our own tissues—and then produces painful and often chronic conditions such as arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis (severe bowel irritation), common skin disorders, asthma, and other disorders.

Mass-market formulations are used to treat inflammation, from over-the-counter aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen to prescribed corticosteroids like prednisone, which are reliable and effective but can carry severe side effects. Herbal, dietary, and other natural remedies, including drug-free botanical and fish oil supplements, have spiked in popularity in recent years—and who hasn’t put a cold compress on swelling from a sports injury?

Many people use or have used some combination of these inflammation-fighting methods, depending on the type and severity of the condition being addressed. However, some of the most popular inflammation treatments have serious downsides; even Pfizer, which manufactures Advil, warns against long-term use of its active ingredient ibuprofen, which can cause ulcers, liver damage, and kidney damage when taken in high doses over long periods of time.

Steroids can also cause more serious issues—even in the short-term—like fluid retention, high blood pressure, mood and memory swings, and hormonal imbalance.

For some, THC can be an effective natural alternative for relief of inflammation.

Cannabis is a remarkably complex plant containing hundreds of compounds, the main ones being cannabinoids such as THC and CBD. It also contains terpenes, the largest and most diverse group of natural compounds on the planet, with as many as 20,000 total varieties—and about 150 of them having been found in cannabis thus far. Though research is still refining our understanding of THC and inflammation, some studies suggest that cannabis may help alleviate inflammation in ways that are different from conventional drugs.

Unlike hormone-mimicking steroids and ibuprofen, which work by blocking prostaglandins that are released in the brain in response to illness and injury, cannabis compounds reportedly suppress inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, two types of proteins that are released locally by white blood cells at the site of injury.

A comprehensive scientific peer review, partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in 2009 in the journal Future Science, concluded that “targeting cannabinoid receptor–ligand interactions may constitute a novel window of opportunity to treat inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.” Put simply, the compounds in cannabis may be able to identify when and where the immune system is overreacting and then down-regulate those responses at the site instead of throughout the body.

That’s not the end of the story. Other studies have investigated separate channels for pain reception and modulation, including the class known as TRP channels. While the science is still developing, some clinicians hope that with a more complete map of the many interactions between cannabinoids and the body, it might soon be possible to design single- or multiple-cannabinoid medications that promise all-natural pain relief without pharmaceuticals.

Is cannabis useful for GI tract inflammation?

One 2009 review of the medical literature singled out cannabis as being particularly effective for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an umbrella term for disorders in which the colon becomes inflamed. That can include but isn’t limited to, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, which may not be caused by the immune system attacking the body itself but rather its tendency to go after harmless substances in the gut such as bacteria and certain types of food. According to the authors of the review:

“Cannabinoids have been shown to regulate the tissue response to excessive inflammation in the colon … controlling the cellular pathways leading to inflammatory responses. These results strongly suggest that modulation of the physiological activity of the cannabinoid system during colonic inflammation might be a promising therapeutic tool for the treatment of several diseases characterized by inflammation of the GI tract.”

That’s a strong statement, especially coming from what’s arguably the most comprehensive published writing on cannabis and inflammation. The review cites 130 clinical studies, most of them involving lab rodents, and similar academic reviews and papers. It concludes that CB1 and CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system—a network of signal pathways closely intertwined with the central nervous system that helps maintain homeostasis—are found on immune cells, suggesting that “cannabinoids play an important role in the regulation of the immune system.”

As promising as this all sounds, the review—and all of the supporting research—is missing a key element: a clinical trial involving humans. We have that now, and the picture it paints is … complicated. According to a study published in 2024, using cannabis to treat IBD, in many cases, worsened both symptoms and patients’ quality of life. So, while there are indications cannabis can help modulate inflammation in some cases, it doesn’t appear to be a one-size-fits-all relationship.

The research continues with Dr. Sue Sisley and PTSD

Dr. Sue Sisley, the pioneering medical researcher whose groundbreaking study of cannabis for PTSD was 10 years in the making, agrees with the general findings of the 2009 review cited above. And she’s about to take it a step further.

“We’ve had some evidence that cannabis seems to affect the inflammation response pathway,” said Sisley, whose study is partially supported by Eaze. “Pain is almost always accompanied by inflammation. Arthritis, colitis…‘itis’ means inflammation. So if you have a way of suppressing the inflammatory pathway, then you get some subjective relief.”

But Sisley’s PTSD research, a first-of-its-kind, placebo-controlled, blind clinical study that observed more than 70 former U.S. soldiers for their response to cannabis therapy, also provided a line of sight into how cannabinoids can affect inflammation in the human body.

“We’ve never really quantified the degree of anti-inflammation,” Sisley tells Eaze. “We’re doing that, drawing blood for markers for inflammation. We measure it pre-treatment and post-treatment to be able to see if the cannabis they’re taking is having an impact on the inflammatory process.”

The results of Sisley’s research—published in 2021—are still being analyzed. However, it is hoped that the study could spark renewed interest in further exploring the development of cannabis therapies for inflammation, including what consumption methods, strains, and terpene profiles may be best for specific types of inflammatory response.

What are the best terpenes for managing pain?

Even Sisley concedes that we’re many years away from “precision medicine,” the idea that specific cannabis therapies can be pointed directly at specific indications. Throughout the cannabis community, it’s believed that strains high in certain terpenes may have anti-inflammatory properties—a belief that’s slowly being corroborated by clinical evidence.

Myrcene—prevalent in mangoes, hops, and thyme—may have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, while pinene, which smells a bit like a pine forest, showed similar effects, as reported by one study from 2023. Caryophyllene—a terpene that lends a peppery, spicy note to certain cannabis sativa strains, also appears to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Individual brands are already formulating vaporizer oils and other products, especially for pain and inflammation, based what they’ve learned about these effects, like the relief pen from dosist.

How Eaze customers are using cannabis for pain and inflammation.

In the meantime, people who have turned to cannabis for pain management have found that it has an unexpected side-effect of its own: They’ve left ibuprofen behind.

“I last took an Advil … maybe a month or two ago?” said 38-year-old Holly Byerly, who spoke with Eaze during Pain Awareness Month. “I used to take it pretty consistently for my neck pain, or a headache. I only took it a couple of months ago because I didn’t have any CBD and couldn’t get any.”

She wasn’t the only one. Eaze spoke to dozens of people who manage pain with cannabis – and it kept coming up. “It just slowly replaced Advil for me,” said Katherine L., a 25-year-old Los Angeles resident who works at a talent agency and suffers from lower hip and back pain. “I would say it’s more effective than Advil in some ways … It’s definitely a different animal.”

Can weed cause an inflammatory response?

The relationship between cannabis and inflammation is complex, and we’re only just beginning to understand its nuances. Does weed cause inflammatory responses in some cases? It appears that it might. One study suggests that even light cannabis use contributes to the risk of heart attacks and strokes, a finding underscored by another research paper.

So, while many studies suggest that cannabis has a positive effect on inflammation, it’s too early to know definitively if there are no inflammatory risks associated with it at all. As always, we recommend that, as with all psychoactive substances, you use it wisely and in moderation.

Cannabis for inflammation: delivered right to your door.

Inflammation is one of the body’s natural responses to injury of all kinds—it’s a protective mechanism that when in balance, helps protect against damage and facilitate the healing process. But sometimes, inflammation gets out of hand, becoming a painful and chronic condition. Can cannabis help?

By and large, many studies support the notion that cannabis has broadly anti-inflammatory properties, both in terms of the plant as a whole and its individual components, such as THC and CBD. However, the answer is more complicated than it might seem. While cannabis appears to help some inflammatory conditions such as routine aches, strains, and skin conditions, the evidence for its helping inflammatory gut conditions such as IBD is mixed.

If you’re curious about cannabis and inflammation, you can always start by trying different types of cannabis products and seeing which one your body responds to best. Enjoy same-day delivery with Eaze and have your purchases dropped right at your door, or reach out with any questions—we’re here to help!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article by Eaze are published for educational and informational purposes only, and are not intended to serve as or substitute for a diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. Please consult a local physician or other health care professional for your specific health care and/or medical needs or concerns.