Almost half of the patients in one of the most extensive studies on cannabis and pain found “clinically meaningful” improvements in their pain after just four weeks of treatment.
The first-of-its-kind study involved over 1600 participants from the U.S, with the sole purpose of examining the impact of rare cannabinoids, like Cannabigerol (CBG) and Cannabichromene (CBC), have on pain symptoms.
The study
On 15th June 2022, PRNewswire released results of the OBX Pain Study on CBD and Rare Cannabinoids – in what is claimed to be the most extensive blind, randomised, controlled clinical trial of cannabinoids to relieve pain.
1629 participants in the U.S. suffering from diverse pain severity took part in the blind, randomised study. While plenty of research is being conducted regularly on this topic, only a handful of these studies are conducted as a blind, randomised, controlled clinical trial, making these recent finding all the more reliable.
Patients were asked to report back over a four-week timeframe on their pain severity levels, sleep quality, anxiety symptoms, general activity, and overall quality of life while receiving cannabinoid treatment
The goal of the study was solely to examine the effects of adding other ingredients to a CBD formulation to see if it led to improved results in comparison to consuming CBD on its own.
Participants had six products to choose from, all of which contained 40mg of CBD per serving, with the majority also including different levels of other rarer cannabinoids, such as CBG and CBC.
Key findings
Nearly half of the patients (44%) who consumed the enhanced product formula experienced clinically meaningful improvements – which means they were able to recognise noticeable improvements in their pain symptoms and quality of life.
On average, the varying formulations performed equally for the improvement of sleep quality, anxiety and quality of life.
But for some people suffering from only moderate pain severity, evidence suggests adding 20mg of CBC to a serving with 40mg of CBD could significantly improve pain symptoms – especially if the participant consumed the product for two weeks or more.
All products were also deemed safe to consume, with only around one in every ten patients reporting side effects (none considered to be severe).
Significant takeaways
“It’s a privilege to make history with OBX,” said Radicle Science’s CEO and UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative’s founder, Jeff Chen.
He continued: “Rare cannabinoids are present in a variety of health and wellness products containing cannabis and hemp, but there has been virtually no clinical data on their effectiveness for any medical condition, including pain.
“Radicle Science assessed for the first time in history the potential synergistic effects of certain rare cannabinoids on pain and demonstrated that these natural products can make a measurable positive impact.”
The CEO of OBX, Dave Neundorfer, also commented on the study:
“While existing studies suggest that cannabidiol and rare cannabinoids, including CBG and CBC, have considerable potential to support wellness, there has been a glaring gap in scientifically valid research dedicated to guiding effective product development.
“That’s why we collaborated with the renowned medical experts and data scientists at Radicle Science to better understand the potential of rare cannabinoids as an ingredient and, in particular, their ability to support better quality of life outcomes relating to pain.”
Future studies
Both Radicle Science and OBX have said they will continue their partnership with large-scale, randomised, controlled clinical trials – similar to this one – on rare cannabinoids, such as THCV, CBN, CBG and CBC.
The aim of the trials will be to examine the effects of cannabinoids on thousands of study participants in other areas of their health and lifestyle, which include:
- Energy
- Focus
- Appetite
- Sleep disturbance
- Stress and anxiety
“It was promising to see that the addition of a rare cannabinoid could augment the effects of CBD.” said Pelin Thorogood, co-founder and executive chair of Radicle Science.
“We will be further exploring the entourage effect with an upcoming study, Radicle Spectrum, which will be the first head-to-head study comparing full or broad-spectrum CBD to isolate and placebo. It is our hope this study will provide data to help the FDA ascertain whether CBD isolate is a drug.”
