So you’ve come down with a bacterial infection. Following a very viral past year, you may have even forgotten about the dangers of certain bacteria. Whether plagued by strep, pneumonia or any other illness brought on by powerful microbes, a round of antibiotics is likely in order, paired with advice from your physician: “Finish the full prescription.”
As the past decade has shown, this repetitive advice is nothing to yawn at. Antibiotic resistance due to overuse and prescription misuse is an impending international health crisis,1 with less treatable gram-negative bacteria posing a particularly difficult challenge. In an exhausting, double-edged exchange, pharmaceutical companies have made appeals for federal incentives to create new antibiotics just as the government encourages reduced antibiotic use to mitigate the hovering crisis.1 Thankfully, there’s good news on the horizon for consumers already grappling with a viral pandemic: A new study shows CBD can kill bacteria.2
While CBD has previously been noted for its antimicrobial properties, The University of Queensland recently unveiled a deeper view of CBD’s potential, conducting a study in which CBD successfully killed bacteria responsible for gonorrhea, meningitis and legionnaires disease.2 CBD also performed well against gram-positive bacterial infections such as MRSA.2 Although researchers couldn’t identify the exact mechanism, they believe CBD kills bacteria by bursting their outer cell membranes as well as breaking down biofilms where bacteria thrive.2
The study’s promising results open up an exciting new pathway for antibiotic development, one in which a natural alternative like CBD may shift from a back-up option to a primary method of treatment. After we’ve witnessed the way a viral infection can turn into a full-blown pandemic, preventing a bacterial crisis is now more pertinent than ever.
Despite pushes to decrease antibiotic use, one study showed the average American receives 22 doses of antibiotics per year, or at least one prescription,1 meaning entering a period reminiscent of the pre-antibiotic era could significantly impact the quality and longevity of most of our lifespans. With this in mind, CBD could help to positively reshape the entire trajectory of disease in the United States and beyond, an impressive feat for a plant whose benefits are only beginning to breach the surface.
Sources:
- Research establishes antibiotic potential for cannabis molecule. (2021, January 19). Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210119102842.htm
- Ventola, C. L. (2015, April). The antibiotic resistance crisis: Part 1: Causes and threats. Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378521/
