Thursday 5 April 2018

Can Cannabis help with Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are a pain in the butt. Literally. They’re veins which bulges and it can cause itching, pain, and it’s bumpy. You may wonder if cannabis can help. Here’s what we know about them. 

So what is it? 

They’re known as piles as well, and they’re painful, lumpy sites that do develop near or around your anus, and it’s something that’s not always the most pleasant. They are veins that do carry blood towards the heart, similar to what varicose veins do, swelling and twisted tissues. The difference between hemorrhoids and varicose veins is simply location. 



They do swell, and they’re cushions which are veinous.  There is a special part of your anatomy that does sit within your anal canal, and if there is a lot of vascular supply and traffic, this can be displaced.  It’s something that affects millions, about 10% of the overall population. The cause of this is something that is up for debate. High blood pressure, e varicose veins, and even support within the anal tissues starts to break down, which results in displacement, causing them to swell. 

There are some risk factors which go with this, including the following: 

  • Not enough fiber 

  • Pregnancy 

  • Obesity 

  • Diarrhea or constipation that’s chronic 

  • Lifting 

  • Straining when you have a bowel movement. 

How CBD May help 

How does cannabis fit into all of this? Well, it’s something that some people may be confused about, because you can’t expect to rub the herb on your butt of course.  However, there is some data that talks about how cannabis may help with more serious problems, and currently, there isn’t a ton of data. 

However, the cannabinoids in this do help with pain, itching, or inflammation, so it may be something that does influence the symptoms that you have as well. Your ECS does regulate different conditions, including your immune response. The plant that holds this name is something that has a bunch of chemicals which are very unique, including terpenes and cannabinoids that influence your biology. But do they impact the hemorrhoids that you have? 



Right now, the answer is we do not know, however, there are some ongoing trials that do put them in different models. CBD is something that’s gotten super popular as of late, and it does bind to the receptors, offering affinity, and it also influences the endocannabinoids within the body. when they’re inflamed, they do release a mucus that does cause a condition known as pruritus ani. 

Right now, there are some studies that look at this, and at the moment, it’s determining the potential for anti-inflammatory compounds. It also does probe the possible effects of pain and signaling. While a lot of this does focus mostly on neuropathy, there is always those who will look at the possibility of acute discomfort or pain from various patients. While sometimes the outcast may offer psychoactive results, there is a chance that THC may be one of the pain models. Some positive findings in tis may also lead to topical formulas and application, and using it topically may help with the possibility of impacting the mental state of a person. 



There are also people testing THC and CBD in order to help with activating the receptors used to reduce the itch. At this time, there is no specific conclusion from this especially if you’re looking for the correct answer. Preventing this is really the best thing to do, it there is a chance that cannabis may be the promising product that those who have hemorrhoids can use to treat it.