Chili peppers, marijuana can help treat Type 1 diabetes and upset stomachs
Next time you feel a stomach ache coming on, try treating it with some weed and spicy food.
Researchers have found that a compound in chili peppers can also produce an anti-inflammatory compound in the stomach similar to chemicals found in marijuana, reports Popular Science.
In a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the UConn Health School of Medicine found that capsaicin — the compound known for giving chili peppers their heat — targets a cannabis receptor in the stomach that releases a compound similar to those found in marijuana called anandamide.
Lead researcher Pramod Srivastava, an immunologist at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, found that anandamide produced by capsaicin consumption reduced inflammation in the guts of mice by summoning anti-inflammatory immune cells. The release of anandamide even cured mice with Type 1 diabetes.
“The person who discovered anandamide had an interest in Indian languages,” Srivastava told Popular Science. “And in India, the word ‘ananda’ means bliss.”
While the study did not involve direct exposure to marijuana, it was the first of its kind to illustrate a link between cannabinoid receptors and immune functions.
“I’m hoping to work with the public health authority in Colorado to see if there has been an effect on the severity of colitis among regular users of edible weed,” said Srivastava.
original By Oscar Pascual/Apr 26, 2017