Congo has the highest disease burden in the world for malaria,
HIV/AIDS, diarrhea and respiratory infection, together accounting
for almost 50% of the Years of Life Lost in Congo
(http://www.healthdata.org/congo).
For the treatment and prevention of these diseases, the Congolese
government is largely (>90%) dependent on external resources and
then still modern medicine is only available to a fraction of the
Congolese population (±10% for Malaria, ±25% for AIDS, see:
UNAIDS_Factsheet and WHO World Malaria Report).
It is therefore crucial that the Congolese government gains access
to cheap and effective medicine to cure or prevent malaria, AIDS,
diarrhea and respiratory infection.
To ensure a steady supply chain and increase availability to the
population, production of this medicine is ideally local, low-cost and
low-tech.
Cannabinoid extracts have been used to treat pain, inflammation
and many other disease symptoms for thousands of years
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis).
The therapeutic value of Cannabis comes from cannabinoids.
Cannabinoids interact with the human endocannabinoid system to
regulate cell division, metabolism, immunity and cell-to-cell
communication, to promote balance and combat disease
(http://www.ghmedical.com/endocannabinoid-system-safeguards-
balance/).
More specifically:
• The cannabinoids THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, CBC and CBCA have
anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal properties, offering protection
against diarrhea and respiratory infections (but also other
infectious diseases, see: http://www.ghmedical.com/biomedical-
laboratory_j/cannabinoids-discomfort-relationships/)
• THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBNA, THCVA, CBGA and CBCA have
anti-inflammatory properties, offering relief from malaria, AIDS,
diarrhea and other infections leading to inflammation
(http://www.ghmedical.com/biomedical-
laboratory_j/cannabinoids-discomfort-relationships/)
• AKA foragers in the Congo basis who use cannabis have a
significantly lower parasite burden than non-users (Roulette et
al., 2016)
• Cannabis extract was shown to kill larvae of the malaria
mosquito (Maurya et al., 2007)
• Blocking CB2 reduces susceptibility to cerebral malaria in mice
(Alferink et al., 2016)
Dr Joost Heeroma, August 22nd 2016 2
• CBD (which can block CB2) reduces inflammation and cognitive
defects in cerebral malaria in mice (Campos et al., 2015)
• For a disease-specific overview of the evidence for therapeutic
use of cannabinoids please see:
• http://www.ghmedical.com/aids/
• http://www.ghmedical.com/malaria/
Cannabis thus has excellent potential to prevent or cure diseases
like malaria, AIDS, diarrhea or respiratory infection.
Cannabis is endemic to Congo and therefore an excellent source of
natural and cheap medicine.
Preliminary data from our Strain Hunters expeditions indicate that
Congolese Cannabis varieties are rich in THCVA, therefore
particularly relevant to inflammation and the treatment of malaria,
AIDS, diarrhea and respiratory infection.
GH Medical has all required expertise to cultivate and optimize
Cannabis varieties, extract cannabinoids prepare medication and
run clinical trials.
We propose to assist the Congolese government to setup and
exploit the infrastructure for Cannabis cultivation and cannabinoid-
based medicine production.
The seed capital for this project will be donated by the Strain
Hunters Foundation (http://strainhuntersfoundation.com/). The
Strain Hunters Foundation was founded in 2007 to support
communities in the poorest regions of the world where Strain
Hunters documentaries are produced. More specifically, the Strain
Hunters Foundation aims to give people the tools and education to
help provide for themselves.
Helping destitute people to support their own livelihood and produce
affordable medication fits perfectly within the scope of the Strain
Hunters Foundation. The Strain Hunters Foundation has therefore
pledged 1 million USD to setup this project.
Literature:
Alferink, J., Specht, S., Arends, H., Schumak, B., Schmidt, K.,
Ruland, C., Lundt, R., Kemter, A., Dlugos, A., Kuepper, J.M., et al.
(2016). Cannabinoid receptor 2 modulates susceptibility to
experimental cerebral malaria through a CCL17-dependent
mechanism. J. Biol. Chem.
Dr Joost Heeroma, August 22nd 2016 3
Campos, A.C., Brant, F., Miranda, A.S., Machado, F.S., and
Teixeira, A.L. (2015). Cannabidiol increases survival and promotes
rescue of cognitive function in a murine model of cerebral malaria.
Neuroscience 289, 166–180.
Maurya, P., Mohan, L., Sharma, P., Batabyal, L., and Srivastava,
C.N. (2007). Larvicidal efficacy of Aloe barbadensis and Cannabis
sativa against the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi (Diptera:
Culicidae). Entomol. Res. 37, 153–156.
Roulette, C.J., Kazanji, M., Breurec, S., and Hagen, E.H. (2016).
High prevalence of cannabis use among Aka foragers of the Congo
Basin and its possible relationship to helminthiasis. Am. J. Hum.
Biol. 28, 5–15.
