Let’s Talk About Epidermolysis Bullosa

The so-called Epidermolysis bullosais a group of skin diseases resulting from the deficiency and alteration of skin proteins that perform an intercellular adhesivefunction: keratin, collagen, laminin, desmocollin, plakophilin, plakoglobin… etc. It is a rare hereditary disease that makes your skin incredibly fragile and causes the formation of vesicles, ulcers, sores and wounds after any type of trauma. Sometimes it can resemble psoriasis and dermatitis, which improve with the use of cannabis.

So, what can cannabis do for the patients who suffer from this terrible syndrome?

This is a rare disease, and there aren’t many studies that focus on it. One of the symptoms is the pain caused by blisters and wounds, and the consequent possible deformities or loss of fingers. Cannabis can treat the pain much better than the best part of the common – and sometimes dangerous – analgesics. Another symptom is itching: cannabis is able, as demonstrated by a 2002 research, to counteract the itch induced by the disease. Plus, the immune and inflammatory responses seem to be the cause of both blisters and wounds. Cannabis is also effective against inflammations of the skin and studies suggest that its cannabinoids can regulate the immune responses of our body – although the relationship between cannabinoids receptors and autoimmune inflammatory responses is not yet clear.

Another problem is the infection caused by the exposure of the wounded skin to common pathogens. Many studies, however, indicate that cannabis can exert a strong antibacterial effect against bacteria that colonize the wounds of people affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa. Finally, many forms of this disease greatly increase the risk of skin cancer, and this type of cancer can be treated with cannabis oil.

There is still much work to be done before the doctors will be able to demonstrate that cannabis is the best treatment for this disease, but the preliminary results are very promising. And if this wasn’t enough, many people who have bought seeds to grow their own plants for therapeutic purposes have also stated that cannabis can be used against skin diseases. Hopefully, as the number of state where medical cannabis is legal increases, we will soon be able to understand whether or not our favorite plant can cure also this kind of diseases. What we know already is that cannabis can improve the lives of the many patients who suffer from chronic pain, itching and even “incurable” diseases like cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, just to mention a few: truly, a special plant.