For as long as modern medicine has treated infections with antibiotics, it has been entangled in an arms race against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. And as scientists look for ways to stem the tide of global health problem, the authors of a new study have discovered a potential new weapon against these so-called superbugs: cannabidiol (CBD).
Scientists in Australia found that cannabidiol – the non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – was remarkably effective at treating bacterial skin infections in mice. What’s more, the bacteria did not become resistant to the drug even after being exposed to it for 20 days – the period bacteria are believed to adapt to a new resistance to currently used drugs.
Although it’s too early to say whether the findings are sustainable outside the lab, the results offer hope that CBD could one day be part of the solution to the growing threat of anti-microbial resistance.
