A newly published scientific research review that analyzed six studies on the use of the marijuana component cannabidiol to address treatment-resistant epilepsy finds that patients who took CBD experienced a more than a 40 percent average reduction in seizures. That’s compared to an average reduction of just under 20 percent in patients who received a placebo.
The new review was authored by a team of four researchers from Tiradentes University and Universidade de São Paulo, in Brazil. Of the six studies they analyzed, five compared specific lower-dose and higher-dose CBD treatments.
The higher-dose treatment (20 milligrams of CBD per kilogram of body mass per day) demonstrated “superior seizure control,” the team wrote—12 percent greater, they noted—but pointed out that the “lower dose [10 mg/kg/day] also showed significant efficacy, making it a viable option for inclusion in treatment and guidelines as well.”
“Based on the results from the analyzed studies,” the report says, “it can be concluded that the addition of CBD to the treatment regimen for patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy is beneficial in most cases.”
