Medical use of cannabidiol and impact on cancer cell viability

While the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes dates back millennia, recently there has been a renewed interest in the medical properties of this plant and compounds produced by the plant in Western medicine. Of particular interest is the second most abundantly produced compound, cannabidiol (CBD). This compound has recently been approved by governmental regulatory agencies for the treatment of rare seizures disorders in children, but there is much interest in other potential therapeutic uses for CBD. Here we discuss the differences between CBD and the other major phytocannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, examine the preclinical and clinical data that support the use of CBD for human disorders, with a focus on cancer therapeutics, and touch upon derivatives of CBD that may be of clinical importance. While there is much work yet to be done, there does seem to be strong preclinical and early clinical data suggesting that CBD has potential as a therapeutic for treating anxiety, as an adjuvant for conventional chemotherapy, and reducing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.