Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) medical cannabis treatment

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long term condition that causes the immune system to attack the digestive system, which in turn causes inflammation. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the most prevalent inflammatory bowel disease conditions in the UK, and both have shown promising results when treated with IBD medical cannabis treatments.

Am I eligible?

10 million

people around the world are believed to live with Inflammatory bowel disease

90%

of survey respondents said IBD symptoms improved with cannabis based treatments

Over 3/4

of respondents said medical cannabis IBD treatments improved abdominal cramping

23%

of IBD patients have used cannabis-based products for symptom relief, shows survey.

Symptoms

Bleeding from your bottom

Blood or mucus in your poo

Fatigue

Persistent diarrhoea

Tummy pain

Unintentional weight loss

If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, you may have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Please speak with your GP to find out more.

Treatment options:

In the UK, inflammatory bowel disease symptoms are conventionally treated using prescribed anti-inflammatories and steroids. In some extreme cases surgery is recommended to physically remove parts of the bowel, but this can be costly, and the recovery process can take a long time.

5-aminosalicyclic acids

Biologics

Corticosteroids

Immunomodulators

Find out if you may be eligible for IBD medical cannabis treatments here
Am I eligible?

Join our growing community of over 40,000 people

Whether you’re new to cannabis-based medicines, switching from another medical cannabis clinic, or self-medicating, we’ll put you back in control of your health.

Verified
Maxim’s Journey

Condition Chronic Pain

Subscriber 8 months

Verified
Jess' Journey

Condition Fibromyalgia

Subscriber 8 months

Verified
Chloe's Journey

Condition Endometriosis

Subscriber 8 months

Verified
Daisy's Journey

Condition PTSD

Subscriber 8 months

Verified
Daryl's Journey

Condition Anxiety & Depression

Subscriber 8 months

Verified
Carla's Journey

Condition Endometriosis

Subscriber 9 months

Verified
Wojciech's Journey

Condition Insomnia

Subscriber 8 months

Verified
Brandon's Journey

Condition Anxiety & Depression

Subscriber 6 months

Verified
Hollie's Journey

Condition Chronic Pain & Anxiety

Subscriber 8 months

A word from our specialist

"IBD - inflammatory bowel disease can be severely impacting on one's health and quality of life. There are many medications out there from anti-inflammatories, specialist disease modifying agents, monoclonal antibodies and even sometimes surgery is necessary. There can be acute episodes where urgent hospital care is required. Through the use of these current methods in addition with medical cannabis and its profound effect on the cannabinoid receptors and pathways we can target the symptoms of pain, abdominal discomfort, nausea, sleep and energy."

Dr Mivy Jaspal

Generalist

Find out if you may be eligible for IBD medical cannabis treatments here
Am I eligible?

Articles on Inflammatory bowel disease (ibd)

05. 08. 2023

Exploring the potential benefits of CBD for IBD

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of conditions that cause inflammation in the digestive tract. Depending on their level of severity, they can be anything from frustrating inconveniences to life-altering health issues with potentially dangerous consequences.

29. 08. 2023

Understanding the link between cannabinoids and the digestive tract

The cannabis sativa L. plant is one of the most versatile, and potentially therapeutically beneficial types of flora to ever grace this pale blue dot we call home. It is one of the fastest-growing plants, takes less water to cultivate than the vast majority of other crops, and has a wide range of applications due to not only the presence of cannabinoids, but also its true variability in terms of the production of textiles, paper products, and food items.

05. 08. 2023

Is CBD a safe treatment option for gut inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to harmful stimuli like injuries and infection. It effectively quarantines the site of the injury and infection in order to attack any invading bodies or contaminants. In the modern world, however, there are more negative stimuli that can trigger inflammation than ever, from stressful living and working conditions to processed foods and airborne pollution. These can cause the immune system to attack healthy tissue.

How can medical cannabis help inflammatory bowel disease?

Medical cannabis inflammatory bowel disease treatments typically target the inflammation caused by IBD, and influence the responses initiated by the immune system in people with IBD. 

Some cannabis-based treatments have shown to decrease the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the gut, which is believed to contribute to the development of Crohn's disease, whilst others may reduce inflammation in the colon and rectum, which can alleviate some of the painful symptoms associated with IBD like diarrhoea and rectal bleeding. 

Other evidence suggests medical cannabis treatments can help decrease the perception of pain, which may make IBD less of a hindrance when going about daily routines and activities, and self-reported quality of life scores also tend to improve after patients start cannabis-based treatments. 

Prescribed cannabis treatments are considered a suitable treatment option for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases in the UK if they have been unable to manage their symptoms with conventional, licensed medications. To find out if medical cannabis may be able to help you, fill out our free online eligibility checker today. 

Learn how Releaf works