Marijuana skin cream to fight allergies?

Cannabinoids, found in marijuana and also produced by the body, may be a possible treatment for skin allergies. Researchers from the University of Bonn noticed that genetically engineered mice lacking cannabinoid receptors developed allergic reactions that others didn't. From News@Nature:

The results suggested that cannabinoids produced by the body might help protect the animals against skin allergies. To find out whether the compounds could produce the same effect when applied externally, Zimmer's research team applied a cannabinoid to the skin of mice before and after they were exposed to a chemical (called 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene), which is known to produce an allergic response. Mice that had received the cannabinoid had a diminished allergic response, with about 50% less swelling, than did those that had not received the compound...

But no therapeutic application is certain until the experiments have been repeated in humans, cautions Roman Rukwied, who studies pain and inflammation at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. "We are far before the day when we could say 'oh, I have a nickel allergy. I will smoke marijuana and I won't have it anymore'," he says. "That is definitely not the case."

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