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Keep reading...Parkinsons is mentioned... Marijuana substance may help in stroke WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) - A substance found in marijuana may help prevent brain damage in stroke victims, say federal researchers. In test tube studies, the investigators at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that marijuana compounds function as antioxidants, mopping up toxic chemicals that damage delicate nerve cells. In the experiments, one of the marijuana chemicals _ cannabidiol (``can-a-bi-DIE'-all'') _ was roughly twice as effective as known antioxidant vitamins C and E in protecting nerve cells in culture. Cannabidiol has long been thought to be inactive because it does not produce euphoria _ the pot smoker's high, says NIHM neuroscientist Aidan J. Hampson. He says his group is currently testing cannabidiol in living rats and the early results are ``looking good.'' Hampson and collaborators Maurizio Grimaldi, David Wink and Nobel laureate Julius Axelrod report their findings in Tuesday's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Scientists won't know whether marijuana-based drugs will help human stroke victims until clinical studies are completed. Hampson says these studies could start in about two years. Cannabidiol could also help in other conditions in which toxic chemicals destroy healthy tissues, including PARKINSON'S disease, Alzheimer's disease and heart attacks, says Hampson. He cautions, however, that the findings from the test tube and rat studies may not pan out, noting that the same substance failed human trials about a decade ago in Huntington's disease. Most researchers looking at the various therapeutic uses of marijuana are focusing on THC, the active component of the plant, he says. Drugs based on THC are used to fight nausea in cancer patients and people in the late stages of AIDS. In the PNAS study, Hampson found that THC also inhibits brain damaging chemicals, but he says that cannabidiol is a better therapeutic candidate because it has no mind-altering potential. Hampson says he does not know if smoking marijuana could provide a large enough dose of these antioxidants to prevent tissue damage, but he doubts it. The American Heart Association says that strokes, also known as brain attacks, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer. Strokes cut off oxygen supply to the brain, destroying nerve tissues. The AHA says a million stroke survivors suffer permanent disability, such as paralysis, blindness and impaired speech. In a statement commenting on the study, the AHA says that ``marijuana is not good for strokes,'' and they point out that the researchers used highly purified chemicals isolated from the plant. The statement continues that the AHA finds the research ``somewhat encouraging'' because there are currently no drugs available that can protect against stroke-induced brain damage. But, they add ``results are too preliminary to make any bold statements.'' (Written by Mara Bovsun in New York City) Copyright 1998 by United Press International All rights reserved -- Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada [log in to unmask]