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Cannabis and Herpes: Can It Help?
Herpes can range from a mild inconvenience to a life-changing and extremely painful experience. With few effective treatments available, patients may search for alternatives. How does cannabis stand up in this regard? Though the outlook does not seem especially bright, here we investigate cannabis and herpes.
Contents:
Herpes is a recognisable disease for almost all of us, but what exactly does this condition involve? Many are aware that cold sores are also herpes, but how do they differ from the other kinds of herpes? And what are the implications for one’s health?
Here, we look into the different types of herpes simplex virus, their symptoms, and existing treatments. In doing so, we can then consider the impact cannabis may have on herpes—for better or for worse.
What Is Herpes Simplex?
There are two types of herpes simplex virus: type one and type two. These are technically known as HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively, but more on the distinction shortly.
HSV-1 and HSV-2 are responsible for cases of oral and/or genital herpes—with the oral variety more commonly known as cold sores. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3.7 billion people[1] under the age of 50 (67% of the global population) have the HSV-1 infection, with 13% having HSV-2.
Despite the staggering numbers, in most cases, the infected patients remain asymptomatic. But what’s the difference between the two varieties?
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HSV-1 and HSV-2
HSV-1 and HSV-2 are similar but exhibit some important clinical differences.
HSV-1 is by far the more common and, thankfully, milder iteration of the herpes simplex virus.
Most people become infected sometime during childhood, presenting the worst symptoms at this stage. However, some patients are asymptomatic during the primary infection. If symptoms do occur, they often take the form of cold sores when the infection is oral, and slight ulcers when the infection is genital.
With HSV-1, almost all cases are oral and just recur from time to time, posing few issues.
HSV-2 is less common and can be much more severe. However, the majority of HSV-2-infected patients remain asymptomatic. Nevertheless, during this stage, the infection can be spread.
Almost all HSV-2 cases are genital. The bad news is, the initial outbreak(s) can be severe and painful, and the infection is lifelong. The good news is, the recurrence and severity of outbreaks usually recede with time.
How Herpes Spreads
With both genital and oral herpes, the vast majority of transmission happens via skin-to-skin contact. Kissing, sex, or even drinking from the same vessels can spread herpes. But there are a few things we can do to dramatically reduce the likelihood of spreading/catching it.
First and foremost, while the once-infected people are always carriers of these viruses, they are far more infectious when they are actually symptomatic; that is, when they have cold sores or genital ulcers. So if you have these symptoms, it is better to stay off others for a while.
With HSV-1, that’s about all you can reasonably do in terms of avoiding it.
Given that most people have it—and you most likely do too—avoiding kissing anyone your whole life is not a viable solution to avoid herpes. In this case, just keeping some distance from others while the disease is obviously present could be enough.
HSV-2 is a slightly different matter and requires one to pay more attention. While not as infectious, the physical symptoms tend to be worse and come with psychological stress as well.
HSV-2 is spread almost exclusively via sexual contact.
In addition to this, some carriers won’t actually know who they got it from, making prevention more difficult. Second, it’s worth being aware that women, by their anatomy, are about twice as susceptible to catching HSV-2 compared to men. Examinations after sexual contact are always recommended for both participants to prevent the disease’s spread.
Finally, both types can take the form of neonatal herpes, where the infant becomes infected during birth. While occurrences of this are very low, about 10 in every 100,000 births, it can be a severe and life-altering infection, causing disability.
Babies are at greatest risk in instances where the mother has herself become infected during the pregnancy and the infection is at its most virulent.
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Herpes Symptoms
The symptoms of herpes, when they do occur, tend to be unpleasant and sometimes very painful.
| HSV-1 Symptoms |
HSV-1 symptoms are more straightforward and almost always located around the mouth. They include: |
| HSV-2 Symptoms |
The symptoms of HSV-2 can vary a little more and tend to be more severe. They include: |
| HSV-1 Symptoms |
|
HSV-1 symptoms are more straightforward and almost always located around the mouth. They include: |
| HSV-2 Symptoms |
|
The symptoms of HSV-2 can vary a little more and tend to be more severe. They include: |
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Herpes Treatments
There are several existing treatments for herpes, but some of these are not exempt from side effects. These treatments do not cure the infection, but help deal with the symptoms.
Antivirals, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir, are most commonly prescribed to fight either form of the virus, though only in very few cases is HSV-1 treated with drugs.
Genital herpes, on the other hand, may well be treated with drugs, especially during the initial stages of the infection. In this second case, some additional medications, such as antiepileptic drugs, are used against pain. Some side effects of all these drugs include:
| Headaches | Dizziness | Nausea | Sensitivity to light | Vomiting | Diarrhoea |
| Headaches | Dizziness |
| Nausea | Sensitivity to light |
| Vomiting | Diarrhoea |
Cannabis and Herpes
There is some controversy regarding research on cannabis in relation to herpes. This is largely due to a few pieces of research beginning in the 1980s, which have been inflated to suggest that cannabis may be of great help.
However, there is also a significant body of research that suggests cannabis may in fact have a negative impact on the symptoms of herpes. Below, we investigate the findings at present.
THC
The initial piece of research that caused people to draw a link between cannabis and herpes was conducted in 1980. Researchers claimed that both HSV-1 and HSV-2 were unable to replicate[2] in human cell monolayer cultures when THC was added 8 hours before, at the time of, or 8 hours after infection.
In 1991, similar results[3] were found. While both studies indicate that THC may have an effect on the herpes virus, both took place in vitro (outside the human body), under very specific conditions.
Other in vivo studies (on animals) suggest that THC may not be that helpful when it comes to herpes. A 1986 study[4]tested THC in a model of HSV-2 in guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs were chosen as they seem to exhibit a similar response to HSV-2 as humans do. The results were not promising.
The results were not promising. Due to the anti-inflammatory activity of this drug, it was observed that the higher the dose of THC received by the guinea pigs, the worse the herpes became compared to the control group—it was even fatal for some. A year prior, in 1985, a similar study involving mice found more or less the same results[5].
More broadly, and more recently, a 2010 paper investigated the effects of cannabinoids[6] on many different viral infections, including HSV-1. It found that with a few types of persistent viral infections, cannabinoids showed some potential.
With all others, though, it appeared that cannabinoids actually decreased the body’s ability to cope with infections. HSV-1 was among this latter group.
CBD
To date, there appear to be no specific studies looking into the relationship between CBD and herpes. However, a 2020 paper[7] looked at CBD’s relationship to viral infections more generally.
Drawing on research papers and anecdotal evidence found on the internet, it concluded that though there may be some relationship, evidence is still severely lacking, and most claims are unsubstantiated. As such, it highlights the need to investigate whether CBD could have any effect on viral infections.
Should You Use Cannabis for Herpes?
As it stands, there is no reason to believe that cannabis is a viable course of treatment for herpes. It’s probably best to stick to more proven remedies. The last thing you want to do is make the condition worse!
With that said, it is far too early to say with confidence that cannabis presents no potential either. The current body of research on cannabis and herpes has yet to reach the domain of human study, and thus, very little can be concluded one way or the other.
Will Herpes Go Away?
Neither virus will leave your body after the primary infection. From then on, you will be its host, often in an asymptomatic stage. HSV-1 will recede after the primary infection, causing very few symptoms in its successive reappearances.
Other than using a little sense in respect to other people, if you’re actually exhibiting symptoms, there’s little you can do if you have HSV-1, aside from using the proven medication when necessary.
HSV-2, on the other hand, can be more problematic in the long term, but there are things you can do. Symptoms tend to resurge when your immune system becomes suppressed. So living a generally healthy lifestyle is the single best way to keep herpes at bay.
Besides previously known medications, exercise, a healthy diet, and a good sleeping pattern will keep your immune system strong and herpes infections suppressed, reducing the symptoms and infectiousness. Luckily, the virus symptomatology usually loses power in time.
In both cases, and as always, prevention is the best cure!
External Resources:
- Herpes simplex virus https://www.who.int
- The Effect of Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Herpes Simplex Virus Replication | Microbiology Society https://www.microbiologyresearch.org
- Suppressive effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on herpes simplex virus infectivity in vitro - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Effect of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on herpes simplex virus type 2 vaginal infection in the guinea pig - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol decreases host resistance to herpes simplex virus type 2 vaginal infection in the B6C3F1 mouse - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Cannabinoids and Viral Infections - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Cannabidiol for Viral Diseases: Hype or Hope? https://www.liebertpub.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.
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