By Marguerite Arnold


Studies have shown that in diseased livers, there is a greater expression of cannabinoid receptors[1] compared to healthy livers. Naturally, this begs the question, does marijuana affect the liver? Could it even be used to manage some of these ailments? Livers with a greater abundance of receptors will, after all, be more receptive to cannabinoids.

Many researchers are now setting out to find answers to these questions, and below we explore some of their findings.

What Is the Liver’s Function?

The liver is a fascinating organ that plays an absolutely vital role in our survival. One of its main functions is to act as a filter; taking out the good parts of what we ingest, and either leaving or detoxifying the rest, and sending this off for ejection.

It sits just below the diaphragm, mainly on the right side of the body. It has a large right lobe and a smaller left lobe, which are connected by a bundle of connective tissue that also anchors it to the abdominal wall. On average, an adult liver weighs around 49.4 oz. In a pocket beneath the liver is the gallbladder, where bile is stored. Bile is produced by the liver to break down fat.

The portal vein is one of the most important parts of the liver. It is through this vessel that blood from the digestive organs flows, bringing with it all the good and the bad. It is the liver's job to sort through this, putting the good back into our blood for use, and sending the rest to be flushed out. Vitamin K in the liver is also used to create proteins that cause blood clotting when someone gets injured.

Some of the substances that the liver has to deal with—and is surprisingly good at dealing with—are drugs.

  • What Are Common Liver Problems?

On the whole, livers are surprisingly robust, and can take quite a beating, even from synthetic substances they haven’t evolved to process. Nevertheless, due to various substances and diseases, livers can encounter problems, some of which are very severe.

Some of the most common liver problems are:

Hepatitis This virus affects the liver and, without treatment, can be fatal. It causes scarring that interferes with the organ’s ability to function properly.
Fatty liver disease (FLD) This condition can be brought on by chronic alcoholism, obesity, or a sedentary lifestyle, among other causes. Fat deposits build up in the liver, reducing its function and eventually leading to liver failure.
Fibrosis This is scarring of the fibrotic tissues. Again, an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to this, and if it goes unchecked, the scar tissue can become so abundant that it severely damages the liver’s ability to function.
Cirrhosis This is the end-stage disease caused by fibrosis.

As you can see, there are a lot of things that can go wrong in the liver, and most are brought on by unhealthy lifestyle choices—primarily alcohol abuse and obesity. The liver comes into contact with everything you ingest, and bears the brunt of it too. So it’s no surprise it suffers so greatly from excessive intake of alcohol or unhealthy food.

The liver is able to repair itself, especially from conditions like FLD, if the condition is not too advanced. Conditions like fibrosis are less reversible due to the buildup of scar tissue. Any of these conditions can lead to liver failure, which is fatal if left untreated. Once the liver gets to this stage, the only solution is a liver transplant.

So, this is very much a case of prevention being the best cure.

What Are Common Liver Problems?

Does Cannabis Affect the Liver?

There will always be cases where people encounter liver conditions, both through their own choices and simply through bad luck. Either way, finding effective treatments is essential to return them to good health.

Today we ask, could cannabis (especially cannabinoids) play a future role regarding liver functioning?

As it stands, research is in its infancy, and so it’s not possible to draw conclusions. What we can do, though, is look at what’s been examined so far.

  • Cannabis and Fibrosis

Cannabinoid receptors, particularly CB1 and CB2, are present throughout the human body in relative abundance. These receptors, along with endocannabinoids, enzymes, and other components, make up the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Endocannabinoids are cannabinoids produced by the human body, with the two most prevalent being 2-AG and anandamide. These molecules bind to cannabinoid receptors to keep the body functioning as it should. This is also how cannabis exerts its effects; the cannabinoids in the herb interact with the ECS, producing similar yet distinct outcomes to endocannabinoids.

Usually, CB1 and CB2 receptors are very sparse in the liver. However, according to previously mentioned data, those suffering from fibrosis appear to have a potentially much higher count than those with healthy livers.

It is thought that these receptors play a role in the generation of scar tissue—a profibrogenic role[2]. In fact, it’s much more complex than this. Research by Parfieniuk and Flisiak (2008) identified the two receptors as having opposing roles. It seems that activation of the CB1 receptor has, among other consequences, profibrogenic and proinflammatory effects. For those with fibrosis, these are not good.

Conversely, they found that activation of the CB2 receptor has the opposite effects—perhaps opening a door for the treatment of fibrosis. The issue with this, however, is that THC—the main cannabinoid in cannabis—is primarily an agonist of the CB1 receptor, meaning it “activates” it.

Another study, by Hezode et al. (2005)[3], investigated the effects of smoking cannabis daily in those with fibrosis of the liver. They found the same; it appeared that activation of CB1 receptors actually hastened the development of fibrosis. But it’s not all bad. A 2011 study[4] found that activation of CB2 receptors could trigger cell death in malignant cells, reducing scar tissue.

What these pieces of research show is that the ECS, and its manipulation, may well exert a powerful effect over fibrosis. Understanding this relationship in greater depth could open the door to effective treatments in the future.

Does Cannabis Affect the Liver?
  • Cannabis and Fatty Liver Disease

Research investigating the potential role of cannabis in FLD is currently underway, and conflicting.

For instance, research by Purohit, Rapaka, and Shurtleff (2010)[5] found that CB1 receptors were more present in the livers of those with FLD. In turn, CB1 activation appeared to cause the development of CB2 receptors. The researchers concluded that activation of either type of receptor caused a greater buildup of fat in the liver. This was even more pronounced in those who had FLD as a consequence of hepatitis.

Likewise, a 2021 study by Berk et al.[6] examined the influence of endocannabinoid activation on non-alcoholic FLD. The research yielded similar results, pointing toward a buildup of fat in the liver. As a consequence, they concluded that understanding this effect, and modulating the receptors accordingly, could present potential treatment avenues for FLD. It is unclear, however, whether cannabis could have a role to play here.

  • Cannabis and Hepatitis

Viral hepatitis can cause immune-modulated liver disease. Hegde et al. (2008)[7] looked into whether modulation of T-cells with THC might have an effect on inflammation of the liver caused by hepatitis. It is important to note that this research was conducted in mice, and therefore cannot be directly extrapolated to humans.

One interesting finding, however, was that the naturally occurring endocannabinoid anandamide appeared to suppress cytokine levels. Anandamide is normally broken down fairly quickly by FAAH, a fatty acid enzyme. However, cannabidiol (CBD) works to inhibit this enzyme, thereby making a greater concentration of anandamide available to the body.

Hepatitis can be difficult to treat, and the treatments can be very taxing. Therefore, some research has sought to discover if some of the severe side effects of hepatitis treatment could be affected by cannabis or its cannabinoids. For severe hepatitis C, chemotherapy is sometimes used. Some of the most common symptoms of this treatment include nausea and anorexia. With this in mind, a study by Costiniuk, Mills, and Cooper (2008) investigated[8] whether orally administered cannabis treatments could affect these symptoms.

  • Cannabis and Alcoholism

Alcohol is one of the leading causes of liver disease. Even in relatively small amounts, alcohol consumption over a prolonged period can cause liver damage. Not only has cannabis been studied for its effects on liver disease, but also for its potential to help people stop drinking alcohol, thereby allowing the liver to repair itself.

For example, Prud’homme, Cata, and Jutras-Aswad (2015)[9] explored whether CBD could play a role in addictive behaviours, reviewing 14 studies; 9 in animals, 5 in humans.

Turna et al. (2019)[10] also reviewed numerous studies, finding similar results as Prud'homme et al. But as with much of this research, they also underlined the importance of conducting more clinical studies on large human groups. So far, much of the research has been conducted on animals or cells outside of the body.

While conclusions cannot yet be drawn from these findings, they demonstrate a genuine cause for more in-depth study on cannabis and alcoholism.

Can Cannabis Damage the Liver?

So, does weed affect your liver in a negative way? This is an important question, both for those with and without liver disease. To answer it, we’ll assess the effects of THC and CBD separately.

THC

As indicated by some of the research mentioned above, it is possible that THC, via activation of CB1 receptors, might have a negative impact on the development of scar tissue and fat buildup in the liver.

However, this research focused on those with existing issues. In a homeostatic liver, the apparent lack of cannabinoid receptor expression would likely alter these results.

CBD

A 2019 study on mice[11] investigated whether CBD had any hepatotoxic (liver-damaging) characteristics. Researchers administered an equivalent dose (scaled to their weight) of the highest recommended dose of Epidiolex—an FDA-approved synthetic CBD medication used to treat two rare forms of drug-resistant epilepsy.

This dose did appear to affect the livers of the subjects; however, no evidence of this effect has been observed in human subjects.

Does Cannabis Interact With Medications?

Yes. Specifically CBD. Cytochrome P450 is a liver enzyme responsible for breaking down most drugs and foreign substances. So if you’re taking medication, it is likely this enzyme that will break it down and flush it out.

The issue with CBD is that it can deactivate this enzyme (temporarily), meaning that drugs will be metabolised at a slower rate. Depending on the medication, this could lead to greater and more drawn-out side effects, or even cause liver damage.

So before taking CBD with medication (or other drugs), talk to a medical professional, as the cannabinoid could end up doing more harm than good.

However, there is a silver lining to this. This inhibition of the breakdown of certain drugs could lead the way to modulating existing treatments. For instance, a 2016 study[12] found that by introducing CBD, doses of other drugs could be lowered without affecting efficacy. It is thought that, if managed properly, this could lead to lowering drug doses and their side effects, without sacrificing the sought-after effects.

Clearly, those with liver disease should not reach for a smoke. But whether cannabinoids on the whole are “good” or “bad” for the liver is unclear.

What is clear is the need for more research, to discover both the good and the bad. Even where cannabis may do harm, determining its effects gives us a greater understanding of the diseases themselves, and potential treatments.

External Resources:
  1. Hepatic Cannabinoid Signaling in the Regulation of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease | Alcohol Research: Current Reviews https://arcr.niaaa.nih.gov
  2. Role of cannabinoids in chronic liver diseases https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Daily cannabis smoking as a risk factor for progression of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Cannabidiol attenuates cardiac dysfunction, oxidative stress, fibrosis, inflammatory and cell death signaling pathways in diabetic cardiomyopathy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. Role of Cannabinoids in the Development of Fatty Liver (Steatosis) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Phytocannabinoids—A Green Approach toward Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Attenuation of experimental autoimmune hepatitis by exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids: involvement of regulatory T cells - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Evaluation of oral cannabinoid-containing medications for the management of interferon and ribavirin-induced anorexia, nausea and weight loss in patients treated for chronic hepatitis C virus - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. Cannabidiol as an Intervention for Addictive Behaviors: A Systematic Review of the Evidence https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. Cannabidiol as a Novel Candidate Alcohol Use Disorder Pharmacotherapy: A Systematic Review - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. Molecules | Free Full-Text | Hepatotoxicity of a Cannabidiol-Rich Cannabis Extract in the Mouse Model | HTML https://www.mdpi.com
  12. Human Metabolites of Cannabidiol: A Review on Their Formation, Biological Activity, and Relevance in Therapy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: