In an article published in the West Indies Medical Journal in 1978, West wrote: "Sun-dried whole plant (cannabis sativa) was obtained from the Police Department. The material was carefully examined for extraneous matter. A macerate was made which contained 5% w/v of whole cannabis. The solution was filtered using Whatman's No. 1 filter paper and the solution rapidly sterilized using a sintered glass filter (5 on 3) with a porosity of 1 to 1.5 microns. The sterilized solution was distributed aseptically into eye drop containers and stored in a cool dark place above freezing point."
Neither West nor Lockhart would elaborate on the exact procedures used to transform the above-mentioned solution into a prescription medicine, although Lockhart did say that a stable "powder" had been made in sufficient quantity to supply the experimenters with all the "principle" they needed to conduct numerous experiments and to make stable pharmaceutical preparations. Canasol has been stored at varying temperatures for eight years, West noted, and had no significant loss of potency.
During the 1980's and 90's, West said, thousands of vials of Canasol have been tested and used as a topical eye medicine in Jamaica, Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and other areas.
"It has no reported side-effects," West emphatically stated, "which makes it safer than the standard chemical glaucoma medications. It acts very quickly, both as a preventive and in situations of acute onset, to lower intraocular pressure. Patients report excellent results and ease of use, and doctors are quite happy to have Canasol in their therapeutic arsenal. It is part of the curriculum in medical schools, during courses that discuss drugs affecting the eye."
With Canasol increasingly accepted by doctors and patients worldwide, the Jamaican researchers turned their attention to other medical uses of ganja constituents. In 1990, they released Asmasol, a cannabis derivative that helps relieve asthma attacks.
"Asmasol is useful during both the acute phase of an asthma attack, and as a preventive during the impending phase," West explained, adding that he and Lockhart have also created Canavert, a ganja-based treatment for motion sickness, and are working on Cantimol, another glaucoma medication slated for imminent release.
More research is planned, as the imaginative team looks into ganja's effects on nausea, arthritis, pain and migraine headaches.
"This plant has hundreds of potentially helpful constituents," West explains. "It is useful for many conditions, and is a storehouse of amazing proportions."
Neither West nor Lockhart would elaborate on the exact procedures used to transform the above-mentioned solution into a prescription medicine, although Lockhart did say that a stable "powder" had been made in sufficient quantity to supply the experimenters with all the "principle" they needed to conduct numerous experiments and to make stable pharmaceutical preparations. Canasol has been stored at varying temperatures for eight years, West noted, and had no significant loss of potency.
During the 1980's and 90's, West said, thousands of vials of Canasol have been tested and used as a topical eye medicine in Jamaica, Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and other areas.
"It has no reported side-effects," West emphatically stated, "which makes it safer than the standard chemical glaucoma medications. It acts very quickly, both as a preventive and in situations of acute onset, to lower intraocular pressure. Patients report excellent results and ease of use, and doctors are quite happy to have Canasol in their therapeutic arsenal. It is part of the curriculum in medical schools, during courses that discuss drugs affecting the eye."
With Canasol increasingly accepted by doctors and patients worldwide, the Jamaican researchers turned their attention to other medical uses of ganja constituents. In 1990, they released Asmasol, a cannabis derivative that helps relieve asthma attacks.
"Asmasol is useful during both the acute phase of an asthma attack, and as a preventive during the impending phase," West explained, adding that he and Lockhart have also created Canavert, a ganja-based treatment for motion sickness, and are working on Cantimol, another glaucoma medication slated for imminent release.
More research is planned, as the imaginative team looks into ganja's effects on nausea, arthritis, pain and migraine headaches.
"This plant has hundreds of potentially helpful constituents," West explains. "It is useful for many conditions, and is a storehouse of amazing proportions."
by NATALIE ESCOBAR NIÑO 200620842
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario