Cannabis helps restoring taste sansation in cancer patients

A group of patients, 21 volunteers who had been treated with chemotherapy, received pills containing THC - the psychoactive chemical in cannabis - The research found that 73% of patients who had taken pills with THC, noticed an increase in food taste.

According to these patients, food had more flavor. In addition, they felt more relaxed and slept better. While the experiment has been done in a small scale, it is the first time a research explores the qualities of THC through a random selection of volunteers and the use of a control group.

Professor Wendy Wismer said, the findings were important because the cancer or its treatment, may decrease appetite and lead to dangerous weight loss in patients. Many patients with cancer after being treated with chemotherapy, eat less meat because they say the smell and taste are unpleasant.

According to professor and researcher Wismer, for a long time, everyone thought you could not do anything to this regard.The fact is that cancer patients are told often to address chemosensory problems eating soft, cold and colorless food. This may well have the result of reducing the intake of food. Wendy Wismer said, doctors should consider tetrahidrocannabino as a treatment for cancer patients, suffering from loss of taste, smell and appetite.

The study appears in the Annals of Oncology, published by the European Society for Medical Oncology on February 22, 2011