Study Shows CBD Oil Has 80% Success Rate in Treating Kids with Autism

Israel is one of the world leaders in cannabis research. The latest is a human clinical trial for children with autism. The results are astounding!

Cannabis research in North America has definitely been hindered by criminalization. Fortunately, other countries are taking up the mantle. Israel has been one of the countries that have taken up more research, partially funded by the United States. Though activists have spoken up about the hypocrisy of America funding other countries’ cannabis research while barring that in their own country, this research has come to the benefit of all. And the latest from Israel may be key in creating more effective treatments for children with autism.

The Israeli Study

Dr. Adi Aran and his team work out of the Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem. Over the span of seven months, the team gave 60 children (average age of 12) with autism spectrum disorder daily doses of cannabis oil at a ratio of 20:1/CBD:THC. Because of the small amounts of THC, parents did not need to be concerned about their child feeling high.

After seven months of being dosed with CBD oil, data was collected and it was determined that 80% of children had experienced improvement, with 62% of those indicating significant improvement in their communication skills and behavioural patterns. The children also experienced reduced anxiety.

Benefits of CBD Oil

CBD oil has myriad benefits, including reducing inflammation and efficacy as a neuroprotectant. It works alongside nerves and brain cells to protect them from damage and encourage healing. CBD is non-psychoactive, so it doesn’t produce the head high that is often associated with cannabis.

Other countries, where cannabis is not legal, often allow CBD. For instance, in the United Kingdom, physicians are beginning to push lawmakers to fully legalize medical cannabis after years of CBD use have proven effective.

Children across the United States and Canada have been taking CBD oil for years. Generally, it’s used to ease seizure activity for conditions like Dravet’s Syndrome, which is a severe form of epilepsy. Children taking CBD have shown radical improvements while on the medicine, which has then encouraged formal clinical research to support anecdotal evidence with scientific proof.

In the midst of this, parents of children with autism have also spoken out about the benefits of CBD for their child’s condition. Often, autism and epilepsy can be side-by-side conditions. CBD, in that case, would be particularly vital for allowing children to go about their daily lives while reducing any debilitating symptoms.

Until recently, most CBD and cannabis research focused on adults, or was restricted to animal models. Now that legalization is reaching further across North America, studies are beginning to move toward human clinical trials. Even so, studies on the effects on children are limited.

CBD can be used for a wide range of ailments that affect children, including PANDAS, PTSD, anxiety, epilepsy, sleeplessness, ADHD, and others. It’s certainly an exciting time in research, and hopefully other teams follow the lead of those in Israel to continue to explore how CBD can aid children.