Can Marijuana Actually Protect the Brain? Cool!

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1. Cannabis Can Help Slow the Aging of the Brain

Although heavy pot users aren’t well known for their terrific memories, pot might actually benefit you in the long run by stopping or maybe even reversing the aging process for the brain. Studies have even shown that marijuana has the ability to reverse detrimental brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. This study, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, believes that by stimulating the cannabinoid receptor system, pot triggers a sort of anti-oxidant cleanse.

This, in turn, removes damaged brain cells and the efficacy of the mitochondria of the brain cells becomes greatly improved. Mitochondria is the energy that gives your brain cells power. This will greatly improve the function of the brain, which will also reduce the chances of developing inflammation in the brain, which is one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s and other gut wrenching brain diseases like dementia.

2. Marijuana Can Actually Make Your Brain Grow

Your brain never stops growing. This process is called neurogenesis. Although some people might think otherwise, pot actually helps the brain to grow new cells. There is a lesser-known chemical in pot called cannabichromene, or CBC, which a study done out of Italy found that pot smokers grew more new brain cells than those who did not indulge.

Another study backs up this one. Published in The International Journal of Neuropharmacology, this study suggests that another ingredient in pot, CBD, also helped in the neurogenesis of the brain. This study shows that these new neurons specifically occurred in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is associated with navigation and memory. By making these areas larger and stronger, your chances of developing depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other brain disorders, are greatly diminished.

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