A recent study has found that CBD can be successful in the prevention of stroke for rodents because it triggers the removal of plaque from arteries.  The study points out that

The study of cannabis and endocannabinoid biology has recently been identified as a priority by the National Academy of Medicine.1 The extensive history of this medicinal plant has propelled the discovery of the human endocannabinoid system (ECS) and has opened a new therapeutic path for a multitude of disease states. Preclinical and human research has revealed the ECS to be pleiotropic and context-dependent regulator of stressed physiological states. Relevant to cerebrovascular neurology, the ECS has been shown to drive food intake and inhibit vascular inflammatory processes. This medical hypothesis suggests cannabidiol (CBD) as a therapeutic candidate for stroke prevention through its capacity to selectively augment and inhibit separate aspects of endocannabinoid biology simultaneously.

It concludes that that CBD may be “a therapeutic candidate for stroke prevention by exerting favorable augmentation of the homeostatic effects of the ECS and, in turn, improving the metabolic syndrome, while simultaneously stalling the development of atherosclerosis.”

Approximately 800,000 people suffer from strokes across the world. That’s an average of one stroke every 40 seconds. Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and the No. 1 source of adult disability.

The National Academy of Medicine determined that the study of cannabis is and should be a priority.  As a result, scientists have discovered that one way to fight the stroke statistics is with cannabis. The latest research indicates two ways in which CBD (cannabidiol), a cannabinoid found in high quantities in the cannabis plant, might be able to help.

It’s important to note that there are two kinds of strokes: hemorrhagic and ischemic. The latter, ischemic strokes are more common, accounting for about 85 percent of all occurrences (note: this percentage includes patients who survive and those who do not). These are the type of stroke that CBD has the most potential to prevent. This is the kind blood blockages cause. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs via a brain aneurysm or a leak from a frail blood vessel, causing blood to spills into, or around, the brain. Forty percent of stroke deaths are due to hemorrhagic stroke, a very devastating brain injury. CBD may also help in this regard as it reduces blood pressure. (source)

Furthermore,

Cannabis may slow and even reverse heart failure by the use of TRPV1, a cannabinoid receptor. This new information is coming from  research led by a team at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).  Alexander Stokes, a JABSOM assistant professor in cell and molecular biology, said “the potential medical benefits of using cannabis-based therapies for the treatment of heart disease are promising.”

TRPV1 is showing long-term effective reversal of heart when the drug is administered  orally.  “TRPV1 has primarily been studied as a pain receptor,” said Stokes. “The receptors are abundant in the heart, and we are excited to show that if we inhibit its function with oral doses of drugs, we can reverse some effects of heart failure.”

The findings were published in the journal Channels.

“Heart disease and diabetes are a rapidly expanding menace in America, with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations having up to twice the likelihood of showing these diseases than other ethnic groups in the islands,” said Mariana Gerschenson, JABSOM professor and Diabetes Research Center director.

Added JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges, MD, “We are pleased to see Dr. Stokes’ research shows great promisein treating a disease that affects so many in Hawai‘i.”

For more information, see the research paper.