In a study conducted by researchers at Pathway Research Inc., the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge, scientists used artificial human skin, technically a "well-established full-thickness human 3D skin artificial EpiDermFTTM tissue model." The skin tissue model was exposed to UV rays to cause "induced inflammation." The model was then treated with seven different cannabis strains to see the efficacy in reducing inflammation.

The study found cannabis may "tame" or reduce the severity of Covid-19. One of the main causes of severe Covid-19 that proceeds acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an influx of "pro-inflammatory cytokines," which is also known as the "cytokine storm." “Out of all cytokines, TNFα and IL-6 play crucial roles in cytokine storm pathogenesis and are likely responsible for the escalation in disease severity,” the study says. The treatment addition of cannabis extracts helps "curb inflammation and prevent fibrosis, and lead to disease remission."

One of the studies ’main researchers, University of Lethbridge’s Department of Biological Sciences’ Dr. Igor Kovalchuk, told me that his team has studied the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabis for years. Were they surprised by the findings? "Not at all," says Kovalchuk. “Before Covid, we have studied the anti-inflammatory effect of over 100 cultivars (preselected from nearly 800), and identified couple dozen with strong potential, and even filed several patents on them for use with RA, MS, intestinal, and skin inflammation , and oral inflammation. "