Ulcerative colitis can be a life-altering and painful condition. You may go through life wondering when and how your condition will flare up and how badly you’ll feel. Conventional treatments often come with a broad range of harmful side effects, as you’ve read above. By using marijuana for ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, you can treat your symptoms effectively with much less dangerous side effects.

In 2012, The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America released a statement that pointed to compounds in marijuana closely mimicking the endocannabinoids that naturally occur in the human body. These compounds play a crucial part in decreasing gastrointestinal inflammation.

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A study from 2011 discovered 51 percent of ulcerative colitis patients use cannabis to treat their symptoms and have no side effects. There’s also evidence to suggest THC found in medical pot could play a part in reducing the permeability of the epithelial lining, decreasing inflammation and reducing damage.

Though ulcerative colitis differs its counterpart Crohn’s Disease, both share symptoms that can be treated using medicinal cannabis. In 2013, a study was conducted testing the effects of medical marijuana on Crohn’s symptoms. Patients were either given medicinal cannabis or a placebo for eight weeks of treatment. Patients who received medical marijuana went into remission and reported increases in appetitie and improvements in the quality of their sleep.

Medical pot can treat the inflammation, lack of appetite, general pain and exhaustion reported by people with ulcerative colitis.