A new study from scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Bath has uncovered the first biological mechanism that could potentially explain how cannabis reduces intestinal inflammation.

"There's been a lot of anecdotal evidence about the benefits of medical marijuana, but there hasn't been a lot of science to back it up," explains Beth McCormick, director of the UMass Center for Microbiome Research.

A number of studies have found that many patients suffering from IBD successfully self-medicate with cannabis, the drug helping them manage a variety of symptoms from nausea to abdominal pain. The evidence to date has been frustratingly unclear over whether cannabis actively confers therapeutic anti-inflammatory effects, or whether the psychoactive cannabinoids are simply masking the symptoms.