Abstract   Despite its cultivation as a source of food, fibre and medicine, and its global status as the most used illicit drug, the genus Cannabis has an inconclusive taxonomic organization and evolutionary history. Drug types of Cannabis (marijuana), which contain high amounts of the psychoactive cannabinoid Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are used for medical purposes and as a recreational drug. Hemp types are grown for the production of seed and fibre, and contain low amounts of THC. Two species or gene pools (C. sativa and C. indica) are widely used in describing the pedigree or appearance of cultivated Cannabis plants. Using 14,031 single-nucleotide polymorphisms...

Abstract   New concepts are reviewed in Cannabis systematics, including phylogenetics and nomenclature. The family Cannabaceae now includes Cannabis, Humulus, and eight genera formerly in the Celtidaceae. Grouping Cannabis, Humulus, and Celtis actually goes back 250 years. Print fossil of the extinct genus Dorofeevia (=Humularia) reveals that Cannabis lost a sibling perhaps 20 million years ago (mya). Cannabis print fossils are rare (n = 3 worldwide), making it difficult to determine when and where she evolved. A molecular clock analysis with chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) suggests Cannabis and Humulus diverged 27.8 mya. Microfossil (fossil pollen) data point to a center of origin in the northeastern...

Abstract   The phytochemical and proximate compositions, amino acid profile and characterization of Cannabis sativa leaves, stem and seeds were conducted to provide baseline information on its potent in feed materials for its subsequent utilization in supplementing fish nutrition in aquaculture. Phytochemical analysis of the leaves revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, resins, terpins and steroids while the proximate composition had elevated levels of 6.87% moisture, 23% crude protein, 19.97% lipid and 11.8% Ash; 18.95% fibre and 39.70% NFE in the stem and 25.36% crude fiber content in seeds. C. sativa leaf contains 9 Essential Amino Acids (EAA), which have good concentration...

Abstract Purpose: Cannabichromene (CBC) is a phytocannabinoid commonly found in cannabis, yet its acute post-dose pharma- cokinetics (PK) have not been examined in humans. This is a secondary data analysis from a trial investigating Spectrum Yellow oil, an oral cannabis product used for medical purposes that contained 20 mg cannabidiol (CBD), 0.9 mg Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and 1.1 mg CBC, per 1 mL of oil. Methods: Participants (N = 43) were randomized to one of 5 groups: 120 mg CBD, 5.4 mg THC, and 6.6 mg CBC daily; 240 mg CBD, 10.8 mg THC, and 13.2 mg CBC daily; 360 mg CBD, 16.2 mg...

Abstract Introduction: Clinical trials remain the gold standard for evaluating efficacy, but there is increasing interest in using real-world evidence (RWE) to inform health care decision making. The aims of this observational study were to describe patterns of medical cannabis use, associated changes in symptom severity over time, and to evaluate change in cannabis dose over time for pain-related symptoms. Methods: Data were collected by Strainprint, an application that is HIPAA, PIPEDA, and PHIPA compliant. A total of 629 participants recorded data between May 2017 and August 2019. A total of 65 symptoms were grouped as Pain, Mental Health, Physical Symptoms, Seizures, Headaches/Migraines, and...

Abstract   Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) is the main phytocannabinoid in fiber and seed-oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) plants, but its potential health-related capabilities have been masked for years by a greater scientific interest towards its neutral derivative cannabidiol (CBD). This review aims to collect from the literature and critically discuss all the information about this molecule, starting from its biosynthesis, and focusing on its bioactivity, as an anti-inflammatory, anti-emetic, anti-convulsant, and anti-cancerogenic drug. Furthermore, in the awareness that, despite its multiple bioactive effects, currently poor efforts have been made to achieve its reliable purification, herein, we propose a relatively simple, fast, and inexpensive procedure for...

ABSTRACT:   In the present study it was revealed that cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) selectively inhibited cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 activity with an IC50 value (50% inhibition concentration) around 2 􏰀M, having 9-fold higher selectivity than COX-1 inhibition. In contrast, 􏰁9-tetrahydro- cannabinolic acid (􏰁9-THCA) was a much less potent inhibitor of COX-2 (IC50 > 100 􏰀M). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs con- taining a carboxyl group in their chemical structures such as salicylic acid are known to inhibit nonselectively both COX-1 and COX-2. CBDA and 􏰁9-THCA have a salicylic acid moiety in their structures. Thus, the structural requirements for the CBDA- mediated COX-2 inhibition were next studied. There is...

Background and purpose: Cannabis is the source of at least seventy phytocannabinoids. The pharmacology of most of these has been little investigated, three notable exceptions being D9 -tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and D9 -tetrahydrocannabivarin. This investigation addressed the question of whether the little-studied phytocannabinoid, cannabigerol, can activate or block any G protein-coupled receptor.   Experimental approach: The [35S]GTPgS binding assay, performed with mouse brain membranes, was used to test the ability of cannabigerol to produce G protein-coupled receptor activation or blockade. Its ability to displace [3 H]CP55940 from mouse CB1 and human CB2 cannabinoid receptors and to inhibit electrically evoked contractions of the mouse isolated vas...

ABSTRACT   Medical cannabis and individual cannabinoids, such as D9- tetrahydrocannabinol (D9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), are receiving growing attention in both the media and the scientific literature. The Cannabis plant, however, produces over 100 different cannabinoids, and cannabigerol (CBG) serves as the precursor molecule for the most abundant phytocannabinoids. CBG exhibits affinity and activity characteristics between D9-THC and CBD at the cannabinoid receptors but appears to be unique in its interactions with a-2 adrenoceptors and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT1A). Studies indicate that CBG may have therapeutic potential in treating neurologic disorders (e.g., Huntington disease, Parkinson disease, and multiple sclerosis) and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as...

Abstract: Cannabis (also known as marijuana) is the most frequently used psychoactive substance globally. Cannabis exerts therapeutic functions for many indications and has vast potential as a health and wellness product. Advances in our understanding of the composition and pharmacological properties of cannabis have revealed interactions between cannabis, an individuals’ circadian rhythms and their endocannabinoid signaling. Exogenously administered cannabinoids can bidirectionally entrain central and peripheral clocks that comprise circadian rhythms, and malfunctions in the endocannabinoid system are reported to impact neurological processes. Therefore, it is necessary to account for the circadian rhythm when designing clinical trials examining the pharmacological properties of cannabis-based products for...