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Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: Cannabis sativa, C. indica, and C. ruderalis. Alternatively, C. ruderalis may be included within C. sativa, all three may be treated as subspecies of C. sativa, or C. sativa may be accepted as a single undivided species. The genus is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from Asia.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis and one of at least 113 total cannabinoids identified on the plant. Although the chemical formula for THC (C21H30O2) describes multiple isomers, the term THC usually refers to the Delta-9-THC isomer with chemical name (−)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is a terpenoid found in cannabis and, like many pharmacologically active phytochemicals, it is assumed to be involved in the plant's evolutionary adaptation against insect predation, ultraviolet light, and environmental stress. THC was first discovered and isolated by Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam in Israel in 1964. It was found that, when smoked, THC is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain, attaching itself to endocannabinoid receptors located in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. These are the parts of the brain responsible for thinking, memory, pleasure, coordination and movement.
Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions, resulting in limited clinical research to define the safety and efficacy of using cannabis to treat diseases.
Cannabis sativa is an annual herbaceous flowering plant indigenous to Eastern Asia, but now of cosmopolitan distribution due to widespread cultivation. It has been cultivated throughout recorded history, used as a source of industrial fiber, seed oil, food, recreation, religious and spiritual moods and medicine. Each part of the plant is harvested differently, depending on the purpose of its use. The species was first classified by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The word sativa means "things that are cultivated."
Cannabinol (CBN) is a mildly psychoactive cannabinoid that acts as a low affinity partial agonist at both CB1 and CB2 receptors. This activity at CB1 and CB2 receptors constitutes interaction of CBN with the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants, along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. As of 2019, clinical research on CBD included studies related to anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain, but there is insufficient high-quality evidence that cannabidiol is effective for these conditions. Nevertheless, CBD is a herbal dietary supplement promoted with unproven claims of particular therapeutic effects.
Humulus lupulus, the common hop or hops, is a species of flowering plant in the hemp family Cannabinaceae, native to West Asia, Europe and North America. It is a perennial, herbaceous climbing plant which sends up new shoots in early spring and dies back to a cold-hardy rhizome in autumn. It is dioecious.
Cannabis indica is an annual plant species in the family Cannabaceae indigenous to the Hindu Kush mountains of Southern Asia which produces large amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), with levels up to 53.7% of total cannabinoids, from China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as well as southern and western Africa, and is cultivated for purposes including hashish in India. The high concentrations of THC or THCV provide euphoric effects making it popular for use both as a recreational drug, alternative medicine, and a clinical research drug. And THCV for its platform for treating life-threatening diseases.
Cannabis ruderalis is a variety, subspecies, or species of Cannabis native to Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. It contains a relatively low quantity of psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Some scholars accept C. ruderalis as its own species due to its unique traits and phenotypes which distinguish it from C. indica and C. sativa; others debate whether ruderalis is a subdivision under C. sativa.
α-Pinene is an organic compound of the terpene class, one of two isomers of pinene. It is an alkene and it contains a reactive four-membered ring. It is found in the oils of many species of many coniferous trees, notably the pine. It is also found in the essential oil of rosemary and Satureja myrtifolia. Both enantiomers are known in nature; (1S,5S)- or (−)-α-pinene is more common in European pines, whereas the (1R,5R)- or (+)-α-isomer is more common in North America. The racemic mixture is present in some oils such as eucalyptus oil and orange peel oil.
Cannabis flower essential oil, also known as hemp essential oil, is an essential oil obtained by steam distillation from the flowers, panicles, stem, and upper leaves of the hemp plant. Hemp essential oil is distinct from hemp seed oil and hash oil: the former is a vegetable oil that is cold-pressed from the seeds of low-THC varieties of hemp, the latter is a THC-rich extract of dried female hemp flowers (marijuana) or resin (hashish).
Cannabigerol (CBG) is one of more than 120 identified cannabinoid compounds found in the plant genus Cannabis. Cannabigerol is the decarboxylated form of cannabigerolic acid, the parent molecule from which other cannabinoids are synthesized.
Cannabis strains are either pure or hybrid varieties of the plant genus Cannabis, which encompasses the species C. sativa, C. indica, and C. ruderalis.
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is a precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active component of cannabis.
Autoflowering cannabis or day neutral cannabis varieties automatically switch from vegetative growth to the flowering stage based on age, as opposed to the ratio of light to dark hours required with photoperiod dependent/short-day strains. Many autoflowering varieties are ready to harvest in less than 10 weeks from seed. Dwarf varieties can have short stature while still giving decent harvests.
The entourage effect is a hypothesis that cannabis compounds other than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) act synergistically with it to modulate the overall psychoactive effects of the plant.
Hemp in the U.S. state of Washington has emerged as an experimental crop in the 21st century.
Cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active drug in cannabis, can also be produced by bioengineered yeast, a process colloquially known as pharming. In 2007, a research group reported the successful transgenic placement of a THCA synthase gene from Cannabis plant into the Pichia pastoris yeast, giving the yeast the ability to turn the precursor molecule cannabigerolic acid into THCA. In 2019, researchers at University of California, Berkeley reported in Nature that they had bioengineered yeast able to completely synthesize THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids, using only sugar as a food.
Cannabinoids are compounds found in the cannabis plant or synthetic compounds that can interact with the endocannabinoid system. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (Delta-9-THC), the primary intoxicating compound in cannabis. Cannabidiol (CBD) is another major constituent of some cannabis plants. At least 113 distinct cannabinoids have been isolated from cannabis.
Cannabis (/ˈkænəbɪs/) is commonly known as marijuana or hemp and has two known strains: Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, both of which produce chemicals to deter herbivory. The chemical composition includes specialized terpenes and cannabinoids, mainly tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabidiol (CBD). These substances play a role in defending the plant from pathogens including insects, fungi, viruses and bacteria. THC and CBD are stored mostly in the trichomes of the plant, and can cause psychological and physical impairment in the user, via the endocannabinoid system and unique receptors. THC increases dopamine levels in the brain, which attributes to the euphoric and relaxed feelings cannabis provides. As THC is a secondary metabolite, it poses no known effects towards plant development, growth, and reproduction. However, some studies show secondary metabolites such as cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes are used as defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic environmental stressors.
References
- ↑ Briggs et al. 2004, p. 228.
- ↑ Small 2016.
- ↑ Andre, Christelle M.; Hausman, Jean-Francois; Guerriero, Gea (2016), "Cannabis sativa: The Plant of the Thousand and One Molecules", Frontiers in Plant Science, 7 (19): 19, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00019 , PMC 4740396 , PMID 26870049
- ↑ Harbison, Martha (November 15, 2012), "BeerSci: What's The Connection Between Hops And Marijuana? Because they sure look and smell alike.", Popular Science
- ↑ Kaplan, Josh (July 12, 2018). "Does CBD Only Come From Cannabis and Hemp?". Leafly.
- ↑ Bushwick, Sophie (February 27, 2019). "Rising High: GM Yeast Generates Known and Novel Marijuana Compounds – Engineered microorganisms churn out THC, CBD and rarer, less-understood cannabis cousins". Scientific American .
- ↑ Luo, Xiaozhou; Reiter, Michael A.; d’Espaux, Leo; Wong, Jeff; Denby, Charles M.; Lechner, Anna; Zhang, unfeng; Grzybowski, Adrian T.; Harth, Simon; Lin, Weiyin; Lee, Hyunsu; Yu, Changhua; Shin, John; Deng, Kai; Benites, Veronica T.; Wang, George; Baidoo, Edward E. K.; Chen, Yan; Dev, Ishaan; Petzold, Christopher J.; Keasling, Jay D. (February 27, 2019), "Complete biosynthesis of cannabinoids and their unnatural analogues in yeast" (PDF), Nature, 567 (7746): 123–126, Bibcode:2019Natur.567..123L, doi:10.1038/s41586-019-0978-9, PMID 30814733, S2CID 71147445
Sources
- Small, Ernest (November 2016). "Prehuman and early history of Cannabis sativa". Cannabis: A Complete Guide. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1498761635. OCLC 971400059.
- Briggs, Dennis E.; Brookes, Peter A.; Stevens, Roger; Boulton, Chris A. (2004). "Hops – Botany". Brewing Science and Practice. Elsevier Science. pp. 228–230. OCLC 469858708.
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