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Why Terpenes Matter—The Entourage Effect
Published in Betty Wedman-St Louis, Cannabis as Medicine, 2019
The primary cannabinoids in cannabis are: delta-9-THC, CBD, CBG, and CBC. Delta-9-THC is the most psychoactive compound with terpenes modifying its effects. THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) is a variant of THC found in some chemovars of cannabis with somewhat reduced psychoactivity. CBD occurs in almost all cannabis plants, is not psychoactive, and has many of the same therapeutic effects of THC. CBG (cannabigerol) is non-psychoactive and is a powerful analgesic. CBC (cannabichromene) is found mostly in immature plants and is similar to CBD. [The “A” cannabinoids are raw plant; those no “A” are decarboxylated plant compounds.]
Cannabis and Cannabinoids
Published in Dilip Ghosh, Pulok K. Mukherjee, Natural Medicines, 2019
Cannabis contains many unique resorcinol metabolites, but the exact number is still debatable. The best estimate is around 60–110. The most recognisable cannabinoid is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Many recent studies have identified and described the pharmacology of three of these agents, cannabidiol (CBD), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabigerol (CBG) and concluded that these compounds exhibited complex interactions with the endocannabinoid system (Mechoulam et al. 2014; McPartland et al. 2015).
Cannabinoids and the entourage effect
Published in Betty Wedman-St. Louis, Cannabis, 2018
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been the primary focus of cannabis research since 1964 when Raphael Mechoulam isolated and synthesized THC, which later led to synthetic pharmaceutical products available as prescriptions. But less attention has been paid to the entourage effect, which is a term used to describe the enhancement of efficacy and improvement in therapeutic effectiveness of other phytocannabinoids [1]. Besides CBD, phytocannabinoids exerting clinically useful effects without psychoactivity are tetrahydrocannabivarin, cannabigerol, and cannabichromene [2]. Cannabis-derived terpenes, including limonene, myrcene, α-pinene, linalool, β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, nerolidol, and phytol, add flavor and fragrance along with therapeutic effects [3].
Characterization of aerosols from hemp-derived pre-roll joints
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 2023
Hammad Irshad, Justyna Kulpa, Philip J. Kuehl, Tim Lefever, Jacob D. McDonald
While cannabis products have traditionally contained delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive compound in cannabis, formulations with varying combinations/concentrations of other cannabis-derived compounds are now widely available (Melzer et al. 2022). In particular, hemp products (<0.3% THC on a dry weight basis) have the benefit of delivering potentially therapeutic compounds while avoiding risk of intoxication or addiction, leading to their rapid growth in the cannabis marketplace (Corwin 2019). Public interest has largely focused on hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD), but products containing minor cannabinoids (e.g. cannabigerol (CBG)) are gaining popularity. Additionally, terpenes, which affect the aroma and flavor of cannabis strains and may act synergistically with cannabinoids to exert therapeutic effects (Ferber et al. 2020), also influence consumer preference.
Cannabis as a potential compound against various malignancies, legal aspects, advancement by exploiting nanotechnology and clinical trials
Published in Journal of Drug Targeting, 2022
Nazeer Hasan, Mohammad Imran, Afsana Sheikh, Suma Saad, Gaurav Chaudhary, Gaurav Kumar Jain, Prashant Kesharwani, Farhan J. Ahmad
Several studies were conducted in different parts of the world to understand the role of cannabis and its derivative in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Esther Martínez-Martínez et al. confirmed the upregulation of CB2 receptor in epithelial cells in CRC. Their investigation suggested that CB2 is an active protein whose activation collaborates with disease progression in the CRC. In contrast, prominent expression of CB2 receptors in CRC could act as a treatment resistance marker. Moreover, the results revealed that CB2 agonist by cannabis and its derivative could decrease the CRC progression with improved antitumor effects [149]. Another study reveals that cannabigerol (CBG), a cannabis derivative shows specific targeting in carcinogenesis. CBG binds explicitly and activates TRPV1, TRPA1, and TRPV2 channels and blocks TRPM8 further; TRPM8 blocks 5-HT1A. In an in-vivo study, CBG acts via a pro-apoptotic mechanism and retards the growth of colon carcinogenesis. The reason for the efficacy of CBG is due to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). At last, it can be concluded that CBG could be a promising anti-cancer agent in the prevention and cure of CRC [150].
The state-of-the-art pharmacotherapeutic options for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain
Published in Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 2022
Ryan S. D’Souza, Brendan Langford, Rachel E. Wilson, Yeng F. Her, Justin Schappell, Jennifer S. Eller, Timothy C. Evans, Jonathan M. Hagedorn
The three basic forms of cannabinoids are those from the cannabis plant (phytocannabinoids), synthetic cannabinoids, and those that occur naturally in the human body (endocannabinoids) [86]. The cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa L., also known as marijuana, has been found to have over 140 naturally occurring phytocannabinoids, including delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC and CBD are the most well-studied compounds, although there are many other secondary components such as cannabigerol, cannabinol, terpenes, and tetrahydrocannabivarin [87]. THC is the main psychoactive compound producing the stereotypical psychotropic effects, while CBD lacks these psychotropic effects [88]. Synthetic cannabinoids are typically either THC molecules or a combination of THC and CBD (Table 5) [88]. Medications in this class include nabilone (capsule formulation of THC), dronabinol (capsule formulation of THC), nabiximols (oromucosal spray formulation of THC and CBD), and Epidiolex (liquid formulation of CBD) [88].