They found that three cannabinoid acids, compounds extracted from cannabis, reduce the seizures of Dravet syndrome, an intractable form of childhood epilepsy.
"Since the early 19th century, cannabis extracts have been used in Western medicine to treat seizures, but the ban on cannabis has hindered the advancement of science," said Professor Jonathon Arnold. "Now, we can explore how the compounds from this plant can be adapted for modern therapeutic treatments."
The big news of the study is in the description of the anticonvulsant effects of three rarer cannabinoids, all of them cannabinoid acids.
Acidic cannabinoids are cannabinoids that are biosynthesized in the plant and are found in artisanal cannabis extracts used to treat children with epilepsy.
One of them, cannabigerol acid (CBGA), is the "mother of all cannabinoids", said Professor Arnold, as it is the precursor molecule for the creation of better-known cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC).
"Cannabinoid acids are abundant in cannabis, but they have received much less scientific attention. We are just beginning to understand their therapeutic potential," said the researcher.
"We found that CBGA (cannabigerol acid) was more potent than CBD (cannabidiol) in reducing seizures triggered by a febrile event in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome. Pro-convulsant effects in other types of seizures, highlighting a limitation of this constituent of cannabis. We also found that CBGA affects many drug targets relevant to epilepsy," said researcher Lyndsey Anderson.
The team is continuing their research in hopes of developing a better cannabis-based treatment for Dravet syndrome.
However, as the effects of each element in cannabis are studied, more and more scientists believe that there is something uniquely therapeutic when the entire spectrum of cannabis components works together.
"We looked at cannabinoids one by one, and now we're exploring what happens when you put them all back together. There remains a real possibility that all of these individual anticonvulsant cannabinoids might work better when combined," said Dr. Anderson.
CBD is not the only substance that has a positive influence on our health without any negative implications involving high levels of THC. There are a number of positive properties that can be obtained by cannabinoid acids, and one of them is THCA.
The truth of the matter is that cannabis contains all the substances that can do so, as they are naturally made in the cannabis plant. The thing that most people don't know is that you can eat the tops of the cannabis plant and not get high, although most people find this strange. Here is an explanation of what we mean.
As mentioned earlier, cannabis produces compounds that we call cannabinoids, which are called cannabinoid acid. There is a difference in terms of chemical structure between these acids and those found in the cannabis plant. As an example, THC (the substance that makes people feel high) used to be THCA (which stood for total hydrogen cyanide). Unfortunately, THCA does not produce a feeling of being high.
To obtain THC, first, we remove the A in the name so that we can get the substance that does lead to the feeling of being high: THC. Once the cannabinoid acid is heated to more than 105 degrees Celsius, then it releases the acid into the air.
You can also perform this process at lower temperatures, but it will take much longer than if you use higher temperatures. Decarboxylation is the term used to describe this process. As this story pertains to another cannabinoid acid, such as CBD, the same thing applies to them.
Cannabis and its components, including THC, are known for their therapeutic benefits. Cannabis oil with THC is being used to treat a lot of nasty illnesses, despite the fact that traditional medicine hasn't acknowledged it yet.
Nevertheless, THC is so unpleasant that many people don't use it anymore because they get high with it. This feeling is suppressed in part by CBD, but even then, some people find this side effect unbearable.
The benefits of this project are immense, but we also need to note that much more research is needed. Evidence indicates that THCA may also have health benefits. According to studies, it has anti-inflammatory properties, prevents nausea, stimulates the appetite, and may even slow the growth of cancerous cells.
Now that you learn about this powerful cannabinoid acids are able to inhibit seizures and epilepsy, you can check about this and other topics right here below:
