New research that is generating a lot of buzz has found that two compounds commonly found in cannabis have the ability to combat the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The compounds, cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA, and cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, block a key step in the process that the virus uses to infect people.
No, that doesn’t mean you can smoke weed and stop ‘crying’.
No, that doesn’t mean you can take some CBD oil out of that tincture bottle and keep ‘vid at bay’.
CBDA and CBGA are not found in commercial cannabis CBD products.
“The A’ form, the acid forms of CBD and CBG, are not commonly found in most commercially available cannabis products,” said natural products industry consultant Linda Lemol. “Acid forms are found in fresh plants. There are processes that stabilize the acid forms, so you’ll need to look at a test analysis of the product to see if the acid forms are still present in the final product.
Two compounds were identified during chemical investigations. The compounds bind to the spike protein found on the virus and prevent the spike protein from binding to sites in the human host, preventing a step used by the pathogen to infect people.
“The acid forms are greatly appreciated,” said Cannabis consultant Richard Rose. “Even the non-stony THCA.”
The heat inactivates the compounds and renders them unable to bind to the spike protein. So drinking ganja will not work.
The researchers used alpha and beta virus forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, not the later-day delta version nor today’s Omicron version.
But the researchers are confident that these and future versions may similarly be thwarted by CBDA and CBGA.
“With respect to activity against other forms of the virus, we are hopeful that activity against the original strain and the two early forms may mean activity against later strains,” lead researcher Richard van Breemen, PhD, told Insider. Told. Van Breemen is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Pharmacy at the Oregon State University Global Hemp Innovation Center. “However, this experiment has yet to be done.”
Nevertheless, research continues the story of various natural products, such as vitamin D, zinc and quercetin, that could be used as therapeutic agents against the pandemic. It also demonstrates the growing possibilities in cannabinoid medicine now that the plant is being freed from the clutches of a nearly century-long lockdown.
“We are just scratching the surface of what we know about cannabinoid mothers and minors in the CBD family, and the positive and effective effects it could have for preventive and therapeutic care, including virus-based malformations, as research is indicating. It is,” said Thom Brodeur, CEO of Sky Wellness, a CBD brand. “There is more research to be done, there is more ground to find out – as recent research shows – use cases and value for CBD and its derivatives that are under our noses at the moment. You’re right. This is the exciting part.”
Van Breemen agrees that the door is still being opened for cannabis research.
“The hemp plant is a rich source of secondary metabolites, many of which are unique and not found in other organisms,” he said. “Already, CBD is approved by the FDA for the treatment of some juvenile forms of epilepsy. Our findings suggest that other cannabinoids may have medicinal properties as well.”
One major remaining hurdle is that coming from the FDA, which gives every indication that it will make the cannabinoid drug available to the public strictly through pharmaceutical drug pipelines, and not through the more specialized dietary supplement route.
Even a week after the Oregon research was disclosed, the FDA approved it for use in a CBD-based treatment for opioid use disorder in clinical trials. Drug maker Anand Scientific was granted an Inspection New Drug (IND) designation by the FDA for Nanthia ATL5.
