Scientists have discovered cannabidiol, a compound in cannabis known as CBD, in a common Brazilian plant, opening up potential new avenues to produce the increasingly popular compound, a lead researcher said Thursday.
The team found CBD in the fruits and flowers of a plant known as Trema micrantha blumea shrub that grows across much of the South American country and is often considered a weed, molecular biologist Rodrigo Moura Neto of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro told AFP.
CBD, increasingly used by some to treat conditions such as epilepsy, chronic pain and anxiety, is one of the main active compounds in cannabis, along with tetrahydrocannabinol or THC – the compound that makes users feel high.
The effectiveness of the compound as a medical treatment is still under investigation.
Neto said chemical analysis showed that “Trema” contains CBD but no THC, raising the possibility of an abundant new source of the former – one that overcomes the legal and regulatory hurdles of cannabis, which is still banned in many places. would not face, including Brazil.
“It’s a legal alternative to using cannabis,” he said.
“This is a plant that grows all over Brazil. It would be a simpler and cheaper source of cannabidiol.”
Scientists had previously found CBD in a related plant in Thailand, he said.
Neto, who has not yet published his results, said he now plans to scale up his study to identify the best methods to extract CBD from “Trema” and analyze its effectiveness in patients with conditions currently being treated with medicinal cannabis.
His team recently won a 500,000 real (US$104,000) grant from the Brazilian government to fund the research, which he says will take at least five years.
A study last year by market analysis firm Vantage Market Research estimated the global market for CBD at nearly $5 billion, predicting it would grow to more than $47 billion by 2028, driven primarily by health and wellness use.
© Agence France-Presse