Liverwort could prove to be more medically effective than cannabis, research suggests

[JacksinPA]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181024142607.htm

Currently, the medicinal use of cannabinoids, extracted from cannabis, is a subject of debate around the world. In Switzerland, more and more people are advocating for increased research into cannabis. Today, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is used in the medical field to deal with certain types of pain, muscle cramps, dizziness and loss of appetite.

However, it is an illegal narcotic and, accordingly, can trigger side effects. Until now, it was thought that cannabis was the only plant that produces THC. However, as early as 1994, Japanese phytochemist Yoshinori Asakawa had discovered a substance in the liverwort plant Radula perrottetii which was related to THC and had named this natural substance "perrottetinene." In this natural product, the individual atoms are linked together in a manner similar to that of THC, however they differ in their three-dimensional structure and further exhibit an additional benzyl group.
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Interesting topic. I will have to look into the relationship between Cannabis & Radula & the chemical structures of both THC & perrottetinene to see how they are related. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perrottetinene & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol.

 

[Lursa]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181024142607.htm

Currently, the medicinal use of cannabinoids, extracted from cannabis, is a subject of debate around the world. In Switzerland, more and more people are advocating for increased research into cannabis. Today, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is used in the medical field to deal with certain types of pain, muscle cramps, dizziness and loss of appetite.

However, it is an illegal narcotic and, accordingly, can trigger side effects. Until now, it was thought that cannabis was the only plant that produces THC. However, as early as 1994, Japanese phytochemist Yoshinori Asakawa had discovered a substance in the liverwort plant Radula perrottetii which was related to THC and had named this natural substance "perrottetinene." In this natural product, the individual atoms are linked together in a manner similar to that of THC, however they differ in their three-dimensional structure and further exhibit an additional benzyl group.
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Interesting topic. I will have to look into the relationship between Cannabis & Radula & the chemical structures of both THC & perrottetinene to see how they are related. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perrottetinene & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol.

As you just posted elsewhere, the CBD in pot is what targets pain. The THC is usually blended with it for the dissociative (high) properties.

So does liverwort get you high or relieve pain?

 

[JacksinPA]

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...et-high-on-liverwort-cannabis-thc-alternative

As Canada Legalizes Weed, Switzerland Wants to Get High on Moss

Mice injected with a THC-like compound found in liverworts acted as if they were stoned—lazing around more, not moving for long periods of time, and feeling less pain.



Liverworts might sound like something out of a Harry Potter book but these moss-like plants are a legal high for recreational and medicinal users in Switzerland, New Zealand, and possibly other parts of the world. The plants contain perrottetinene (PET), a compound chemically similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in weed.

Anecdotally, liverworts send users on a mild trip, similar to smoking weed, where they feel “tingly” or “out of body.”

Now, biochemistry researchers in Switzerland have confirmed that the liverwort compound works in the body in a similar way to THC and it might even be better than weed for medicinal use.
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Better things for better living through chemistry - E.I. DuPont de Nemours Co. 1939 Worlds Fair slogan

 

[JacksinPA]

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/liverwort-plants-contain-painkiller-similar-one-marijuana

Liverwort plants contain a painkiller similar to the one in marijuana

A chemical compound found in liverworts may provide the pain and inflammation relief of pot’s THC but without the same kind of high.

Both the molecule, called perrottetinene, and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — the mind-altering substance found in marijuana — have similar molecular structures. Lab tests with human brain cells and in mice have revealed that, like THC, perrottetinene easily attaches to the brain’s cannabinoid receptors, or molecular docking stations, dampening the effects of pain signals, researchers report October 24 in Science Advances.

“Nobody really notices [liverworts] because they're so small,” says Douglas Kinghorn, a phytochemist at Ohio State University in Columbus. “Sometimes you find important medicinal compounds in plants from unexpected sources.”
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Interesting chemicals in very primitive plants native to Japan, New Zealand & Tasmania.

 

[JacksinPA]

An interesting observation about Radula marginata: even though this is a common 'weed' in New Zealand, Japan & Tasmania, I found no sources for supply after numerous internet searches. As far as I know, this is not an illegal or otherwise controlled substance in any country. I believe it is a component of a herbal blend called Magic Silver. Again, no luck in searching.