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According to a report by Scientific American, a foam-like plant called Radula perrottetii, or Hepatica, contains a chemical that behaves in the mammalian brain, much like THC.
The chemical, known as perrottetinene (PET), was discovered by Japanese researcher Yoshinori Asakawa in 1994. The chemical has been noted for its structural similarity with THC; however, until recently, no research on its effects on mammals has been carried out.
The concentrations and potency of PET in the Radula plant are low. Swiss researchers have now isolated and synthesized the chemical, which has allowed them to study its effects at higher concentrations. They checked the chemical effects on the cells in vitro as well as in behavioral tests on mice. They found that PET seems to behave almost exactly like THC, with perhaps even more powerful effect in medicine.
PET seems globally less psychoactive than THC, but in inflammation pathways in the brain of mice, researchers have found that it has much more potent effects than THC. Specifically, PET seems to reduce the number of molecules called prostaglandins.
"These prostaglandins are involved in many processes (such as memory loss, neuroinflammation, hair loss and vasoconstriction). PET is very interesting for medical applications because we can expect fewer adverse effects while having pharmacologically important effects. – Michael Schafroth, one of the authors of the study
Some have tried to use the liver for recreational purposes, but its effectiveness seems limited because of its low potency. It seems that the Maori people of New Zealand have used medicinal plants in the course of history, but no extensive research has been conducted on the traditional uses of the plant.
The low potency may indicate that PET is an ideal chemical for synthesis into a pharmacological drug, instead of consuming it as a whole plant, although further research is needed. Researchers in the team that published the recent study indicate that the next step is to test it directly on inflammatory neural conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
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