This mossy plant can be 'more medically effective than cannabis' / Boing Boing



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Something interesting from the world of science: Liverwort contains a psychoactive substance ("perrottetinene" or "PET") that has similar molecular structures to THC. Researchers think THC for dampening pain signals and reducing inflammation. It just does not produce the same kind of high.

ScienceDaily:

Until now, it has been 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.

A few years ago, Jürg Gertsch from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of Bern discovered that they have been advertised as "legal highs" on the internet. At the time, nothing is known about the pharmacological effects of this substance. Together with chemists from Erick Carreira's team from the Department of Chemistry at ETH Zurich, Gertsch's research team in Bern biochemically and compared THC and perrottetinene.

Using animal models, they have been able to demonstrate that they are able to reach the brain easily, and that they specifically activate cannabinoid receptors. It even demonstrates a stronger anti-inflammatory effect in the brain than THC, which makes it easier for you to consider its potential medical application "It's astonishing that only two species of plants, separated by 300 million years of evolution, produce psychoactive cannabinoids, "says Gertsch. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

… Andrea Chicca, a member of the scientific staff in Jürg Gertsch's group, is a potential for development in the therapeutic use of drugs or similar substances: "This natural substance has a weaker psychoactive effect and, at the same time, is capable of inhibiting inflammatory processes in the brain. "

If you're looking for some liverwort, note that the three psychoactive species of the radula can be found in Japan, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Tasmania, according to Science News.

Read: Liverwort could be more medically effective than cannabis, research suggests

image by University of Bern / Stefan Fischer

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Rusty Blazenhoff

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