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Liverworts may be better for pain relief than cannabis: Swiss study

While the rest of the world discusses the merits of medicinal cannabis, a group of researchers in Switzerland believe a substance found in some liverworts could provide a better alternative.

Published: 25 October 2018 10:32 CEST

Liverworts may be better for pain relief than cannabis: Swiss study

The Radula perrottetii liverwort. Photo: Stefan Fischer

The scientists at the University of Bern and Zurich’s ETH technology institute investigated the psychoactive effects of compound perrotetinene (PET), which is found in a small group of liverworts and resembles THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.

Their results show the compound from the Radula perrottetii liverwort easily binds to the brain’s cannabinoid receptors and can dull the sensation of pain.

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PET even has a stronger anti-inflammatory effect than THC, meaning it could have potential medical applications.

It also has the added advantage of being legal and having less of a psychoactive effect than THC, noted researchers in a media release published by the University of Bern.

Researchers in Bern needed a large amount of PET for their study. However, they were unable to obtain enough from the liverworts that grow only in Japan, Costa Rica and New Zealand.

To get around this problem, they enlisted the help of colleagues at the ETH in Zurich who synthesized the THC and PET needed to carry out tests on mice.

“This study is a perfect example of how new concepts of synthesis can enrich our pharmacological knowledge of biologically active natural substances,” said ETH doctoral student Michael Schafroth.

Researchers now say further studies are required, including, for example, preclinical modelling of the effects of PET on chronic and inflammatory pain.

Switzerland currently allows products containing less than one percent THC to be grown and sold while Sativex is the only medicinal cannabis product permitted on the market.

Read also: Could cannabis be the next cash cow for Swiss farmers?

VIDEO: Why CBD cannabis health shops are blossoming all over France

Nathalie Pagé, a 52-years-old hemp cultivator, sells her cannabis products at the market of Crest, south eastern France. Photo: Philippe Desmazes, Bertrand Guay/AFP

Tomany Macalou got his green light for a Paris cannabis shop last November, when a European court chided France for cracking down on cannabis products stripped of the THC molecules that get people high.

Moving fast, he joined a new crop of entrepreneurs entering a less-illicit side of France’s cannabis market, offering buds but also teas, candy and oils containing only cannabidiol (CBD), the plant’s other main ingredient.

“Some use it to lower their blood pressure or help with insomnia,” Macalou told AFP at his shop, Cannabillion, just a few blocks from a police station in eastern Paris.

Traditional marijuana remains illegal in France, and even though President Emmanuel Macron’s government lowered fines for its use, it has no plans to join the legalisation trend in many countries.

But strict rules on hemp use — products can be made only from the plant’s fibres or seeds, not the leaves — made CBD sales a risky business.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

Video produced by Alex Dunham

The law also says only trace amounts of less than 0.2 percent of THC can be present, a level that is easily exceeded — though still harmless — when extracting CBD from flowers, and none at all in items destined for human consumption.

Two years ago, authorities shut down dozens of businesses that had hoped to ride the wave of popularity for a compound that promises natural relaxation and other health benefits, though some experts dispute the health claims.

In November, however, the European Court of Justice said France was violating EU free market rules by forbidding imported CBD obtained from the entire plant, flowers and all.

“I knew the decision was coming, so as soon as it came I felt confident enough to go ahead,” Macalou said.

‘Radically changed’

France is already Europe’s largest producer of hemp, though mainly for the construction and textile industries.

The country now counts some 400 CBD shops, according to the SPC alliance of hemp professionals.

That’s nearly four times the number that were operational before the government’s crackdown two years ago, representing a market worth €150 million to 200 million ($180-$240 million).

“The context has radically changed,” said Aurelien Delecroix, the SPC’s president. “At the time, the association with recreational cannabis was incredibly damaging for the sector.”

But a growing appetite for natural remedies is attracting a wider range of clients, he said, and most shops have dropped their transgressive vibes for more a sober ambiance: Think pharmacy or organic grocery, not an Amsterdam coffee shop.

“I find it enjoyable and relaxing,” said Thomas Leclair, an architect in his 30s, who was at Cannabillion to buy tea as well as herb “so I smoke fewer cigarettes”.

“I also bought some oils that you put under your tongue: My roommate says it helps ease the pain when she has her period,” he said.

No high here: A saleswoman with a jar of CBD marijuana buds at “Le Chanvrier Francais” in Paris.

‘Reassured’

Jonathan Msika worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years before he made the jump to CBD, opening his Perfect Time boutique near the Place de la Nation in the capital.

“I have elderly clients who say they come here because they’re reassured by the atmosphere. They wouldn’t go to stores that are darker,” he said.

But France’s hemp laws haven’t changed since the European court ruling, meaning shops like his remain vulnerable to administrative closures.

The case was brought by two people in Marseille selling a “Kanavape” e-cigarette that used cartridges imported from the Czech Republic, and who were given suspended prison sentences.

A parliamentary panel report released Wednesday called for an easing of the rules, in particular by lifting the limits on trace THC amounts, to help the CBD market catch up with those in Britain, the United States or Switzerland.

The SPC estimates that could create a billion-euro market within just two years.

“If you have a shop that doesn’t bother the mayor, and get along with the police, work with the authorities and don’t attract the attention of a strict public prosecutor, you’ll be alright,” Delecroix said.

“But if you don’t, you could be taking a big risk.”

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