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Cultivating Research Grade Cannabis for the Development of Phytopharmaceuticals

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Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Cannabis has been used as medicine since ancient times in different forms. With over 500 known constituents, of which cannabinoids are the most important class (120 known). Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) are the two major natural cannabinoids having very different pharmacological profiles with tremendous therapeutic potential. After the discovery of Δ9-THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, research had been revolving around Δ9-THC and its derivatives. Cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound which was discovered before Δ9-THC did not receive much attention for a long time. However, in last few years, research has intensified on CBD or CBD rich cannabis varieties due to its therapeutic potential in the treatment of a variety of ailments including childhood epilepsy (Dravet syndrome) and other disorders. In this chapter, we address cannabis botany, chemistry, its indoor and outdoor cultivation, harvesting, processing and its current status as a botanical drug.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services, USA, under the contract no. N01DA-15-7793.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA

    Hemant Lata, Suman Chandra, Esther E. Uchendu, Ikhlas A. Khan & Mahmoud A. ElSohly

  2. Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Esther E. Uchendu

  3. Department of Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA

    Ikhlas A. Khan

  4. Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA

    Mahmoud A. ElSohly

Authors
  1. Hemant Lata
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  2. Suman Chandra
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  3. Esther E. Uchendu
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  4. Ikhlas A. Khan
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  5. Mahmoud A. ElSohly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahmoud A. ElSohly .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Research Station, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA, USA

    Nirmal Joshee

  2. Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, USA

    Sadanand A. Dhekney

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Prahlad Parajuli

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Lata, H., Chandra, S., Uchendu, E.E., Khan, I.A., ElSohly, M.A. (2019). Cultivating Research Grade Cannabis for the Development of Phytopharmaceuticals. In: Joshee, N., Dhekney, S., Parajuli, P. (eds) Medicinal Plants. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31269-5_8

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