Scientific papers don’t usually go viral, but this week it happened; a team of researchers from Oregon State University published a study that contained the magic formula to blow up the entire internet: Cannabis and Covid-19..

The research study was published on Monday in the Journal of Natural Products. It mentions that compounds found in hemp plants (in specific; the acids that become active cannabinoids only after heat is applied, also called decarboxylation) “prevented entry” of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 into isolated human cells.

This could mean that certain cannabis-derived preparations, given in the right amount, might help people fight off Covid-19. Which is of course super exciting!

They discovered that three compounds found in hemp “had this high ability to bind to the spike protein” that allows the novel coronavirus to enter human cells so easily and thus spread Covid-19 so quickly.

The three compounds are cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A), cannabigerolic acid (CBG-A), and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A). In cannabis biochemistry, these acids are the biosynthetic precursors to the cannabinoids that activate receptors in humans, or in other words, they “get you high.” This means, in simple terms, the cannabis compounds studied in this research are not the cannabis compounds most weed users seek when they go to the coffeeshop/dispensary/dealers.

Cannabinoids Effective Against New Variants

In the study was added that CBDA and CBGA blocked the action of emerging variants of the virus that causes Covid-19. “Our research showed the hemp compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, and variant B.1.351, first detected in South Africa” according to van Breemen, lead-contributer of the research paper.

Abstract from the study

As a complement to vaccines, small-molecule therapeutic agents are needed to treat or prevent infections by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, which cause COVID-19. Affinity selection–mass spectrometry was used for the discovery of botanical ligands to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Cannabinoid acids from hemp (Cannabis sativa) were found to be allosteric as well as orthosteric ligands with micromolar affinity for the spike protein. In follow-up virus neutralization assays, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented infection of human epithelial cells by a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevented entry of live SARS-CoV-2 into cells. Importantly, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid were equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351. Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Read the full published article here