30 New Cannabinoids Discovered in Helichrysum: a new medicinal plant?
The Helichrysum family (Helichrysum) includes about 600 different species, and its name derives from the Greek words helios (sun) and chrysos (gold), both because each bright yellow flower head recalls the sun and because the plant lives in sunny spots. The incredible news reported by a team of Israeli researchers is about one of these 600 species, which can only be found in South Africa, and could change the fame and use of this plant forever: Helichrysum umbraculigerum.
Even if it is NOT related in any way to Cannabis Sativa, about 40 cannabinoids have been found in its leaves, even in important concentrations such as 4.3% Cannabigerolic Acid (CBG). To date, more than 600 cannabinoids and 8 cannabinoid-producing plant species are known, but Israeli researchers have dropped the bomb, claiming to have discovered 30 new cannabinoids still unknown to the whole world today!
The researchers state that this discovery will be an upgrade for all sectors and jobs related to cannabis and its active ingredients, from production to experimentation, and above all that it will bring new hope on the medical and curative front.
In the meantime, we are eagerly awaiting the first official studies!
Source: Berman, P., de Haro, L.A., Jozwiak, A. et al. Parallel evolution of cannabinoid biosynthesis. Nat. Plants (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01402-3
