Instead of cannabis liverwort should be the more effective and even healthier THC alternative

Liverwort is medically more effective than cannabis?

The medical use of cannabis is gaining ground. The drug tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contained in cannabis has been shown to relieve pain, muscle spasms, dizziness and loss of appetite. However, cannabis is also widely used as an illegal narcotic, psychoactive, can make addicted and favor psychosis. Currently, a rare moss is being studied that brings the same benefits of THC but has fewer drawbacks. Liver moss can outnumber cannabis?

Researchers from Switzerland have for the first time investigated a THC-like substance from the liverwort "Radula perrottetii" with regard to medical use. As reported by the team of the University of Bern and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, the substances from the liver moss, the so-called perrottetines, can produce a THC-like analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect that is superior to cannabis. The research results have recently appeared in the journal "Science Advances".

The rare liverwort, which only grows in Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica, contains THC-like active ingredients that, according to Swiss researchers, are more effective than cannabis drugs. (Image: dule964 / fotolia.com)

Cannabis is considered unrivaled

In medicine, the active ingredient THC is increasingly used against certain pain forms, cramps, dizziness and loss of appetite. After one year of medical cannabis, demand is increasing. Overall, the positive aspects of those in need are considered overwhelming. The strong psychoactive effect makes cannabis also popular for abuse. The hemp plant was previously considered the only plant worldwide from which THC can be obtained. The active ingredient was first isolated from cannabis in 1964 by Raphael Mechoulam at the Weizmann Institute in Israel.

Liver moss as first cannabis counterparty

For a long time researchers have assumed that hemp is the only plant from which to obtain THC. However, in 1994, Japanese plant chemist Yoshinori Asakawa discovered THC-related substances in the liverwort "Radula perrottetii" that only grows in Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica. These natural ingredients he called perrottetins. Liver moss can be bought and consumed in Switzerland as a legal intoxication drug. According to the Swiss researchers, the moss is more effective than cannabis from a medical point of view.

As a legal intoxicant discovered on the Internet

In the investigations, the team was able to arrange the perrottetine atoms three-dimensionally for the first time. This showed a striking similarity to the THC. "It is amazing that only two plant genera, which are separated by 300 million years in the history of development, produce psychoactive cannabinoids," says Jürg Gertsch from the University of Bern in a press release on the study results. He discovered the liverworts on the Internet, which were offered as legal intoxicants. From a scientific point of view, not much was known at the time.

Liver moss versus cannabis

The research team wanted to change that now. In mice, the researchers were able to prove that perrottetins are very easy to get into the brain and there activate the same receptors as THC, the so-called cannabinoid receptors. The team found that the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects of moss-active ingredients are stronger than those of cannabis. "This makes perrottetins interesting for medical use," the researchers write.

Why is liverwort better suited for medical purposes??

As many studies have shown, THC has great therapeutic potential in chronic diseases. Nevertheless, it is used relatively little because higher doses have a strong psychoactive effect. Andrea Chicca from the research team explains the advantages of the perrottetines: "This natural substance is less psychoactive and could at the same time block inflammatory processes in the brain." In particular, perrottetins inhibit the inflammatory prostaglandins in the brain. These tissue hormones are responsible for pain, blood clotting, inflammation and many other negative events.

Will replace Lebermoose cannabis?

According to the researchers, the perrottetins, just like the THC, can dock to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which are actually intended for the endocannabinoids of the body. "To do research on cannabinoids requires solid basic research in the field of biochemical and pharmacological mechanisms, as well as controlled clinical trials," summarizes Gertsch. Further studies are needed to assess the medical suitability of perrottetins from liverwort. (Vb)