Abstract
Cannabis plants produce many compounds of possible medical importance. This chapter briefly explains the life cycle, origin, early evolution, and domestication of Cannabis, plus provides a brief history of drug Cannabis breeding and looks into the future of Cannabis as a source of medicines. Cannabis is among the very oldest of economic plants providing humans with fiber for spinning, weaving cloth, and making paper; seed for human foods and animal feeds; and aromatic resin containing compounds of recreational and medicinal value. Human selection for varying uses and natural selection pressures imposed by diverse introduced climates have resulted in a wide variety of growth forms and chemical compositions. Innovative classical breeding techniques have been used to improve recreational drug forms of Cannabis, resulting in many cannabinoid-rich cultivars suitable for medical use. The biosynthesis of cannabinoid compounds is unique to Cannabis, and cultivars with specific chemical profiles are being developed for diverse industrial and pharmaceutical uses.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Clarke, R. C. (1981) Marijuana Botany, Berkeley: Ronin Publishing.
Mandolino, G. and Ranalli, P. (1999) Advances in biotechnological approaches for hemp breeding and industry, in Advances in Hemp Research. (Ranalli, P.,ed.), Haworth Press, New York, pp. 185–211.
Hong, S., Song, S-J., and Clarke, R. C. (2003) Female-associated DNA polymorphisms of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) J. Indust. Hemp 1, 5–9.
Small, E. and Antle, T. (2003) A preliminary study of pollen dispersal in Cannabis sativa in relation to wind direction. J. Indust. Hemp 8, 37–50.
Deferne, J-L. and Pate, D. W. (1996) Hemp seed oil: a source of valuable essential fatty acids. J. Int.Hemp Assoc. 3, 1, 4–7.
Grigoriev, O. V. (2002) Application of hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) oil in treatment of ear, nose and throat (ENT) disorders. J. Indust. Hemp 7, 5–15.
Meier, C. and Mediavilla, V. (1998) Factors influencing the yield and the quality of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) essential oil. J. Int. Hemp Assoc. 5, 16–20.
Liu, Y. and Tang, X. (1984) Green seedling of hemp acquired by tissue culture. China’s Fibre Crops 2, 19, 29 [in Chinese].
Hendriks, H., Malingre, T. M., Batterman, S., and Bos, R. (1978) The essential oil of Cannabis sativa L. Pharm. Weekbl. 113, 413–424.
Ross, R. A. and ElSohly, M. A. (1996) The volatile oil composition of fresh and air-dried buds of Cannabis sativa L. J. Nat. Prod. 59, 49–51.
Clarke, R. C. (1998) Hashish!, Red Eye Press, Los Angeles.
Pate, D. W. (1994) Chemical ecology of Cannabis. J. Int. Hemp Assoc. 1, 29, 32–37.
McPartland, J., Clarke, R. C., and Watson, D. P. (2000) Hemp Diseases and Pests, CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
Briosi, G. and Tognini, F. (1894) Intorno alla anatomia della canapa (Cannabis sativa L.) parte prima-organi sessual, Atti dell’ Instituto Botanico di Pavia, Serie I, Vol. 3.
McPartland, J. and Mediavilla, V. (2002) Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology and Therapeutic Potential (Grotenhermen, F. and Russo, E., eds.), Haworth Integrative Healing Press, New York, pp. 401–409.
Taura, F., Morimoto, S., Shoyama, Y., and Mechoulam, R. (1995) First direct evidence for the mechanism of delta-1-tetrahydrocannabinol acid biosynthesis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117, 9766–9767.
Taura, F., Morimoto, S., and Shoyama, Y. (1996) Purification and characterization of cannabidiolic-acid synthase from Cannabis sativa L. Biochemical analysis of a novel enzyme that catalyzes the oxidocyclization of cannabigerolic acid to cannabidiolic acid. J. Biol. Chem. 271, 17411–17416.
Flachowsky, H., Schumann, E., Weber, W. E., and Peil, A. (2000) AFLP-marker for male plants of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Poster presented at the 3rd Bioresource Hemp Symposium, Wolfsburg, Germany, September 13-16.
de Meijer, E. P. M., Bagatta, M., Carboni, A., et al. (2003) The inheritance of chemical phenotype in Cannabis sativa L. Genetics 163, 335–346.
Small, E. and Cronquist, A. (1976) A practical and natural taxonomy for Cannabis. Taxon 25, 405–435.
Schultes, R. E., Klein, W. M., Plowman, T., and Lockwood, T. E. (1974) Cannabis: an example of taxonomic neglect. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 23, 337–364.
Serebriakova, T. I. (1940) Fiber plants, in Flora of Cultivated Plants. Vol.4, Part1 (Wulff, E. V., ed.), State Printing Office, Moscow and Leningrad [in Russian].
Vavilov, N. and Bukinich, D. D. (1929) Agricultural Afghanistan. Bull. Appl. Bot. Genet. Plant Breed.Supp. 33, 378–382, 474, 480, 584-585, 604.
Hillig, K. W. and Mahlberg, P. G. (2004) Genetic evidence for speciation in Cannabis (Cannabaceae). Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 52, 161–180.
de Meijer, E. P. M. (1999) Cannabis germplasm resources, in Advances in Hemp Research (Ranalli, P., ed.), Haworth Press, New York, pp. 133–151.
HortaPharm, personal communication (1998) HortaPharm BV develops industrial Cannabis cultivars and provided the starting materials GW Pharmaceuticals breeding project in the United Kingdom.
Gierenger, D. (1999) Medical Cannabis potency testing. Bull. Multidisc. Assoc. Psychedel. Stud. 9, 20–22.
MacKinnon, L. (2003) Genetic transformation of Cannabis sativa Linn: a multi purpose fibre crop, doctoral thesis, University of Dundee, Scotland.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, New Jersey
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Clarke, R.C., Watson, D.P. (2007). Cannabis and Natural Cannabis Medicines . In: ElSohly, M.A. (eds) Marijuana and the Cannabinoids. Forensic Science And Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_1
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-456-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-947-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)