Cannabis compounds prevent the virus that causes Covid-19 from penetrating healthy human cells, according to a laboratory study.
The two compounds commonly found in hemp — called cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA — were identified during a chemical screening effort as having potential to combat coronavirus. In the study, they bound to spike proteins found on the virus and blocked a step the pathogen uses to infect people.
“We identified several cannabinoid ligands and ranked them by affinity to the spike protein,” “The two cannabinoids with the highest affinities for the spike protein were CBDA and CGBA, and they were confirmed to block infection.
The researchers tested the compounds’ effect against alpha and beta variants of the virus in a laboratory.“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in Hemp and in many Cannabis extracts,” .Our research showed the hemp compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7.
The ligand-receptor complexes are then filtered from the non-binding molecules using one of several methods.
“These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans.”
