dolores The cannabis plant has over a hundred compounds, and THC seems to be at the forefront of it all. The psychoactive compound is most commonly known for delivering the highs that just about everyone associates with marijuana. As you can imagine, it is best known because of how potent its psychoactive effects can be. However, it seems like the time has come for it to be dismissed in favor of something that might even be stronger than it.
In December 2019, Italian scientists reported something intriguing that caught the attention of the members of the community. Those interested will be happy to know that they published their findings the ninth volume of Nature Scientific Reports. According to their research, there is something called Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP) that deserves more attention. They isolated it from the plant and discovered that it is 30 times more potent than THC.
It has been a monumental discovery for the members of the cannabis community. The spectrometric approach to compounds helped identify and study the compounds and their chemical composition. This will be critical in the future as researchers try to understand the effectiveness of the plant.
How They Made The Discovery
The researchers had been analyzing the FM2 strain of the plant with the help of metabolomics and mass spectrometry. They first conducted a test to observe the ability to bind and react to the receptors in the endocannabinoid systems.
Lab tests revealed that THCP binds 33 percent higher than THC. On top of that, it was 63 times likelier to bind receptors. Another discovery from the study was CBDP, which can be thought of as a cousin of cannabidiol or CBD.
The increased affinity of THCP for endocannabinoid receptors can be the reason certain cannabis strains are actually more potent. To be specific, it is more illustrative of those that deliver strong highs even if there are low quantities of THC.
At the moment, it is not clear if THCP is psychoactive in and of itself. In the same vein, it remains to be seen if it can get a person high by consuming it. At any rate, this is an exciting development that offers a lot of possibilities for the cannabis industry in the future. We cannot wait to see what further study of this compound has in store for all of us.
