Cannabis growth: introducing the first new THC free strain

Cannabis growth: introducing the first new THC free strain
© iStock/Nastasic

The Spanish company, Hemp Trading, specialised in the international distribution of products for cannabis growth, has developed the first cannabis strain THC free with high medicinal potential.

Hemp Trading, together with the Spanish University Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (UPV), have developed the first cannabis strain THC free with high medicinal potential. The new strain, the only one in the cannabis market, is totally legal as it is free of psychoactive components and stands out for its big therapeutic potential in the treatment of illness as Crohn’s disease, colon cancer, glaucoma, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, among others.

Achieving a THC free strain

According to Hemp Trading’s CEO, Ernesto Llosá, the achievement has been to develop a strain that blocks some steps of biosynthetic route of cannabinoids, avoiding the formation of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the illegal and psychoactive component, increasing the stack of cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinoid with high medicinal potential and since now it was a residual amount.

CBG is the first cannabinoid which is formed in the cannabis plant. Therefore, it’s considered like “the mother’s cell of cannabis because it is essential to create THC and cannabidiol (CBD), which both are two of cannabinoids with a greater presence. As the plant grows in the biosynthetic process, CBG is transformed into THC, CBD and other minority cannabinoids. As a result, CBG disappears” explains, Salvador Soler, researcher of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).

License for the cultivation of cannabis for scientific purposes

Thanks to the research work of UPV, one of the only five entities in Spain that have a license for the cultivation of cannabis for scientific purposes, not only THC has been eliminated, but the concentration of CBG has been increased.

“Thanks to this development we get the plant completely legal and with CBG levels over 15%, when the normal quantity is 0,1-0,5%” Llosá explained. “Until now the CBG present in the cannabis varieties was in a minor quantity because it was mainly transformed into other cannabinoids.”

Cannabis growth: the world of CBG

CBG is the great unknown in the cannabis plant precisely because it is found in small quantities and there is hardly room for further research for medicinal use, as has been done with THC or CBD. “But thanks to this development, CBG can be obtained massively, opening the door to large-scale production in a legal manner, as well as doing more research to evaluate its medicinal properties,” Llosá adds.

In addition, the CBG extraction process requires less purification than CBD, the other non-psychoactive medicinal component of cannabis that is now booming. As Llosá explained, “plants with CBD contain a fraction of THC that has to be separated and rejected in the purification process. In our case, the CBG comes out pure without the presence of other cannabinoids, that is, we make sure that it is free of THC. Therefore, it guarantees the absence of a psychoactive component.”

At the moment, the company is registering the new strain and has not yet defined its marketing process, but this plant is an incentive for the cannabis sector and is a great attraction for pharmacists interested in making use of the medicinal properties of cannabis legally, as well as for industrial use.

Medicinal properties of cannabigerol

Generally, the medicinal properties of CBG are similar to those of CBD. Several scientific studies such as that published by the British Journal of Pharmacology (Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects) indicate that CBG reduces pain, reduces the inflammation that produces some diseases such as Crohn’s disease, is a great inducer of sleep and has antidepressant properties.

On the other hand, CBG inhibits the growth of cancer cells, helping to slow the progression of colon cancer. In addition, CBG could be a powerful partner for the treatment of glaucoma, since it reduces intraocular pressure.

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Hi
    I think your claims of “is totally legal as it is free of psychoactive components” are open to a legal challenge.
    The sale of any quantity of cannabis is a criminal offence, irrespective of its levels of THC, CBD or CBG.
    I would welcome further details on why you believe your strain is legal.
    Regards
    Johnny

    • Hi Johnny,
      Thank you for your comment! This strain does not belong to Health Europa, we are simply reporting on this. Any queries you have regarding the legalities of the strain would be better answered by Hemp Trading S.L.U. (the company that has developed this strain).
      Kind regards,
      Health Europa

    • I believe this is a matter of scientific semantics. Both marijuana and industrial hemp come from the genus Cannabis. The difference is that some strains have been cultivated for increasingly high THC levels with lower CBD while the other strains have been cultivated for bare minimum THC and high CBD. In this article I believe the cannabis that they are referring to the high CBD strains which we call “industrial hemp” in the US.

      CBG, the precursor to THC and CBD, is gaining a lot of attention these days for its role in alleviating symptoms of certain ailments for some people and perhaps slowing the progression of certain cancer tumors (in early animal experiments). Through selective cultivation of hybrids they may have developed a strain that has trouble converting CBG to THC (and CBD). Certainly, they have already been selecting plants with lower and lower naturally occurring THC. This is how it goes in agriculture these days regardless if it’s wheat, corn or tomatoes so I wouldn’t expect anything different for cannabis.

  2. It would be nice to know how they actually achieved (the whole process) THC free strain. This could be a new breakthrough in the cannabis/hemp field. Although, I have to agree with Johnny, because the laws can be quite “stupid” when deciding which strain to grow.

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