Cannabis-Based Phytocannabinoids: Overview, Mechanism of Action, Therapeutic Application, Production, and Affecting Environmental Factors

Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Oct 19;25(20):11258. doi: 10.3390/ijms252011258.

Abstract

This review provides an overview of cannabis-based phytocannabinoids, focusing on their mechanisms of action, therapeutic applications, and production processes, along with the environmental factors that affect their quality and efficacy. Phytocannabinoids such as THC (∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol), CBG (cannabigerol), CBN (cannabinol), and CBC (cannabichromene) exhibit significant therapeutic potential in treating various physical and mental health conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, skin disorders, and anxiety. The cultivation of cannabis plays a crucial role in determining cannabinoid profiles, with indoor cultivation offering more control and consistency than outdoor methods. Environmental factors such as light, water, temperature, humidity, nutrient management, CO2, and the drying method used are key to optimizing cannabinoid content in inflorescences. This review outlines the need for broader data transfer between the health industry and technological production, especially in terms of what concentration and cannabinoid ratios are effective in treatment. Such data transfer would provide cultivators with information on what environmental parameters should be manipulated to obtain the required final product.

Keywords: CBD; indoor cultivation; medical cannabis; phytocannabinoids; therapeutic use.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cannabinoids* / therapeutic use
  • Cannabis* / chemistry
  • Humans

Substances

  • Cannabinoids

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.