Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2018 Dec 5;227:300-315. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.09.004. Epub 2018 Sep 8.
Cannabis sativa L. (C. sativa) is an annual dioecious plant, which shares its origins with the inception of the first agricultural human societies in Asia. Over the course of time different parts of the plant have been utilized for therapeutic and recreational purposes, for instance, extraction of healing oils from seed, or the use of inflorescences for their psychoactive effects. The key psychoactive constituent in C. sativa is called Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (D9-THC). The endocannabinoid system seems to be phylogenetically ancient, as it was present in the most primitive vertebrates with a neuronal network. N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) are the main endocannabinoids ligands present in the animal kingdom, and the main endocannabinoid receptors are cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptor and cannabinoid type-2 (CB2) receptor.
The review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive evaluation, from the ancient times to our days, of the ethnological, botanical, chemical and pharmacological aspects of C. sativa, with a vision for promoting further pharmaceutical research to explore its complete potential as a therapeutic agent.
This study was performed by reviewing in extensive details the studies on historical significance and ethnopharmacological applications of C. sativa by using international scientific databases, books, Master's and Ph.D. dissertations and government reports. In addition, we also try to gather relevant information from large regional as well as global unpublished resources. In addition, the plant taxonomy was validated using certified databases such as Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS) and The Plant List.
A detailed comparative analysis of the available resources for C. sativa confirmed its origin and traditional spiritual, household and therapeutic uses and most importantly its popularity as a recreational drug. The result of several studies suggested a deeper involvement of phytocannabinoids (the key compounds in C. sativa) in several others central and peripheral pathophysiological mechanisms such as food intake, inflammation, pain, colitis, sleep disorders, neurological and psychiatric illness. However, despite their numerous medicinal benefits, they are still considered as a menace to the society and banned throughout the world, except for few countries. We believe that this review will help lay the foundation for promoting exhaustive pharmacological and pharmaceutical studies in order to better understand the clinical relevance and applications of non-psychoactive cannabinoids in the prevention and treatment of life-threatening diseases and help to improve the legal status of C. sativa.
大麻属植物（C. sativa）是一种一年生雌雄异株植物，其起源与亚洲第一批农业人类社会的出现有关。随着时间的推移，植物的不同部位被用于治疗和娱乐目的，例如，从种子中提取治疗油，或使用花序来产生精神活性作用。大麻属植物中的关键精神活性成分称为 Δ-9-四氢大麻酚（D9-THC）。内源性大麻素系统似乎具有古老的进化起源，因为它存在于具有神经元网络的最原始的脊椎动物中。N-花生四烯酸乙醇胺（AEA）和 2-花生四烯酰甘油（2-AG）是动物王国中主要的内源性大麻素配体，主要的内源性大麻素受体是大麻素 1 型（CB1）受体和大麻素 2 型（CB2）受体。
本综述旨在从古代到现代，对大麻属植物的民族学、植物学、化学和药理学方面进行批判性和全面的评估，以期促进进一步的药物研究，以探索其作为治疗剂的全部潜力。
本研究通过详细审查国际科学数据库、书籍、硕士和博士论文以及政府报告中关于大麻属植物的历史意义和民族药理学应用的研究，对大麻属植物进行了研究。此外，我们还试图从大型地区和全球未发表的资源中收集相关信息。此外，使用经认证的数据库（例如药用植物名称服务（MPNS）和植物名录）验证了植物分类学。
对大麻属植物现有资源的详细比较分析证实了其起源、传统的精神、家庭和治疗用途，以及最重要的是其作为娱乐性药物的普及程度。几项研究的结果表明，植物大麻素（大麻属植物中的关键化合物）在其他几种中枢和外周病理生理机制中发挥了更深入的作用，例如食物摄入、炎症、疼痛、结肠炎、睡眠障碍、神经和精神疾病。然而，尽管它们具有许多药用益处，但它们仍然被视为对社会的威胁，并在全世界范围内被禁止，除了少数几个国家。我们相信，本综述将有助于为促进详尽的药理学和药物学研究奠定基础，以便更好地了解非精神活性大麻素在预防和治疗危及生命的疾病中的临床相关性和应用，并有助于改善大麻属植物的法律地位。
