CORVALLIS, Ore. (KNX) – A study in the Journal of Nature Products discovered cannabis compounds prevented the virus that causes COVID-19 from puncturing healthy human cells.
Richard van Breeman, a researcher with Oregon State University's Global Hemp Innovation Center, told KNX In Depth they found three compounds that can help fight the virus.
“Well, like inoculations and vaccines which stimulate the body to make antibodies against the spike protein of the coronavirus that causes COVID, we were looking for small molecules that could also bind this spike protein and stop that interaction of the virus with the human cell, which is the very first step of infection,” he explained.
“…And we found these three compounds - cannabinoid acid, CBDA, CBGA, and THCA, that have this ability. They bind to the spike protein in such a way that the virus proteins don’t interact with the human cells and can therefore stop the initial sight of infection from happening at all.”
While the compounds were tested in a lab and not on humans, van Breeman told KTVZ hemp is safe for humans.
“These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans,” van Breemen told the outlet.
“They have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2. CBDA and CBGA are produced by the hemp plant as precursors to CBD and CBG, which are familiar to many consumers. However, they are different from the acids and are not contained in hemp products.”
He doesn’t recommend smoking or vaping hemp, as cannabinoids are heat sensitive.
“So heating them, by cooking, by smoking, by vaping could very well degrade them,” he said. “They actually can convert to other cannabinoids.”
Listen to the full interview up above.
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