Cannabis alkaloids

What do cannabis, coca leaves, and coffee have in common? They all contain alkaloids, a powerful group of chemical compounds found in plants around the world. Little is known about the alkaloids in cannabis, but existing research suggests they may have medicinal properties, just like the alkaloids in other plants.

Alkaloids and cannabinoids

Alkaloids are one of the most common groups of plant chemicals with medicinal properties. Commonly used alkaloids include morphine, cocaine, nicotine, caffeine, quinine, and ephedrine…

They derive their name, "alkaloid," from a word of Arabic origin alkali, chemicals that act as bases, counteracting acids. Generally found in the outer tissues of plants, the bitter taste of alkaloids is considered a natural defense mechanism to prevent plants from being eaten by herbivores, much like cannabinoids and terpenes, both of which help prevent predation.

While cannabinoids such as THC, the CBD or the CBG While cannabinoids are oily, lipophilic (fat-soluble) compounds that do not mix with water, alkaloids are a very different class of chemicals. The biggest chemical difference between alkaloids and cannabinoids is that all alkaloids contain a nitrogen atom that bonds with additional hydrogen atoms. Cannabinoids, on the other hand, do not have nitrogen atoms and contain a chain of carbon atoms, which gives them their oily nature.

Despite their differences, effective methods for extracting alkaloids and cannabinoids from plants simply involve burning the leaves or other parts that contain these chemicals, or performing a chemical extraction. These methods have been used for thousands of years for both types of chemicals: caffeine from coffee is chemically extracted by steeping in water, cannabis is smoked, and cocaine was originally extracted by chewing or steeping as tea.

The Discovery of Alkaloids in Cannabis

Cannabis is a highly complex plant, and more than 500 compounds have been identified in Cannabis sativa L., of which 125 have been isolated and/or identified as cannabinoids. The non-cannabinoid constituents of cannabis include, according to a 2021 study, «42 phenolic compounds, 34 flavonoids, 120 terpenes, and 2 alkaloids.» However, the number of identified alkaloids is a matter of debate.

The discovery of alkaloids in cannabis predates the discovery of the first cannabinoid by more than ten years, the CBN, in 1896. In 1881, the first research on the alkaloid cannabinine was presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference, and two years later, another physiologically active alkaloid, tetanocannabin, was discovered. Research on cannabis alkaloids then remained dormant until the 1970s.

In 1971, a group of scientists isolated four different alkaloids from cannabis, which they named cannabimines A–D. In 1975, two teams of researchers at the University of Mississippi (UMiss) identified and isolated the first spermidine alkaloid, cannabisativine, from the roots, leaves, and stems of Mexican and Thai cultivars. The following year, the same researchers at UMiss isolated the second spermidine alkaloid, anhydrocannabisativine, and demonstrated that cannabisativine could be converted into anhydrocannabisativine.

While the cannabis alkaloids cannabisativine and anhydrocannabisativine were first discovered in Mexican and Thai cultivars, anhydrocannabisativine has since was «found in samples of cannabis plants from 15 different geographic locations.».

Which part of the plant contains the most alkaloids?

Just as not every part of a cannabis plant contains the same amount of cannabinoids, the alkaloids are also distributed unevenly throughout the plant.

Various studies have shown that «the cannabis roots »are not a significant source of the aforementioned cannabinoids or terpenes, but are rich in other compounds, including … alkaloids.".

Thus, while terpenes and cannabinoids are mainly concentrated in the trichomes of the leaves, the alkaloids in cannabis are found primarily in the roots (but also in the stems and leaves).

Medical Effects of Cannabis Alkaloids

Although cannabis alkaloids may have medical potential, the specifics of that potential are unknown. In the case of cannabisativine and anhydrocannabisativine, «no pharmacological information is available,» but it is imagined that «cannabis root contains several compounds with potential anti-inflammatory properties, including alkaloids.».

Other researchers noted that, as a class of compounds, «alkaloids can be used as analgesics, antibiotics, anticancer drugs, antiarrhythmics, asthma medications, antimalarials, anticholinergics, bronchodilators, laxatives, miotics, oxytocics, vasodilators, psychotropics, and stimulants,» which likely includes cannabis alkaloids.

A study A study on cannabis alkaloids found that they «have diuretic, analgesic, anticancer, antipyretic, and antiemetic effects.».

In another study, a petroleum ether solution containing cannabis alkaloids and cannabinoids had «a mechanism of action comparable to that of atropine,» a drug commonly administered to reduce fluids in the airways during surgery, which «can also treat insecticide or mushroom poisoning.» It is unclear to what extent the observed effects are due to the alkaloids or the cannabinoids.