Scientists have discovered a marijuana compound that could be 30 times more powerful than THC, which is the most studied psychoactive compound in the plant.
The new cannabinoid is named tetrahydrocannabiphorol, or THCP, and it could deliver 30 times the high of THC.
The discovery was published in the journal Nature, Scientific Reports.
Another discovery published in the journal was made by Italian scientists who found a second previously unknown compound they named CBDP. It appears to be a cousin of CBD, which is known for its medicinal benefits.
The compounds were isolated and identified from the Italian medical cannabis variety known as FM2 using mass spectrometry and metabolomics, processes used to find the basic chemicals of a sample or molecule.
The findings could enable the production of cannabis extracts for targeted physical effects; more testing with the study’s methods could further the discovery and identification of new compounds, the authors have said.
