Mankind has been using natural products since the dawn of time. The mysteries behind their activity and composition began to be revealed toward the end of the 19th century, it was a time of new discoveries in the fields of organic chemistry and biology.
With our increasing knowledge of chemistry and related sciences, we have learned to synthesize natural chemicals and make modifications in labs of the original compounds. Revelations in biochemistry and genetics combined with economics pushed for the replacement of natural material such as botanical extracts with these lab produced molecules. As safety and efficacy of therapies must be assured for physicians to prescribe any medication, the number of natural product and their derived drugs used in pharmaceutical products is limited.
Modern, trendy interest in natural products particularly; foods, cosmetics, and complementary medicine accelerated with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994. The implementation of DSHEA in the United States opened the market to a new class of natural-based products that are collectively known as dietary supplements. In recent years, the term nutraceutical has emerged to describe products that are pharmaceutical quality but without the clinical data required to secure a marketing license.
Although plants have been used as therapeutic agents for millennia, only a relatively few plants or plant products are currently officially recognized as effective drugs. This is largely due to the difficulties encountered in plant drug research and the limitations of scientific methodology employed.
We are currently witnessing new therapeutic opportunities as cannabis compounds provide anecdotal proof of health improvements across the globe. In the last decade MODERN scientific research methods have shown the mode of action of many ANCIENT natural compounds. Add to this the extensive research carried out in cannabis and its components in several countries particularly in Israel within natural compound research. Combining these compounds old and now holds the promise to deliver a truly holistic natural therapy.
There are numerous examples of natural compounds activity in the molecular level, which enable future recognition in public health programs. We know that Echinacea angustifolia alkamide compounds bind to the human CB2 cannabinoid receptor more effectively than anandamide (endogenous cannabinoid). The CB2 binding resulted in the inhibition of LPS-induced inflammation in human whole blood. Other compounds have a positive enhancement (allosteric) of cannabinoid activity.
These approaches, research, and commitment are what makes the potential for ancient medicines and modern cannabinoids so exciting. Our vision is to bring a new formulation of essential cannabinoids enhanced by a spectrum of natural compounds that has the potential to take what’s known from the ancient world and mash it with the new.
