A rose by any other name is still a rose. The same, it turns out, can be said for cannabis.

Newly published research from UBC91裸聊视频檚 Okanagan campus has determined that many strains of cannabis have virtually identical levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), despite their unique street names, according to a UBCO news release.

91裸聊视频淚t is estimated that there are several hundred or perhaps thousands of strains of cannabis currently being cultivated,91裸聊视频� says professor Susan Murch, who teaches chemistry at UBC Okanagan. 91裸聊视频淲e wanted to know how different they truly are, given the variety of unique and exotic names.91裸聊视频�

Cannabis breeders have historically selected strains to produce THC, CBD or both, she explains. But the growers have had limited access to different types of plants and there are few records of the parentage of different strains, the release said.

RELATED: B.C. marijuana rules say where you can91裸聊视频檛 smoke or vape

91裸聊视频淧eople have had informal breeding programs for a long time,91裸聊视频� Murch says. 91裸聊视频淚n a structured program, we would keep track of the lineage, such as where the parent plants came from and their characteristics. With unstructured breeding, which is the current norm, particular plants were picked for some characteristic and then given a new name.91裸聊视频�

Until now, the chemical breakdown of many strains has been unknown because of informal breeding, the release said.

Elizabeth Mudge, a doctoral student working with Murch and Paula Brown, Canada Research Chair in Phytoanalytics at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, examined the cannabinoid91裸聊视频攁 class of chemical compounds that include THC and CBD91裸聊视频攑rofiles of 33 strains of cannabis from five licensed producers.

The research shows that most strains, regardless of their origin or name, had the same amount of THC and CBD. They also discovered that breeding highly potent strains of cannabis impacts the genetic diversity within the crop, but not THC or CBD levels, the release said.

However, Mudge says that they found differences in a number of previously unknown cannabinoids 91裸聊视频� and these newly discovered compounds, present in low quantities, could be related to pharmacological effects and serve as a source of new medicines.

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91裸聊视频淎 high abundance compound in a plant, such as THC or CBD, isn91裸聊视频檛 necessarily responsible for the unique medicinal effects of certain strains,91裸聊视频� says Mudge. 91裸聊视频淯nderstanding the presence of the low abundance cannabinoids could provide valuable information to the medical cannabis community.91裸聊视频�

Currently licensed producers are only required to report THC and CBD values. But Murch says her new research highlights that the important distinguishing chemicals in cannabis strains are not necessarily being analysed and may not be fully identified, the release said.

Murch says while patients are using medical cannabis for a variety of reasons, they actually have very little information on how to base their product choice. This research is a first step towards establishing an alternative approach to classifying medical cannabis and providing consumers with better information.

Murch91裸聊视频檚 research was recently published in Nature91裸聊视频檚 .

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