Hemp Compounds Prevent COVID-19

Great news coming out of Coravallis, Oregon! A new study from Oregon State University has just identified hemp compounds that show the ability to prevent the COVID-19 virus from entering human cells. Say that again? Hemp compounds prevent Covid-19 from entering human cells. Wow, louder for those in the back! Hemp compounds prevent Covid-19 from entering human cells.  As we know, hemp or industrial hemp is a source of fiber that is grown for industrial or medicinal use. Hemp is used for a wide variety of products ranging from food to cosmetics/lotion to animal feed and even dietary supplements.

The study found that hemp compounds cannabigerolic acid, aka CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, aka CBDA, were equally effective against coronavirus and its variants. Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, said the compounds are “not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans.” In the study’s abstract, it discusses how hemp has a long history of safe human use and the isolated hemp compounds “have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.” According to their research, the compounds bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This means it blocks a crucial step in the process the virus is using to infect people all around the world.  van Breemen stated that “Cell entry inhibitors, like the acids from hemp, could be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells” (KSAT).

 We see it all over the news on a daily basis; variants. “One of the primary concerns in the pandemic is the spread of variants, of which there are many, and B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are among the most widespread and concerning,” van Breemen said. “These variants are well known for evading antibodies against early lineage SARS-CoV-2, which is obviously concerning given that current vaccination strategies rely on the early lineage spike protein as an antigen.” B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are known as the alpha and beta variants. The compounds CBGA and CBDA were shown to be effective against the alpha and beta variants (KSAT).

With the pandemic now a part of 2022, this is great news all around. What a great discovery!