Move over Mary Jane, here cometh Pettina
Marijuana, i.e. the cannabis plant, is all the rage right now. Occasionally dubbed Mary-Jane (one of numerous slang names for it) or simply MJ, it is in the process of widely finding lawful acceptance as a recreational drug. As a result, many companies have sprung up to commercially produce or distribute it and various governments are hopeful to garner substantial tax revenues from that kind of business.
Profitable enterprises never have to wait long for competition to arise. In the case of MJ, it looks like a similar substance, let me dub it here Pettina, may just give it a run for the money.
What’s “Pettina”?
The real name of Pettina is Perrottetinene, or in IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) parlance “(6aS,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-(2-phenylethyl)-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol.” Its structure is shown in the figure (top).
Structure of “Pettina”
Pettina occurs in a number of moss-like plants of the genus Radula, commonly called liverwort. It had first been reported 24 years ago and quite recently synthesized and its pharmacological effects described in detail (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat2166). In that report, using animal models, A. Chicca et al. were able to demonstrate that Pettina reaches the brain very easily and that, once it’s there, it specifically activates cannabinoid receptors. In addition, it has a stronger anti-inflammatory effect in the brain than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the cannabinoid-active compounds in cannabis and also fewer side effects than THC. ScienceDaily describes it as “Liverwort could prove to be more medically effective than cannabis, research suggests.”
Furthermore, this Radula “moss” (picture nearby) appears to be ubiquitous, growing nearly everywhere you might tread, from tropical forests to arid places. So, you ought to be looking at the forest (or desert) floor when wandering about the landscape.
What I really mean is
Don’t step on it,
rather admire it, or collect it, etc. — it could boost your inner self in mysterious ways, who knows? Actually, you can even buy Radula extracts on the web and such things come with claims like “All natural ingredients; from all over the world; ethically harvested; convenient bulk amount at wholesale prices; etc.” What more could one ask for?
If you rather prefer to grow the liverwort yourself, you can choose among 9,000 or so species (though only a few of the Radula genus) and if you like to read up on them, try to peruse one of several book series like the one on Medicinal Plants of the World (e.g., ISBN-13: 978-0917256127) and others of that genre. They ought to keep you busy for a long time.
In recent years, numerous enterprises have sprung up that cater to the idea (or ideology) that good things can come from nature only. Statements like “We handcraft herbal tinctures, syrups and salves, always in small batches and with the goal of creating the most potent herbal extractions possible” and “empathy inducing” herbal balms, pills, teas, etc. are available in “all colors.” New additions to the already long list of such ethno-botanicals are arriving all the time.
The critical word here is “(Ethno)-Botanicals,” that’s what your body really needs…
(Ethno)-Botanicals
Many of the world’s highly effective medicinal products are derived from plants and other organisms in both land and ocean environments. As mentioned in earlier posts, there is a continuing race in the scientific world to find hitherto unknown substances with particular (preferably beneficial) effects on human health. Indeed, there are new discoveries along that line reported daily in numerous scientific journals. For example, the antibacterial effects of penicillin and anti-malaria agents derived from the natural compound artemisinin, and many other medicines are direct outcomes of such.
Modern chemical understanding, together with sophisticated algorithms and computational power is used to modify such naturally active substances into yet more powerful medicinal products, often at vastly reduced costs as well. This type of scientific work, generally termed Quantitative Structure-Affect-Relationships (QSAR) is of paramount importance in the development of such materials. QSAR and similar methods use artificial (AI) intelligence methods for the computational programs – I’ve been using such myself for several decades now.
If I were to hazard a guess, it would be that the new findings on “Pettina” will become subject of intense QSAR studies in the near future as well.
Mary Jane may soon need to look for a new employ.
Dr. Klaus L.E. Kaiser is a professional scientist with a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Technical University, Munich, Germany. He has worked as a research scientist and project chief at Environment Canada‘s Canada Centre for Inland Waters for over 30 years and is currently Director of Research at TerraBase Inc. He is author of nearly 300 publications in scientific journals, government and agency reports, books, computer programs, trade magazines, and newspaper articles.
Dr. Kaiser has been president of the International Association for Great Lakes Research, a peer reviewer of numerous scientific papers for several journals, Editor-in-Chief of the Water Quality Research Journal of Canada for nearly a decade, and an adjunct professor. He has contributed to a variety of scientific projects and reports and has made many presentations at national and international conferences.
Dr. Kaiser is author of CONVENIENT MYTHS, the green revolution – perceptions, politics, and facts
convenientmyths.com
Dr. Kaiser can be reached at: [email protected]
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