Two Cannabis Flavonoids Believed to be Stronger Than Aspirin

Cannabis products are quickly becoming people’s go-to remedy for treating numerous different ailments.

Although many people still hold on to this image of cannabis as a recreational drug, others – including many in the scientific community – are beginning to recognize the medical potential of this versatile plant. While most of today’s medical research is centered around CBD and THC, respectively, but a recent study focused on a couple of lesser known compounds.

The research, which was published in the journal Phytochemistry, revealed that two flavonoids, cannflavin A and cannflavin B, have extremely powerful anti-inflammatory effects  – 30 times more potent than OTC drug Aspirin. This actually has been discovered in other studies as well.

According to the study’s co-author, Tariq Akhtar, Ph.D, “There’s clearly a need to develop alternatives for relief of acute and chronic pain that go beyond opioids. These molecules (flavonoids) are non-psychoactive and they target the inflammation at the source, making them ideal painkillers. What’s interesting about the molecules in cannabis is that they actually stop inflammation at the source.

“And most natural products don’t have the toxicity that’s associated with over-the-counter pain relief drugs, which, even though they’re very effective, do come with health risks. So, looking at natural products as an alternative is a very attractive model.”

Cannabis-based medications don’t target the opioid receptors like many prescription pain killers – which makes cannabis very unlikely to lead to addiction, abuse, or overdose. Nor are they NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Aspirin or Ibuprofen, which can lead to dangerous complications when taken by pregnant women or people who use blood-thinners like Warfarin.

Bottom line is, man made drugs come with risks – sometimes, significant ones. While the long-term effects of cannabinoid (or flavonoid or terpene) use remains poorly understood, they pale in comparison to the side-effects of long-term use of standard painkillers. Cannabis is the medicine of the future.