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Home , Cannabis indica

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCE ISSN NO: 0972-1347

Brief study of sativa: A Review

Chanchal Gokhale1*, Rajkumar Bhardwaj2

1University Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Chandigarh University, India 2Shri Vaishnav Institiute of Forensic Science, SVVV, Indore, India *1Email Id: [email protected] 2Email Id: [email protected] Abstract Cannabis is also termed as “” is a grown in tropical and temperate regions. There are three varieties of species that is , Cannabis indica, . The main alkaloids of Cannabis is delta 9 tetra hydro , , cannabinol. The product of cannabis is , , . The word marijuana is derived from the Portuguese word ‘mariguango’ means intoxicant. It gains cultural and religious approval in India. Various quantitative and qualitative analysis is done to identify and characterize the fragments of cannabis which aids for forensic scientist to identify the illegal marketing and abusers of Cannabis. It is also used as medicinal and therapeutic purposes like mental illness, auto immune disorder, pain, glaucoma, asthma and industrial uses from into fibers to make shoes, clothes, ropes. Besides this it is used as recreational purpose among the youths to increase thei status of livelihood. This paper concludes that today’s scenario Cannabis is highly used for recreational purposes illegally rather than medicinal and therapeutic purposes. That’s why the paper recommends that to find much more reliable methods to stop the illegally growing, marketing, selling of this cannabis.

Keywords: Cannabis, marijuana, mariguango, therapeutic

Introduction

Drug: A drug is any substance that is produced naturally or by synthetic or semi synthetic means and when is administered via any of the routes i.e. inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin, or dissolved under the tongue used for diagnosis, treatment or prevention of a disease causes a temporary physiological or psychological change in the body and affects its functioning or structure as it’s effect. Narcotic Drugs: The term “Narcotic” is derived from Greek word ‘Narkotikos’ which means ‘a state of lethargy’ or slugginess. Narcotic drugs are substances which give reduces pain and produces sleep but socially not acceptable due to its dependence behavior. Psychotropic Substances: These are the drugs which can affect the mind, emotions and behavior of a person. Controlled Substances: These are the substances which the central government may, having regard to the available information as to its possible use in the production or manufacturing of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. NDPS Act: The Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 is an act of the Parliament of India that prohibits a person to produce/manufacture/cultivate, possess, sell, purchase, transport, store and/or consume any narcotic and psychotropic substances. It came into force on 14 November 1985; the act extends to whole of India. Cannabis: Cannabis, which is commonly known as marijuana is a psychoactive drug which is obtained from an annual herb Cannabis sativa belonging to the family canabenaceae and other species such as

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Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis ; of cannabis genus intended for medical or recreational use. The subspecies differs on chemical and morphological basis distinctions due environmental modifications. Cannabis is a tall, annual and dioecious, herb. Its hemp variant is monoecious in nature. The leaves of the are palmately compound or digitate and the number of lobes and shape is not constant as it varies at each stage of the life cycle. The palmate leaves of cannabis have seven lobes with the lowest pair showing spurs. The seedlings have monophylous (single lobed) first pair, Trilobite second pair and Penta lobed third pair of leaves. The number of lobes usually does not exceed beyond five in most of the Asian varieties of the plant but there can be presence of even 13 lobes in some other varieties. The plant is believed to have originated in the mountainous regions northwest of the Himalayas but is present in other parts of the world too. It is also known as hemp, but this term is used only to refer varieties of Cannabis cultivated for non-drug use. The characteristic and diagnostic venation pattern of the leaves of cannabis helps persons to distinguish a cannabis leaf from unrelated species that have confusingly similar leaves.

Figure 1 Cannabis plant

Parts of the plant: 1) Roots: The root of the plant consists of a single tap root which further develops many secondary roots until it becomes a fibrous mass. Roots comprises as a part of the vascular system of the cannabis plant. The xylem pumps water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant. 2) Main Stem and Branches: The main stem of the plant emerges from the root and supports the plant to grow vertically. The stem act as carrier for the transportation of water and minerals from tthe roots. Secondary growth emerges from the leaf node. From the leaf node branches arises in pairs on either side of the stem. The distance between two consecutive branches is referred to as the internodes spacing. Generally, indica varieties have shorter internode spacing than sativa varieties.

3) Leaves: Leaves in plant grows in pairs from the main stem and branches; and acts as the solar panel for the process of photosynthesis, leaves also help to distinguish between indica and sativa species of the marijuana. Dark, wide leaves are characteristics of indica species whereas the light green, lean and slender of sativa species.

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4) Flowers: These are the main distinguishing features of plant to distinguish them between the male and female variants. The male bear the buds like structures known as staminate, while the female flowers are called as pistillate. Male marijuana plants display the pollen sacks at internode locations early in the flowering stage. These pollen sacks open and bloom when they reach the correct stage of maturity and produces white or green flowers. The pollen gets dispersed and fertilize the female flowers. Female flowers are in form of tiny white or orange hairs and are called as Pistils. The Pistils emerge at internodes during flowering stage. Female flowers produce small tear-like calyxes with two pistils at this stage which eventually grow and form together into what are commonly referred to as buds. Female flowers get coated with a thick layer of rich which determines its recreational and medicinal potential. This resin is produced by special glands shaped like a mushroom on the plant called trichomes. The use of this resinous substance is to seize the pollen from male plant to carry out the process of fertilization. Products of Cannabis , sticky resin produced by flowers and top leaves contain many psychoactive substances which collectively make up the drug Cannabis. Content of Delta-9- (THC) determines the potency of cannabis which in turn in determined by the method of cultivation, part of plant used and the preparation of extract. • Bhang is the least potent cannabinoid obtained from cut tops of uncultivated plant with low resin content.

Figure 2 Bhang

• Ganja or Marijuana, a more potent cannabinoid obtained from high resin content flowering tops and leaves of specialized cultivated plants. Both preparations are usually smoked in hand rolled cigarettes called “joints”.

Figure 3 Ganja • Cannabis Resin (/charas) is resin form, a sticky brown cake can be smoked as well as eaten.

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Figure 4 Charas

Alkaloids of Cannabis : Cannabis contains about 300 compounds out of which 66 are cannabinoids. About 483 compounds are unique to cannabis. Some important cannabinoids are as follows: TetraHydroCannabinol (THC) It is the major determinant for psychoactive properties of cannabinoids. It is said to possess mild and antioxidant properties. These interact with endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter named which plays role in sleep, memory and other activities. There is also a debate over legalizing its use due to beneficial properties. Cannabidiol (CBD) 40% of extracts of the plant contains CBD that make it a major constituent of medical cannabis. It relieves convulsion, inflammation, , cough and congestion, nausea, and inhibits cancer cell growth. These are also believed to be effective as atypical antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia. Due to these beneficial , the plant with high cannabidiol bears major role in medical benefits of Cannabis. Cannabinol- It is a therapeutic cannabinoid produced as metabolite of THC present in Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica act as weak agonist of CB1 and CB2 receptors. Beta - It acts as adjuvant to action of cannabidiol present in medical cannabis having major action of reducing inflammation by interacting with CB2 receptors. These are present richly in cannabinoid oils. - It is believed that it reduces the intraocular pressure thus aiding in treatment of open angle and closed angle glaucoma, preventing further ocular nerve damage. This alkaloid lacks the psychoactive properties. History of cannabis sativa According to Abe (1980) this cannabis sativa has been used during the stone age about 10,000 years ago. Cannabis sativa is also termed as “marijuana” which comes from Portuguese word “mariguango” which means intoxicant and in India, it is served in cultural and religious function (Maisto, Galizio, Connors,1999). This biological plant act as a psychoactive drug. This is growing wildly in temperate and tropical places. Cannabis is naturally grown in South and Central Asia. Although this plant is used by various countries. In 1970s the use of cannabis become common in United States. This plant is harvested for the recreational feeling and to create mental and physical effects like “high”. In 2800 B.C. Shen Nung a Chinese Emperor and Pharmacist used this cannabis for pharmacological effects. It can be used in nausea, vomiting, inflammation and chronic conditions. Cannabis is widely spread in China for treating pain and illness, properties and its psychoactive effects. (Abel,1980, Nahas,1973). In the Pre-Neolithic periods marijuana has been cultivated for the fibers and food source. In the Neolithic period in China hemp fiber was used to imprint the design on pottery. Later then China use hemp for making paper, ropes, clothes, shoes and used as pharmacological drug. In, India an Irish Physician,

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Williams O’ Shaughnessy introduced a medicinal use of Cannabis. In France a Physician, Dr. Jacques Moreau described that cannabis is used in mental illness (Bloomquist,1971). Qualitative and Quantitative analysis of Cannabis Gerald T. Mitosinka, John. I. Thornton, Thomas. L. Hayes (1972) examined Cannabis sativa using Scanning Electron Microscope. Alvin.B.Segelman (1973) performed the method for detecting the marijuana in suspect material by using combined techniques of microscopy and Thin Layer Chromatography. The diversity of non-glandular and glandular hair of Cannabis sativa and described the structure using Scanning Electron Microscope and determined the presence of marijuana even in the ash residue by the presence of silica as well as cystolith of CaCO3 is studied by P Dayanandan and Peter B Kaufman (1976). L. Grlie (1976) researched and conducted a comparative study on chemical and biological characteristics of various samples of cannabis resin by studying the U.V. absorption characteristics. The combination of chemical and biological study helps to identifying the cannabis fragments. V. Cirimele H. Sachs P. Kintz P. Mangin (1996) devised a shortcut method for the real time identification and quantitation of (CBD) cannabidiol, (CBN) cannabinoids, and (THC) delta-9-tetra hydro cannabinol in hair of prolonged cannabis addicts. The phytochemical study and deoxyribonucleic acid analysis by polymerase chain reaction showed the alkaloid of cannabis that is (CBD) cannabidiol, (CBN) cannabinoids, and (THC) delta-9-tetra hydro cannabinol recovered from the 2700 year old grave of a Caucasoid shaman by Ethan B.Russo (2008). Ankit Shrivastava, Vijay Kumar Yadav, Neer Raj Saini, Smita Chouhan in (2013) conducted microscopic which includes anatomy of root and stem and chemical study like color/spot test and thin layer chromatography which aids to perfect identification of Cannabis sativa. Giglano GS (2001) overviewed molecular biology method like extraction of DNA, its amplification, restriction analysis for the identification and characterization of cannabis fragments. Medicinal uses of Cannabis sativa As discuss earlier Shen Nung a Chinese Emperor and Pharmacist used this cannabis for pharmacological effects besides this it is used to treat mental illness and pain have sedative property helps in anxiety. According to Ayenigra (2012), Insel and Roth (2006), Nicoll and Alger (2004) used for medicinal purpose. The active constituent like Tetra Hydro cannabinol and cannabinoids synthetic products such as Levontrol, and Marinol can be used for the treatment of many disorders. (Sussmann et al,1996; Ungerleider and Andrysiak, 1985). The single cannabinoids have anti- emetics property, analgesic property, relaxing effects and helps to increase the appetite. The synthetic Cannabis constituents can be used for some disorders as follows: 1. Cachexia and Anorexia Cachexia and Anorexia is type of disorder in which the person loss the appetite, weight loss which cause malnutrition and weakness. This is mainly seen in the patients of cancer and HIVs. The synthetics products of Tetra Hydro Cannabinol help to enhance the appetite and helps to sustain their body weight. (Plasse et al 1991) 2. Spasticity Spasticity condition caused by spinal cord and brain damage in addition to this the muscles are contracted due to which it becomes stiffed. This includes the symptoms like pain, ataxia, irregular muscle movements. The constituents of cannabis can help to recover the brain and spinal cord damage. (Maisto, Galizio, Connors 1999) 3. Nausea and Vomiting Synthetic Tetra Hydro Cannabinol and cannabinoids Nabilone administered orally in nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapies and radiation treatments for cancer patients but it shows some side effects. (Maisto, Galizio, Connors 1999). 4. Movement Disorders Tourette's syndrome, dystonia and tardive dyskinesia synthetic products of Cannabis shows the therapeutic response and relaxing effects. 5. Glaucoma

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Glaucoma is eye disorder in which there is an increase in intraocular pressure which damage the optic nerves leads to blindness (Maisto, Galizio, Connors 1999). Cannabis products used to decrease the intra ocular pressure but with some side effects. 6. Pain As cannabis is psychoactive substance with analgesic properties helps to relieve the headache, menstrual cramps, arthritis, HIV infection, rheumatism, rabies, cholera. (Maisto, Galizio, Connors 1999). 7. Psychiatric disorders Cannabinoids and its products is helps to reduce mental illness, anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy, bipolar disease, depression. It depends upon the users that it is harmful or beneficial. (Martin et al 1993) 8. Autoimmune disorders and inflammatory disorder Cannabis is used in HIV AIDS to increase the appetite of the patients also used to treat ulcers, colitis, arthritis and in allergic conditions. This is used to reduce the need of steroidal and non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. (Plasse et al 1991).

Abuse of Cannabis sativa Furthermore, therapeutic and medicinal uses of Cannabis sativa is also abuse mainly amongst the youths. This drug is very popular and used for recreational purpose. According to Maisto, Galizio, Connors 1999 Cannabis smokers, when smoke in front of others feel the greater satisfaction and develop the status of their livelihood. The cannabis smoke in the form of joints mostly smoke in the evening and in cold condition. In India it is used in party and the youth would dance around logwood fire. This drug is used for enjoyment, pleasure and to forget all the worries and realities of life. That’s why this Cannabis is popular in India get the religious and cultural approval. (Aldrich 1977).

Conclusion This paper concludes that today’s scenario Cannabis is highly used for recreational purposes illegally rather than medicinal and therapeutic purposes. Recommendations This paper recommends that: Research should be done to find much more reliable methods to stop the illegally growing, marketing, selling of this cannabis. Research should be conducted to create the more potent medicinal properties of Cannabis sativa without any side effects also used for industrial purpose for the sustainable development.

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