Is liverwort the legal alternative to cannabis?

Veröffentlicht am: October 15, 2024
Irina Fink
Irina Fink

Naturopath

In this country, liverwort is considered a nuisance in the garden. However, scientists have discovered that liverwort contains certain active ingredients that are very similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the psychoactive ingredient of the cannabis plant. This is why liverwort is now considered a "legal high".

 

While people used to think that liver diseases could be cured with it, the broad knowledge about the use of liverwort is returning in a scientifically proven way. Researchers have discovered that certain types of liverwort can compete with cannabis thanks to their pain-inhibiting active substances.

 

➤ Primitive peoples used the effect of liverwort primarily to treat complaints relating to the liver, gallbladder and urinary bladder.

Contents

What is liverwort?

Liverwort is a plant that belongs to the moss genus. Over the course of time, it has usually settled where other plant species do not want to be. While many plants prefer sunny places to grow and thrive, liverwort prefers to grow in the shade.

 

➤ In Europe, liverwort extract is mainly used as a pesticide and fertilizer. It can also be helpful as a cleaning agent for mold infestation.

 

As early as 1994, the Japanese scientist Masao Toyota from the University of Tokushima Bunri, together with the German scientist Frank Cullmann, discovered that certain liverworts contain a cannabinoid compound.

 

Please note: not all liverworts are the same. Not all types of liverwort contain the cannabis-like active ingredients.

 

We are talking about the so-called radula genus: Radula perrottetii, Radula marginata and Radula laxramea. These grow mainly in Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica.

 

The group of liverworts is divided into two genera, depending on the growth habit of the plant.

There are the thallose and the leafy liverworts.

  • Leafy liverworts are inconspicuous in nature, as they can be mistaken for ferns or other plants. There are tiny hairs on the stem of the leafy liverwort.
  • The thalloses are the well-known genus of liverworts. They grow flat on the surface and have the shape that gives them their name

Leafy liverwort is used as a natural dietary supplement.

Liverwort vs. cannabis

For a long time, doctors assumed that cannabinoids could only be extracted from a hemp plant, but studies with liverwort now prove the opposite. It has been shown that the detected canabinoid compound is capable of docking onto the cannabinoid receptors.

➤ Cannabinoid receptors are binding sites on nerve cells in the central nervous system.

 

Jürg Gertsch from the University of Berlin and Erick Carreira from ETH Zurich compared perrottetinene - the THC-like substance - biochemically and pharmacologically with THC. Animal models have shown that the cannabinoid compound perrottetinene, like THC, can easily reach the brain to activate cannabinoid receptors. According to their study, perrottetins can have stronger anti-inflammatory effects in the brain than THC.

 

Inflammation in the body always involves processes in the brain. When liverwort is used, these chemical processes in the brain are inhibited and even blocked. Thanks to perrottetins, liverwort therefore helps to trigger an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect in the body.

 

Like THC perrottetinene can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and activate specific cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The studies conducted with mice showed characteristics that are typical of cannabis use. The mice were less sensitive to pain, their movements slowed down and their body temperature dropped. It was found that the substance had a weaker psychoactive effect and at the same time better counteract inflammatory processes in the brain. processes in the brain. Perrottetins also ensure that fewer prostaglandins are released. - hormone-like messenger substances that trigger inflammation - are released in the brain.

 

Such an effect is also attributed to CBD oil and is considered scientifically proven. Especially for chronic pain preparations containing CBD such as CBD oil are increasingly being used as alternatives to chemical painkillers.

Liverwort extract

Effect of liverwort: How can liverwort support your health?

The possible uses of liverwort are just as wide-ranging as the applications of cannabis.

In addition to the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of liverwort, it is also used for the following conditions:

  • Depression
  • States of exhaustion
  • Muscle cramps
  • Circulatory problems such as dizziness
  • Nail fungus and other fungal diseases

The moss has an excellent effect on various fungal skin diseases.

External application is particularly recommended. Simply apply the undiluted extract to the affected area up to 3 times a day with a little absorbent cotton.

 

➤ A foot bath with liverwort extract is recommended for nail fungus.

Conclusion

Treatments made from natural products such as liverwort are a healthy alternative to conventional medicines. The mostly forgotten knowledge about the impressive liverwort is worth rediscovering. Thanks to recent studies, it has been proven that certain liverwort species have therapeutic potential, which makes it very interesting from a medical perspective. However, further research is needed to further investigate its modes of action. Thanks to its natural form, there are currently no known concerns or side effects when taking it. If you are considering long-term use, we recommend that you consult a naturopath.

Quellen (in englischer Sprache):

Alcaraz, L.D., Peimbert, M., Barajas, H.R. et al. (2018). Marchantia liverworts as a proxy to plants’ basal microbiomes. Sci Rep 8, 12712. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-31168-0

Chicca, A., Schafroth, M. A., Reynoso-Moreno, I., Erni, R., Petrucci, V., Carreira, E. M., & Gertsch, J. (2018). Uncovering the psychoactivity of a cannabinoid from liverworts associated with a legal high. Science advances, 4(10), eaat2166. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat2166