Other substances in cannabis: What are flavonoids?
We have already benefited a lot from CBD, but cannabis contains even more substances that can be good for our health, such as flavonoids. These are the substances that give paprika its red color and make oranges orange. Not only do they add color to fruits and vegetables, they also protect the plants.
In recent years, more research has been done into the possible medicinal properties of plant substances. Flavonoids are also interested in this area. If you use cannabis or a full spectrum CBD product, these substances are also included. Read in this blog what has already been discovered about flavonoids.
The function of flavonoids
Plants, fruits and vegetables produce flavonoids, substances essential for survival. Firstly, they provide the striking colors of fruit and vegetables. They are the reason that oranges are orange, grapes are blue, and lemons are yellow. More than 6,000 different flavonoids are known. They are divided into flavonoids, flavones, flavanones, catechins (flavanols), isoflavones and anthocyanins. There is a class of flavonoids that is found only in the cannabis plant. Those are the cannflavins.
Although we can appreciate these colors in nature, they certainly also have a function for the plant, tree or vegetable. Colors attract certain insects and animals, which in turn help with reproduction. But these substances do even more. Flavonoids are important for the metabolism, they protect the plant against pest damage and have a signal function at the cellular level.
Flavonoids are therefore very important for the plant. People also like to use them. They are used in medicinal products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But researchers are also interested in the question of whether these substances can mean anything for our health. Chances are, because they are known to have an antioxidant effect. This means that if you eat something that contains flavonoids, these substances can protect you against the influence of free radicals. But it seems they can protect health in other ways.
Flavonoids in cannabis and CBD
If you ever use cannabis or full spectrum CBD products, you will receive all the substances that the cannabis plant contains. Cannabis is rich in all kinds of substances, such as cannabinoids (CBD, CBC, CBG), flavonoids and terpenes. More and more research is also being done into how these substances can all influence each other. This is called the entourage effect.
For example, certain terpenes can make THC work more powerful. However, CBD has a dampening effect on THC. All these substances can enhance each other's effect or even change the properties of a substance. Flavonoids also seem to play a role in this.
Cannabis contains several flavonoids, which give color to the buds (which are usually pink and purple). 23 different flavonoids have now been discovered in cannabis, such as luteolin, orientin and quercetin. These substances are not unique to cannabis, but can also be found in, for example, apples, grains and red onions.
Research on flavonoids and health
Research into flavonoids is in principle still in its infancy. In 2016, the Journal of Nutritional Science published an articledescribing where flavonoids are now all be used for. It appears that these substances have an anti-inflammatory effect and have anti-carcinogenic properties. They can also help prevent mutations.
The aforementioned study also showed that flavonoids have a strong antioxidant effect. Antioxidants help protect your cells against the negative influence of free radicals. They cause aging complaints and can damage cells.
The aforementioned flavonoids that are unique to the hemp plant are cannflavin A and cannflavin B. Especially cannflavin A seems to have a positive effect on our health, according to research. It can slow down the production of an inflammatory molecule (prostaglandin E2). Due to this property, cannflavin A is able to inhibit inflammation. The effectiveness of this flavonoid is even greater than that of normal painkillers such as aspirin. When used, the effect of cannflavin turns out to be exponential: the more you take, the more powerful the effect.
Unfortunately, little is known about the potential of flavonoids for our health, much less than CBD and cannabis in general. But they are antioxidants and they work within the entourage effect together with the other substances in products such as CBD oil or capsuleand in weed. So it is well worth your while to get flavonoids.
