Tetra Bio-Pharma reports research the company has conducted on cannabis plant residue has demonstrated that what was previously considered “waste material” can increase the growth of beneficial gut microbes.
If granted, the patent application would protect the use of cannabis plant residue material containing cannabinoids within a specified profile range as an “oral prebiotic component alone or in combination with other pro, post, para, or prebiotics as a dietary supplement for gastrointestinal health.” / PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
Cannabinoid-based drug discovery and development company, Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc., has filed a patent application for a possible novel prebiotic supplement that can be made from cannabis waste.
If granted, the patent application would protect the use of cannabis plant residue material containing cannabinoids within a specified profile range as an “oral prebiotic component alone or in combination with other pro, post, para or prebiotics as a dietary supplement for gastrointestinal health.”
The Ottawa-based company is working with South Carolina-based Thorne HealthTech to attain Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, potentially allowing the novel ingredient to be included in foods and dietary supplements.
Cannabis has long been linked to gut health and shown to be beneficial for those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and other gastrointestinal disorders.
“Cannabis use is common amongst patients with IBD for symptom relief, particularly amongst those with a history of abdominal surgery, chronic abdominal pain and/or a low quality of life index,” researchers concluded in a 2011 study published in European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
A research review published in The Journal of Endocrinological Investigation found that cannabis “exerts biological functions on the gastrointestinal tract by activating two types of cannabinoid receptors, cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1 receptor) and cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2 receptor).”
“The endocannabinoid system may represent a new promising therapeutic target against different GI (gastrointestinal) disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases, functional bowel diseases and secretion- and motility-related disorders,” researchers concluded.