Cannabis: essential oils with antibacterial properties?
Cannabis essential oils are said to have antibacterial properties. This is what Italian scientists from the University of Modena, who studied this subject, claim.
The antibacterial effect of cannabis essential oil studied.
Essential oils from all plants are composed of terpenes, their main elements. Hemp essential oils are no exception to the rule and are made up of a large number of terpenes, lauded for their benefits. Scientists from the Department of Life Sciences, at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in Italy, highlighted their antibacterial activity in a study made public.
More specifically, they analyzed the antibacterial effects of essential oils made from cannabis fibers. Alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, beta-myrcene, and beta-caryophyllene represented, in this specific case, the major components of all essential oils. Ultimately, six of them proved effective against Gram-positive bacteria.
Volatile terpenes, for their part, constitute the most important group of components of Cannabis Sativa L. and are responsible for its aromatic properties.
Although many studies on Cannabis Sativa have focused on cannabinoids, which are considered "phenolic" terpenes, little research has so far been completed and provided reliable conclusions.
Cannabis essential oil inhibits bacterial proliferation.
Consequently, the aim of this work was the chemical characterization of 17 essential oils from different varieties of C. sativa fiber types (industrial hemp or hemp) using "GC-MS" and "GC-FID" techniques.
A total of 71 compounds were identified, while semi-quantitative analysis revealed that α and β-pinene, β-myrcene, and β-caryophyllene remained the reference components of all analyzed essential oils.
The antibacterial effects of hemp essential oils against certain pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms isolated from food and the food processing environment have also been demonstrated.
It was thanks to the use of the agar diffusion method, taking into account the inhibition zone, that it was possible to preliminarily verify the inhibitory activity on the majority of the strains examined.
In conclusion, good antibacterial activity of six hemp essential oils against Gram-positive bacteria is observed. This makes it possible to consider the following hypothesis: hemp essential oil can inhibit or reduce bacterial proliferation. It can constitute valuable support for reducing contamination by microorganisms, particularly in the field of food processing.
