Pot + Sea Urchins = Super Drug?
November 17th, 2008 by Alex
Mmmm, tasty.
Filed under the ’strange but true’ category, it turns out that chemists have been experimenting with the hybridization of two different substances that bind to cannabinoid receptors.
The first the substance, which we all know and love, is THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol if you’re being specific). The second substance is called anandamide and is commonly found in sea urchin eggs.
Organix, the firm behind the research, plans to use its findings to better understand the endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoid receptors, which both these chemicals stimulate, are largely linked to pleasure areas of the brain. This isn’t just true for humans, but also for other mammals, birds, fish and reptiles.
So why combine those two? Anandamide works much faster than THC, but is also used up by the body more quickly. THC, on the other hand, takes longer to get going, but once it does the feelings last for several hours. Matching these together might mask each others weak point and create one hell of an effective drug.
Tail-flick assay tests on mice seem to prove that this combo-drug might be leading us down a very promising path. Just don’t expect your local dealer to have any in the near future…
