Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

38 papers

Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid‐terpenoid entourage effects

Ethan B. Russo
British Journal of Pharmacology Summary & key facts 2011 1,481 citations

Some research suggests that whole-plant cannabis compounds (like THC, CBD, other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids) can interact so the plant’s effects differ from CBD alone. Healthline explains three CBD types — full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate — and notes legal, safety, and labeling limits. The article says there is evidence for…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research GABA and Rice Research

An Introduction to the Endogenous Cannabinoid System

Hui‐Chen Lu, Ken Mackie
Biological Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2015 1,165 citations

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a widespread brain signaling system made of cannabinoid receptors, naturally made lipid messengers, and the enzymes that make and break those messengers. The two best-studied messengers are 2-AG and anandamide, and they are produced and degraded by different enzyme pathways. CB1 receptors are common in…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol

Sinemyiz Atalay, Iwona Jarocka-Karpowicz, Elźbieta Skrzydlewska
Antioxidants Summary & key facts 2019 765 citations

This review says cannabidiol (CBD) is a non‑psychoactive cannabis compound that has antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory actions in lab and some clinical studies. CBD can act directly to neutralize reactive molecules and indirectly by changing cell signals and antioxidant enzymes. Experiments in cells and animals show CBD lowers markers of oxidative…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Diet, Metabolism, and Disease GABA and Rice Research

Folic Acid Food Fortification—Its History, Effect, Concerns, and Future Directions

Krista S. Crider, Lynn B. Bailey, R. J. Berry
Nutrients Summary & key facts 2011 583 citations

Folic acid is a stable, synthetic form of the vitamin folate. Taking folic acid around the time of conception lowers the chance of neural tube birth defects (NTDs). Many countries have added folic acid to flour and other foods. These fortification programs have been linked with large drops in NTDs,…

Folate and B Vitamins Research Iron Metabolism and Disorders Phytase and its Applications

Review of the Endocannabinoid System

Hui‐Chen Lu, Ken Mackie

This review describes the endocannabinoid system (ECS) as a widespread network of natural cannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors (mainly CB1 and CB2), and the enzymes that make and break those chemicals. The ECS helps shape brain development and adjusts how neurons communicate. The authors note that THC is the main psychoactive part…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials

Giuseppe Venturella, Valeria Ferraro, Fortunato Cirlincione, Maria Letizia Gargano

This review describes compounds in medicinal mushrooms and how they work in lab and animal studies. It lists many possible effects, such as immune changes, anti-inflammatory and anticancer actions, and names key molecules like polysaccharides (β-glucans), terpenes, and fungal proteins. Most evidence so far comes from in vitro or animal…

Fungal Biology and Applications Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds Phytochemistry and Bioactivity Studies

Hepcidin—a regulator of intestinal iron absorption and iron recycling by macrophages

Tomas Ganz

Hepcidin is a small hormone made in the liver that helps control how the body absorbs and moves iron. It lowers iron flow into the blood by blocking ferroportin, the only known iron exporter on intestinal cells, macrophages (immune cells), and liver cells. Hepcidin levels rise when iron is high…

Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Iron Metabolism and Disorders Trace Elements in Health

Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds

Mendel Friedman

This paper is a 2015 review that brings together many studies about the lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus). It describes the mushroom’s chemical makeup, nutrients, food uses, and about 70 identified bioactive compounds. The review reports many claimed health effects seen in cell, animal, and some human studies—such as anti-inflammatory…

Fungal Biology and Applications Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls

Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes

Attila Oláh, Balázs István Tóth, István Borbíró, Koji Sugawara, Attila Gábor Szöllősi, Gabriella Czifra, et al.

This laboratory study found that cannabidiol (CBD), a non‑psychoactive compound from Cannabis sativa, reduced fat production and inflammation in human sebaceous (oil) gland cells. The effects were seen in cultured human sebocytes and in human skin organ cultures, where CBD blocked the fat‑making (lipogenic) actions of several compounds. These results…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Ion Channels and Receptors

Decarboxylation Study of Acidic Cannabinoids: A Novel Approach Using Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography/Photodiode Array-Mass Spectrometry

Mei Wang, Yan-Hong Wang, Bharathi Avula, Mohamed M Radwan, Amira S Wanas, John van Antwerp, et al.
PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2016 258 citations

The study heated Cannabis sativa extracts at 80, 95, 110, 130, and 145 °C for up to 60 minutes and measured acidic and neutral cannabinoids with an advanced UHPSFC/PDA‑MS lab method. Concentrations changed in an exponential way, which fits a first‑order (or pseudo‑first‑order) reaction model. The team calculated rate constants…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Preliminary Experiments on the Chemistry and Pharmacology of Cannabis

E. W. Gill, W. D. M. Paton, Roger G. Pertwee
Nature Summary & key facts 1970 210 citations

This is a short 1970 Nature paper by E. W. Gill, W. D. Paton and R. G. Pertwee that reports preliminary experiments on the chemistry and pharmacology of cannabis. The PubMed entry has no abstract, but its indexing shows the paper looked at drug effects and toxicity, and at topics…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Symptom‐relieving and neuroprotective effects of the phytocannabinoid Δ9‐THCV in animal models of Parkinson’s disease

Concepción García, Cristina Palomo‐Garo, Moisés Garcı́a-Arencibia, Jaime A. Ramos, Roger G. Pertwee, Javier Fernández‐Ruíz
British Journal of Pharmacology Summary & key facts 2011 205 citations

In rats and mice that had brain lesions used to model Parkinson's disease, the plant compound Δ9-THCV reduced movement problems after a single dose and, with repeated dosing, reduced loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain region called the substantia nigra. Some effects seem linked to antioxidant actions and, in…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research GABA and Rice Research Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
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