There are some flavonoids that are exclusive to all cannabis plants, whether high-THC medical cannabis or high-CBD hemp. These cannabis-exclusive flavonoids are known as cannaflavins. They are simply: Cannaflavin-A, Cannaflavin-B, and Cannaflavin-C.
Research into cannaflavins has only scratched the surface, but what has been discovered so far is exciting. As early as 1985 and 1986, a group of scientists discovered that cannaflavins have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. It was determined that Cannaflavin-A and Cannaflavin-B had anti-inflammatory benefits that were 30 times stronger than aspirin.
Cannaflavins-A and -B, though unique to cannabis, belong to the class of plant flavonoids known as flavones. The dietary consumption of various plant flavones is well established in studies to offer neuroprotective, antioxidant, and anticancer properties in several animal models.
In 2019, researchers hunted down the biosynthesis of Cannaflavin-A and Cannaflavin-B. What does than mean? It means they figured out the pathway of how these cannaflavins are made (synthesized) in the plant. When researchers understand this, they can expand the scope of research for cannabis compounds. They must believe cannaflavins are important, right? This next bit of research makes it convincingly so.
According to a study published in 2020, cannaflavins could potentially treat pancreatic cancer. A flavonoid derivative from Cannaflavin-B demonstrated “significant therapy potential in the treatment of pancreatic cancer” in mice. Considering that pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate for patients at a dismal 8%, this is pretty exciting news. Researchers stated that the “results justify further studies to optimize therapy outcomes toward clinical translation.”