What Are Cannabis Flavonoids?

WHAT EXACTLY IS A FLAVONOID?

Flavonoids are plant chemicals, or phytonutrients. They are found in abundance in all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and yes, you guessed it, cannabis too. There are approximately 6,000 different flavonoids common to the plant kingdom.

In fact, they are the biggest nutrient family currently known to modern science. At present, we know of 23 flavonoids found in cannabis. These include three that are actually exclusively found in the sacred herb. The trio of unique cannabis flavonoids are cannaflavin A, cannaflavin B, and cannaflavin C.

The word flavonoid is derived from the Latin word "flavus", which means yellow. So you can correctly assume they are associated with plant pigmentation. But that’s certainly not where the story ends. Rather, it’s only the beginning. Cannabis and all kinds of delicious dishes simply wouldn’t be the same without flavonoids.

THE ROLE OF FLAVONOIDS IN CANNABIS PLANTS

Flavonoids have many roles to play in cannabis growth and development. They are present in stems, leaves, and most highly concentrated in the flowers. As much as 2.5% of the dry weight of cannabis is comprised of flavonoids. However, they are not found in cannabis seeds or roots.

Chlorophyll is responsible for the green pigment in plants. But it’s flavonoids that are responsible for the non-green pigments. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of cultivating purple weed, you can thank flavonoids for the aesthetics. The flavonoids known as anthoxanthins or anthocyanins put the purps in your buds.

Flavonoids are also similar to terpenes. The unique scents and flavours of different cannabis strains are owed in part to the presence of flavonoids. Cannabis flavonoids don’t just make weed more alluring, they also have UV ray filtering, anti-fungal, anti-pest, and nitrogen-fixing properties critical to cannabis survival. Cannabis flavonoids even have a role to play in cell cycle regulation.

THE POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF CANNABIS FLAVONOIDS

Ironically, there is scant scientific research to definitively prove the health benefits of cannabis flavonoids. Prohibition and Schedule I status has stalled such studies. All kinds of claims from anti-ageing to cancer-fighting properties are espoused online. Until we have the high-quality data, we won’t be jumping on the bandwagon. We just can’t take that leap of faith that eating ordinary blueberries is akin to toking dank Blueberry buds.

Cannabis flavonoids can be ingested by humans via smoking, vaping, and through edibles too. We know that much for sure. We also can confirm that many dietitians and nutritionists now believe that humans really can’t get enough flavonoids. Both are exploring ways to modify eating habits to increase the number of flavonoids people consume as part of a healthy balanced diet.

While we must tread carefully, it’s not too much of a stretch of the imagination to say cannabis flavonoids likely can achieve synergistic effects in combination with the other compounds found in cannabis. It’s more than likely that flavonoids contribute to the “entourage effect”.

WHAT CAN EXISTING FLAVONOID RESEARCH TELL US?

We know that cannaflavin A has been proven to be as much as 30 times more effective as an anti-inflammatory than aspirin. Overall, increased flavonoid consumption certainly does seem to indicate a decrease in the risk of death by heart disease and cancer. “Flavonoid intake and long-term risk of coronary heart disease and cancer in the seven countries study” published back in 1995 goes a long way to support the argument that flavonoids may increase longevity.

THE LAST WORD ON CANNABIS FLAVONOIDS

Hopefully, now that cannabis legalization is beginning to spread across the globe, new cannabis flavonoid research will give us more reliable data. Unfortunately, at time of writing, we cannot justify making any bold statements about the benefits of cannabis flavonoids.

Nobody on staff has an MD; regardless, even a doctor couldn’t give you a straight answer. Those that we contacted declined to have their comments published. Furthermore, we have not heard of any ongoing cutting-edge cannabis flavonoid studies. All we can say is that cannabis flavonoids definitely look promising and there is no evidence to suggest that consuming them would lead to nasty side effects.