There has long been the debate on whether the minor cannabinoids found in plants are safe for ingestion in amounts that are not normally found in nature. Safety, toxicity, and consumer reports are the best routes for the industry, MC Nutraceuticals, and others to learn more about these cannabinoids because of the decades-long ban on research in this field.
Hera Biolabs x 3Chi Delta 8 Study
Just recently there was a toxicity study done by Hera Biolabs with 3Chi as the sponsor in order to give another level of reassurance for these products. This study was to determine the tolerability of Delta-8 THC in rats using methods that are previously established to determine the equivalent effects in humans. For this study, it was established that the human equivalent doses (HED) were 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 mg for a 60 kg human. An average normal dose for Delta-8 THC is approximately 25 mg, but does vary from person to person. The high end of this study shows no negative clinical signs at 20x this.
Throughout the study there was no observed negative impacts on the rats. There was no mortality, clinical signs, or moribundity during the study. Upon dosing there were signs of reduced activity but these returned to normal within the observation period.
This study exemplifies the growing number of reports of the safety of the minor cannabinoids in hemp as well as Delta-8 THC. To put this into perspective as how impacting these reports are; a study has estimated 40 million Americans tried Delta-8 products in the last year.1 The use of minor cannabinoids and Delta-8 THC by Americans has been shown to be for a long list of therapeutic benefits.2 Americans from all walks of life have tried these products and use them for different reasons. One of the largest reasons, when comparing to Delta-9 THC, is the lower psychoactive effects that Delta-8 has. Delta-8 is self-reported in surveys as well as clinically shown to be less mind-altering than Delta-9 while providing the benefits: anti-inflammation, pain control, sleep aids, dietary aids, chemotherapeutic aids, all of these and more.
The combination of these recent studies shows how large of an impact these products can have on people’s lives and that they are safe. Continued research is always welcome but we do have a strong foundation for the safety and effectiveness of Delta-8.
Dr. Sean Norris, MCNutraceuticals,
Director of Chemistry, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry
Citations
- Wilson-Poe AR, Smith T, Elliott MR, Kruger DJ, Boehnke KF. Past-Year Use Prevalence of Cannabidiol, Cannabigerol,Cannabinol, and Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(12):e2347373. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.47373 [↩]
- 2Kruger, J.S., Kruger, D.J. Delta-8-THC: Delta-9-THC’s nicer younger sibling?. J Cannabis Res 4, 4 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-021-00115-8 [↩]
