Scientists Develop New Class Of CBD Using A Common Kitchen Spice—Not Cannabis

Researchers have developed a new class of CBD-like compounds that they say are even more effective at treating epilepsy and also promote brain cell development. But rather than extracting them from the cannabis plant, the scientists conducting the federally funded study used a common household kitchen spice: caraway seeds.

University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) psychology students and faculty took the non-cannabis spice—which is commonly incorporated into breads, stews, cheeses and more–and genetically manipulated it to create compounds that closely resemble the molecular structure of non-intoxicating CBD.

While a scientific feat on its own, the researchers are especially enthused about the results of pre-clinical trials using the caraway CBD that appear to show those compounds pack a “greater punch in stopping seizures” than natural cannabidiol found in the cannabis plant itself, with similarly low risk of adverse health events.

“These fully synthetic compounds, made from a safe plant extract and free of THC, not only prevented seizures and reduced seizure-related deaths but also promoted healthier brain cell development—without the sedative side effects of current treatments,” Dustin Hines, study co-author and professor of neuroscience at UNLV, said in a press release.

“Childhood seizure disorders are often resistant to available drugs, and both the seizures and the current frontline therapies can severely affect brain development, cognition, and quality of life, making the discovery especially promising,” he said.

The study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology late last month, found the synthesized CBD from the seeds of caraway, which is also known as meridian fennel, “significantly reduces seizure-related mortality in both C57Bl6 adults and a developmental epilepsy mouse model, supporting its potential for further preclinical and clinical development.”

The research was supported with National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, through the NIH component agencies the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The authors stressed that this is just the beginning of their research into the medical potential of these novel compounds, which they hope will lead to the development of new therapeutics for epilepsy. Currently, there’s one Food and Drug Administration- (FDA) approved CBD prescription drug, Epidiolex, that’s derived from cannabis.

“Advancing this new class of therapeutics holds significant promise for patients who have exhausted existing treatment options, whether due to debilitating side effects or a lack of response to currently available therapies,” Adriana Carrillo, a UNLV student who participated in the study, said.

“It is encouraging to help build the foundation for future treatment options that could one day offer families safer and more effective choices,” she said.

She also offered a word of advice for the curious: Caraway seeds on their own do not contain CBD, so don’t expect to derive the benefits simply by loading up on the spice, because the seeds “just contain the scaffold to create it.”