Abstract
Cannabis oils, namely concentrated cannabis extracts, are getting plenty of attention because of their therapeutic potential for treatment of patients with cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis and several other pathologies. Here we propose the use of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) as alternative methods to the current protocols followed by pharmacists, the only authorized to manipulate standardized Cannabis. A third method, consisting of the use of Tween 20 as surfactant, was considered. Our best extraction methodology for commercial hemp extraction was applied to medicinal cannabis. Here we report the results obtained for ‘Eletta campana’, ‘Carmagnola selezionata’, Bediol®, FM2® and Bedrocan®.
Graphical Abstract
Acknowledgements
We are indebted to the pharmacists Drs. Piero Lussignoli, Adalberto Fabbriconi, Pietro Siciliano and Mario Marcucci for providing the cannabis-based medicinal extracts and for their continued help and valuable advice.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.