How China plans to use plant-based CBD

The priority in using the therapeutic properties of the plant will be not so much extracts or extracts, namely nutraceuticals (food), as well as additives (food / dietary / biologically active). Given the rule previously described by American doctors, according to which the amount of cannabidiol in a plant is not so important as the ratio of CBD to THC, the interest of Chinese specialists in the development of national breeders is understandable. If the new varieties created in the Middle Kingdom (3.22%, 4.22% and 4.29% CBD with 0.2% THC) have a ratio of 16.1 to 21.45, then the already registered variety “Mriya” demonstrates the ratio 50, which clearly speaks of its more powerful therapeutic properties.

It's no secret that China is considered one of the world leaders in the global hemp industry. Chinese companies currently control more than half of the global hemp fiber market, demonstrate an expansionary policy in the grain market and try to create closed production chains that include all the constituent plants (from the root to leaves and flowers). That is why it is extremely worthwhile to observe how modern cannabis breeding is developing in the Middle Kingdom, primarily aimed at maximizing the effective use of the therapeutic potential of the hemp plant.

Strengthening international cooperation and promoting national therapeutic hemp varieties in the Chinese market became official proposals for the development of the modern hemp industry in the Middle Kingdom during two plenary sessions in 2020 held by the country's government to develop an appropriate regulatory framework, as well as create conditions for the development of this sector modern cannabis farming. The basis of all developments of scientists in the PRC is the strategy of the government of the country to replace as many pharmaceuticals as possible with natural alternatives. In particular, the allocation of the pharmaceutical sector as a key strategic industry of the country means support from the state for research and development aimed at increasing the role of the hemp plant in traditional Chinese medicine.

The fact that the state has made a bet on the creation of therapeutic varieties of technical hemp is evidenced by the information of the Hemp Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences that specialists from the Middle Kingdom are working on the registration of three new varieties of technical hemp with an increased content of cannabidiol (CBD). In particular, Zhonghan Ma strains # 2, # 3 and # 4 contain CBD levels of 3.22%, 4.22% and 4.29%, respectively, while the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in these plants is stabilized at the level of 0.2%.

It can be said that large Chinese companies are investing huge resources in agronomy and technologies related to therapeutic hemp, introducing, together with the country's scientists, a significant number of R&D programs that are exploring the possibilities for the most effective use of the therapeutic properties of the hemp plant. Considering the fact that experts in Heilongjiang and Yunnan provinces have advanced as far / deep as possible in issues related to the use of the therapeutic properties of technical hemp, we can say that the varieties of cannabis-free hemp with an increased content of therapeutically active substances created by the Institute of Hemp of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences will be implemented exactly in these administrative-territorial units.

For example, specialists from the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences have recently developed nine new varieties of cannabis, including those aimed at increasing the yield of CBD, and Yunnan Maye Biotechnology Co. recently announced a new strain that has increased cannabidiol content at 0.2% THC. A number of private companies in Yunnan province are conducting research on the development of therapeutic varieties of technical hemp. At the moment, 12 enterprises already have permission to cultivate and process green mass of plants, and more than 60 have received preliminary permission to conduct such activities (enterprises in Yunnan province are China's main supplier of plant-based CBD to the global hemp market - editor's note). The Chinese consider drug-free cannabinoids as the most lucrative opportunity for developing the cannabis business. That is why research and development in Yunnan province is already positioned as the international center for the CBD industry throughout the Middle Kingdom.

It should be noted that the main focus of Chinese research is on the production of biopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics, which are based on the therapeutic properties of the hemp plant. Especially for this purpose, business incubators, as well as specialized industrial parks, are being actively created in the two above-mentioned provinces, the main task of which is precisely the implementation of various technologies and the production of final products based on the therapeutic properties of the hemp plant.

Commentary of experts of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

Thanks to a significant increase in funding, as well as participation in international research programs, China has significantly accelerated the scientific and technological progress in the field of modern cannabis over the past few years. As strange as it may sound, Chinese experts do not hesitate to declare that they see one of the main priorities of cooperation in the use of the therapeutic properties of industrial hemp in the use of the relevant developments of scientists from Canada and Ukraine. Considering the fact that hemp leaves and inflorescences have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, it can be stated that the priority in using the therapeutic properties of the plant will not be so much extracts or extracts, namely nutraceuticals (food), as well as additives (food / dietary / biologically active). Given the rule previously described by American doctors, according to which the amount of cannabidiol in a plant is not so important as the ratio of CBD to THC , the interest of Chinese specialists in the development of national breeders is understandable. If the new varieties created in the Middle Kingdom (3.22%, 4.22% and 4.29% CBD with 0.2% THC) have a ratio of 16 to 21, then the already registered variety “Mriya” demonstrates a ratio of 50, which is clearly speaks of its more powerful therapeutic properties.