Drugs acting on Nervous System Cannabis

Objectives On completion of this period you would be able to learn about The monograph of Drugs acting on nervous system CANNABIS

Known to Unknown 1.What is the favorite drink of Lord Shiva? 2.Have you ever heard the term “ Ganjai “? 3.North Indians on the day of “ Holi “ festival what they drink? Bhang

CANNABIS Syn: Hemp (English) Bhang, Charas (Hindi),Ganjai (Telugu) Biological Source : Dried flowering and fruiting tops of Cannabis sativa Family : Cannabinaceae Geographical Source : Indigenous to India (Bengal, M.P., Assam and Maharashtra) Widely grows in Mexico, Bangladesh and Pakistan Fig.35.1 Cannabis plant

Cannabis Fields Fig.35.2 Cannabis field

Cannabis Fields Fig.35.3 Cannabis field

Cannabis small plants Fig.35.4 Cannabis small plants

Cultivation And Collection Annual herb and widely grows Sowing seeds in June-July and harvested after six months Cultivated for various substances like Narcotic, stem fibre and drying oil

Cultivation And Collection Plants growing in tropical countries like India produce Narcotic substance Plants growing in temperate climate are useful for production of fibre and oil Male plant is not collected because it do not contain resin matter

Cannabis - Drying Fig.35.5 Cannabis

Morphological Characters Shape : Flattened or cylindrical mass contains stems, branches, flowers and fruits stick together by resin Colour : Green to greenish brown Odour : Strong & characteristic Taste : Slightly bitter taste Fig.35.6 Cannabis

Chemical Constituents Major constituents Resin 15-20% Cannabinol Tetrahydrocannabinol Cannabidiol Cannabigerol Cannabichromene Fig.35.7 Cannabis

Chemical Constituents Minor constituents Volatile oil Trigonelline Choline Spermidine Flavonoid Alkaloid - Cannabisativine Fig.35.8 Cannabis

Identification Test Powder Extract with light Petroleum Ether and filter Filtrate + few ml of HCl in Ethanol Red colour at the junction of the two liquids On shaking upper layer becomes colorless and lower layer becomes Orange Pink which disappears on addition of water

Standards Ash value : Not less than15% Acid insoluble ash : Not less than 5% Foreign organic matter : Not less than 2%

Uses Used as Narcotic, Anti-convulsant, Anti-anxiety, Anti-tussive, Analgesic, Stomachic and Hypnotic

Cannabis Products Bhang: Consists of larger leaves and twigs of both male and female plants. Contains less amount of resin Charas: Consists of crude resin, obtained by rubbing the flowering tops between the hands, beating them on cloths or carpets Green soft mass adheres and resin is scrapped off. Purified by pressing it through clothes

Cannabis Products Ganja: Consists of not more than 10% fruits, leaves and stems. In India two varieties are available Flat or Bombay ganja: Flowering tops and fresh twigs are collected, arranged in flat heaps and pressed. Resinous substance from flowering tops stick together and form flat mass Round or Bengal ganja: Every piece of flowering top is rolled and cylindrical mass formed

Summary In this class we learnt about The CNS plant drug CANNABIS Cannabis is mainly having CNS depressant effects abused as a Narcotic

Quiz 1. The plant part that is used in Cannabis is a) Leaves b) Flowers c) Flowering tops d) All the above

2. The major constituents present in Cannabis a) Resin b) Tannin c) Balsam d) None of the above Quiz

Frequently Asked Questions 1.Write the Botanical Source and Uses of Cannabis 2. Write the Chemical Constituents and Uses of Cannabis 3.Write the Morphology and Chemical Constituents of Cannabis