Chemical composition of seized cannabis and its extraction for medical purposes.

Cannabis indica obtained from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) of Thailand was examined for medical purposes. The ONCB cannabis was seized and distributed to our research group for investigation of chemical compositions and purification of major cannabinoids. Its essential oil was analysed and aromadendrene was identified as the major terpene. Small amounts of cannabinoids were also observed. The components of the seized cannabis were extracted using ethanolic extraction and supercritical CO2 extraction. All crude extracts were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a cannabinoid analyser. All extracts contained cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), and Δ99-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) as the major constituents. A preliminary study showed notable anticancer activities of CBD, CBN and Δ99-THC against cervix carcinoma cell and epithelial human breast cancer cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]