Since the end of the second world war, we have been taught that the cannabis plant is a dangerous drug. In addition, information on the health benefits contained in many other plants have been denied as being effective. The reason for these actions was for the purpose of protecting the profits of the emerging pharmaceutical industry. The curative actions found in plants and particularly the cannabis plant, are the pharmaceutical industry's biggest threat and competition.
In order to understand the health benefits of plants, it is necessary to understand primary and secondary plant metabolites. The cannabinoids found in the cannabis plants are considered secondary metabolites.
Primary metabolites are made up of a number of different types of organic compounds, including, but not limited to, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. . They are found universally in the plant kingdom because they are the primary components necessary for the plants survival.
Secondary metabolites, on the other hand, are not necessarily required for a plant's survival rather, they are responsible for a plant to thrive. It has only been since the late twentieth century that secondary metabolites have been clearly recognized as having important functions in plants however, they are not fully understood. Many thousands of secondary metabolites have been isolated from plants, and many of them have powerful physiological effects in humans and are used as medicines such as cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.
A more detailed discussion on secondary plant metabolites can be found at the following link:
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