Abstract
Recently, an increasing number of pharmacists had to supply medicinal products based
on Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae), prescribed by physicians to individual patients. Cannabis olive
oil preparation is the first choice as a concentrated extract of cannabinoids, even
though standardized operative conditions for obtaining it are still not available.
In this work, the impact of temperature and extraction time on the concentration of
active principles was studied to harmonize the different compounding methods, optimize
the extraction process, and reduce the variability among preparations. Moreover, starting
from the cannabis inflorescence, the effect of temperature on tetrahydrocannabinolic
acid decarboxylation was evaluated. For the analysis, a GC/MS method, as suggested
by the Italian Ministry of Health, and a GC/flame ionization detection method were
developed, validated, and compared.
Key words
Cannabis sativa
- Cannabaceae - olive oil preparation - cannabinoids - extraction - GC/FID - GC/MS
