The leaves, stem, and flowers of the capulin produce compounds similar to those found in cannabisAlex Popovkin / Flickr
Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is not the only plant to produce cannabinoids, a group of compounds that includes cannabidiol (CBD), which is used as a medicine, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a hallucinogen. The leaves, stem, and flowers of the tree known as the Jamaican nettletree or capulin (Trema micrantha), a native species found throughout Brazil, also produce the compounds, according to a study by a team of researchers from the Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of São Paulo (FCFRP-USP), the Botucatu Institute of Biosciences at São Paulo State University (UNESP), and the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. They identified and characterized the cells that produce cannabinoids: just like in C. sativa, they are hair-like surface glands called trichomes, which help defend against microorganisms and insects. “My colleagues here at the college are now working to identify and isolate the cannabinoids from this plant,” says FCFRP botanist Simone Pádua Teixeira, who led the study. In 2021, a team from Thailand reportedly identified cannabinoids in the leaf extract of a closely related species, T. orientalis. The Brazilian variety, which grows up to 10 meters tall, is a common invasive plant in pasture areas and along roadsides. The fruits are used as feed for parakeets and parrots. If ingested, the leaves are toxic (PeerJ, May 2021; Protoplasm, May 2024).
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