## 100% natural Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is a source of fiber, and its extracts are added to cosmetics, body lotions, food supplements, and foods. The plant contains two cannabinoid acids: cannabigerol acid (CBGA) and cannabidiol acid (CBDA), which researchers at the University of Oregon have found can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevent [COVID-19](https://ul.orna.me/KOge/librarydisease?id=221) from entering cells. The findings open up new possibilities for preventing and treating the disease because the principle of how cannabinoid acids work is the same as how antibodies and vaccines work against COVID-19. > These cannabinoid acids are abundant in cannabis and its extracts," explained study leader Richard van Breemen. "They are not psychoactive ingredients and are safe for humans. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, with crown-shaped protrusions on its outer surface, contains strands of RNA that encode its four main structural proteins — the spike, envelope, membrane, and nucleocapsid — as well as 16 nonstructural proteins and several "accessory" proteins. The most critical moment of the infection process is the coupling of the spike protein with the ACE2 receptor, which is abundant on the outer membrane of endothelial cells in the lung and other human organs. If cannabigerol and cannabidiol acids bind to the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus at this point, they will block it and prevent it from binding to ACE2, preventing infection. ## Universal protection Both cannabis components mentioned are equally effective against both the alpha strain found in the UK and the beta strain that has emerged in South Africa. Moreover, Richard van Breemen notes that the use of cannabis components, which block the interaction of the virus with receptors, has also proven useful for patients with other viral diseases, including HIV-1 and hepatitis. Drugs with these acids could be taken orally and have the potential to both prevent and treat infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Richard van Breemen is confident that CBDA / CBGA vaccination and treatment of those who become ill will be effective against both existing and possibly new "resistant" strains, and that the SARS-CoV-2 virus will have a much harder time mutating under the conditions created. https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/oregon-state-research-shows-hemp-compounds-prevent-coronavirus-entering-human-cells