Open access · Peer reviewed · No APCs
SHORT COMMUNICATIONPharmacognosy ResearchVol. 9 | Issue 1 | 2026 | pp. 116–118Open access
Potential of Cannabidiol for the Treatment of Viral Hepatitis
- 1,
- 2*,
- 3
- 1 Flavocure Biotech LLC, Columbia; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Medicanja Jamaica LTD, Kingston; Bio-Tech R and D, LTD, Mona, JAMAICA.
- 2 Flavocure Biotech LLC, Columbia; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Medicanja Jamaica LTD, Kingston, JAMAICA.
- 3 Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, JAMAICA.
Published in Pharmacognosy Research
Correspondence: Ngeh J Toyang
Flavocure Biotech LLC, Columbia; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Medicanja Jamaica LTD, Kingston, JAMAICA.
Email: ngeh.toyang@flavocure.com
Copyright: © 2026 Manuscript Technomedia. This is an open access article.
- Published:
- Aug 14, 2026
How to cite
Lowe, H. I. C., Toyang, N. J., & McLaughlin, W. (2026). Potential of Cannabidiol for the Treatment of Viral Hepatitis. Pharmacognosy Research, 9(1), 116–118. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8490.199780
Abstract
Viral hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) pose a major health problem globally and if untreated, both viruses lead to severe liver damage resulting in liver cirrhosis and cancer. While HBV has a vaccine, HCV has none at the moment. The risk of drug resistance, combined with the high cost of current therapies, makes it a necessity for cost-effective therapeutics to be discovered and developed. The recent surge in interest in Medical Cannabis has led to interest in evaluating and validating the therapeutic potentials of Cannabis and its metabolites against various diseases including viruses. Preliminary screening of cannabidiol (CBD) revealed that CBD is active against HCV but not against HBV in vitro. CBD inhibited HCV replication by 86.4% at a single concentration of 10 μM with EC50of 3.163 μM in a dose-response assay. These findings suggest that CBD could be further developed and used therapeutically against HCV.
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Article metadata
| Title | Potential of Cannabidiol for the Treatment of Viral Hepatitis |
|---|---|
| Authors | Henry I. C. Lowe; Ngeh J Toyang; Wayne McLaughlin |
| Affiliations | Flavocure Biotech LLC, Columbia; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Medicanja Jamaica LTD, Kingston; Bio-Tech R and D, LTD, Mona, JAMAICA.; Flavocure Biotech LLC, Columbia; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Medicanja Jamaica LTD, Kingston, JAMAICA.; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, JAMAICA. |
| Corresponding author | ngeh.toyang@flavocure.com |
| Journal | Pharmacognosy Research |
| Volume / Issue | Vol. 9, Issue 1 (2026) |
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