ABSTRACT

Exploration of cannabinoids began with the methodical dis section of natural products contained within the botanical source. The resulting extensive catalog of discovery has been amply reviewed elsewhere (see Chapter 3), and will only be brietly summarized here. These unique compounds, which include the major active drug constituents of this genus, have been numbered according to two major systems of nomenclature (see Figure 2.1): the monoterpenoid system originally employed in Europe, and the dibenzopyran

system more commonly used today in NOith America. The latter system will be employed here. The function of these compounds in the plant is unknown, but they possibly counter various ecological challenges."