Panakeia strain: First THC-free cannabis seeds to be distributed in US

The THC-free cannabis seeds have been developed by Hemp Trading, together with the Spanish university Universidad Politècnica de Valencia. The Spanish company, Hemp Trading, specialises in the international distribution of products for cannabis growth.

The Panakeia seeds and clones will be produced and distributed by Tesoro Genetics, specialising in breeding high quality hemp seed and CBD, and Front Range Biosciences, a technology provider for the breeding and production of new hemp, coffee and regulated cannabis plant varieties and seeds.

No more ‘hot hemp’

Panakeia THC-free cannabis seeds have successfully broken the legal barrier of ‘hot hemp’. In the US ‘hot hemp’ is any variety of cannabis that exceeds 0.3% THC and is therefore illegal.

Panakeia seeds are completely free of any psychoactive component (0.00% total THC) and eliminates related vulnerabilities during harvesting and later commercialisation: no legal obstacles and no risks in the entire chain.

Currently farmers are forced to destroy hemp crops when they exceed the THC level allowed by federal law and hemp processors encounter legal issues due to concentration when extracting.

Higher benefits than CBD

Hemp Trading CEO, Ernesto Llosá, said: “CBG is the new trend in the hemp market and Panakeia offers great economic benefits, much higher than CBD”.

In addition, this new variety has the ability to produce harvests up to 4,000 pounds per acre and makes cheaper the costs of purification in extractions, since it does not contain THC.

Llosá said: “For us, the American market is key for commercialising Panakeia as hemp is grown here on a large scale and the agreement with these two companies represents a big opportunity for launching Panakeia in the US.”

The crop forecasts for next year in US are more than promising: it is expected that production will triple from 80,000 acres in 2019 to around 250,000 acres in 2020, according to Hemp Trading CEO.

Dr. Jonathan Vaught, Co-founder and CEO of Front Range Biosciences, said: “Introducing a cutting edge plant variety like Panakeia will have a seismic ripple effect in the hemp farming industry in the US.

“Our company’s mission from the beginning has been to provide sustainable and modern solutions to mainstream agricultural practices, and I believe the Panakeia hemp variety will not only encourage more streamlined farming methods, but also introduce more Americans to even more of the potential wellness properties of the hemp plant.”

Tesoro Genetics CEO, John Keating, continued: “Panakeia is more than just CBG, it is a drastic shift for the hemp market – the ability to never fail a field compliance test, to transport all forms of the product from flower to concentrates, and to process with no need for THC remediation.”

“In addition to these benefits, the high yields and flower quality of Panakeia are exceptional. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Hemp Trading and believe that Panakeia is the solution the market has been looking for.”

The potential of Panakeia not only lies in its 0.00% THC, but also in its high concentration of cannabigerol (CBG) up to 18%. CBG is a cannabinoid until now present in a residual way in the hemp plant and provides highly health benefits, according to different studies.

Research suggests that CBG may have beneficial effects in reducing pain, glaucoma or psoriasis; also, it could have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Panakeia is setting a new benchmark for pharmaceutical companies interested in exploring the medicinal properties of cannabis in a legal way.

Find out more about the Panakeia high-CBG strain here.