CBD from Hemp Leaf Extract Proves Effective as Natural Insecticide

For some people, it feels like an impossible choice. Either suffer itchy, painful bug bites and risk potentially devastating diseases or cover their bodies in harsh chemical insecticides. New research shows a promising development in the battle against disease-carrying pests like mosquitoes. And you guessed it, it comes from cannabis.

A new study suggests that hemp leaf extract containing CBD, one of the primary chemical compounds in cannabis plants, could be the key to creating a natural insecticide capable of killing mosquito larvae. Mosquito larvae are immature mosquito hatchlings that live in water. There, they feed and grow before turning into blood-sucking adult pests. The study is exciting because it may offer a significant and viable natural alternative to harsh chemical pesticides.

CBD-Rich Hemp Extract May be Natural Insecticide

A new study by researchers at Ohio State University shows that CBD-rich hemp extract can kill mosquito larvae within two days of exposure. The study authors indicate that CBD may be the central active ingredient responsible for killing the larvae. However, how the CBD extract works to kill the immature pests is still up for debate. While the concoction seems to kill the larvae, researchers say they do not yet understand why, saying, “The specific mode of action of CBD toxicity against mosquitoes and other insects is unknown.”

Researchers note that insects are one of the few groups of animals that do not have canonical cannabinoid receptors. Humans and other mammals have unique cannabinoid receptors, part of the endocannabinoid system. The ECS controls and regulates many critical bodily functions in humans, like learning, memory, emotional processing, sleep, pain control, and immune system responses. The chemical compounds in cannabis bind to these receptors and can trigger physiological and euphoric effects. CBD may affect different biochemical targets in insects, leading to death.

Surprisingly Effective

Scientists were surprised by how little CBD the team needed to kill the mosquito larvae. Compared to other natural extracts, researchers needed a relatively low amount of CBD to kill off the larvae. However, the amount of hemp extract needed to kill 50 percent of the population compared to synthetic conventional insecticides is relatively high.

Study authors noted that their new research helped substantiate other studies that show hemp exacts may be powerful tools in the fight against mosquitoes, suggesting at least five other mosquito species are vulnerable to the effects of CBD extracts. Prior research has also indicated CBD has toxic antifeedant and growth-inhibiting properties against mosquitos and other insects. Insects vulnerable to CBD insecticides include tobacco hornworms, corn earworms, meal moths, saw-toothed grain beetles, flour beetles, and fall armyworms. Many of these pests pose a significant threat to commercial agriculture. According to statistics from the United Nations, pests destroy up to 40 percent of the world’s food crops, causing trade losses of up to $220 billion annually.

Hemp Extract Vs. Commercial Pesticides: Reshaping the Industry

Researchers produced the hemp extract by removing leaves from hemp plants seven months after planting them. Next, they air-dried the leaves for seven days and crushed the plant matter in a coffee grinder for five minutes. The team used methanol for the extraction process, and the solvent was removed from the mixtures in an evaporator. The result was a CBD-rich hemp extract.

While the team suggests that the compound appears to be safe for people and animals, they say further study is required to determine whether it could harm beneficial species like honeybees and other vital pollinators. Recently, an organization of livestock feed control officials voted to allow commercial farmers to use hemp seed meal as food for egg-laying hens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also indicated that cows fed hempseed cake are safe for human consumption.

Why It Matters

These are vital developments in the agriculture industry because they suggest that hemp products appear safe for humans and animals. The same cannot be said of traditional insecticides and herbicides currently used to treat crops used for human and animal consumption. Paraquat, a popular herbicide used to control weeds in commercial agriculture parcels and farms, has been linked to significant health issues like Parkinson’s disease.

Commercial pesticides may also increase the incidence of certain cancers and other detrimental health conditions. While those impacted tend to be agricultural workers and those living near farmland, many people are growing concerned about the chemicals used to control weeds and pests in the U.S. Commercial pesticides also do not discriminate between species and often kill beneficial insects like bees and other pollinators. Bees are responsible for pollinating nearly 80 percent of flowering plants. That amounts to $15 billion in agricultural products that bees pollinate yearly. However, bee populations are declining, in part, due to the extensive use of pesticides.

A natural and safe insecticide could be a “holy grail” product. So far, hemp leaf extract has shown promising results in effectively killing mosquito larvae before the insects mature, turning into adult mosquitos. Adult mosquitoes are one of the deadliest pests in the world. The American Mosquito Control Association suggests that pests are responsible for causing more human suffering than any other organism, leading to more than one million deaths worldwide from mosquito-borne diseases. The insects are known spreaders of devastating illnesses such as malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, and Zika virus.

Summing It Up

Not only does hemp seem to be a potentially safer alternative to traditional pesticides, but the study authors also indicate that the CBD extract killed mosquito larvae susceptible to insecticides in addition to larvae from pesticide-resistant mosquitoes. Study authors note another positive attribute of hemp-based products is that hemp is a more sustainable crop, and hemp-based insecticide products could be produced relatively cheaply, meaning turning to hemp-based insecticides could provide environmental and financial benefits. New research, like the recent study from researchers at the University of Ohio, may be crucial to combating common problems, such as pest control, in innovative and safer ways with the need for fewer harsh and potentially environmentally damaging insecticides.