Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. announced on July 30 that the company’s CW Labs science division and Colorado State University’s (CSU) College of Agricultural Sciences have completed the first of three collaborative metabolomic hemp studies to decode the complex chemical profile of full spectrum hemp extracts—made from the company’s patented hemp cultivars.
Researchers continue to examine cannabinoid profiles in hemp extracts under varying cultivars and conditions. The studies explore the extent of the impact of environmental conditions, geographic regions, harvesting times and different extraction methods, regarding the resulting phytochemical profile of the hemp plant and its botanical extracts.
Phase I of the investigation explicitly analyzed how hemp harvest processing and extraction protocols can be standardized to generate a consistent chemical profile. Under the oversight of Dr. Jessica Prenni, Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at CSU, graduate student Janina Bowen researched the Company’s proprietary hemp extracts in the Prenni Lab of the College of Agricultural Sciences.
“This is one of more than a dozen third-party scientific investigations Charlotte’s Web is conducting on the efficacy and safety of our hemp extracts,” Charlotte’s Web CEO Deanie Elsner said in a press release. “We have a commitment to advancing the science on hemp to support personal health and well-being through these collaborative investigations. We’re honored to work with Dr. Prenni and the team at Colorado State University.”
In phase I of the trials, the CSU team collaborated with Charlotte’s Web’s CW Labs research scientists to examine hemp extracts for phytocannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds using sophisticated equipment such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography—coupled to mass spectrometry and more.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Charlotte’s Web and contribute to building the knowledge base around full spectrum hemp extract products,” said CSU’s Dr. Jessica Prenni.
Dr. Prenni received her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder followed by post-doctoral training at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. With over 18 years of experience in biological mass spectrometry under her belt, she also served for over ten years at the Director of the Proteomics and Metabolomics Core Facility at CSU.
Phase I has been taking place for more than two years, and the research will be formally peer reviewed and published shortly.
The True Mission Behind Charlotte’s Web
As many know, the strain and company Charlotte’s Web were originally named after Charlotte Figi, who passed away on April 7, 2020 at the age of just 13. Figi inspired the namesake and inspiration behind the acclaimed CBD-rich strain Charlotte’s Web, and the company and brand.
Charlotte and her twin sister Chase were born on October 18, 2006 in Colorado. Charlotte suffered from seizures when she was just three years old, then subsequently was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome—a rare and debilitating disease. She was prescribed a variety of pharmaceutical drugs, with little success, if any. Her seizures were constant and long-lasting, landing her in hospice at age of just five.
Charlotte’s mother, Paige, refused to accept her daughter’s diagnosis without a fight, experimenting with CBD to fight her devastating seizures. Paige was eventually approached by professional cannabis grower Joel Stanley. They worked together to create a high-CBD, low-THC strain—when Paige administered the resulting oil, Charlotte went from having 300 seizures a week to a few episodes a month. It was a dramatic improvement that no one had anticipated.
Paige became an advocate for not only her own daughter, but for other children suffering from intractable epilepsy. Charlotte eventually became the poster child of CBD and was featured in several supportive cannabis documentaries and in our own Female 50 issue of High Times in 2019.
