pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics is the study of how an organism absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates a chemical compound over time. In plant science, this framework is applied to understand how plant-derived compounds, such as cannabinoids and other phytochemicals, behave once ingested or administered, revealing how dosage, bioavailability, and metabolic breakdown influence their therapeutic or physiological effects. This knowledge helps researchers optimize the extraction, formulation, and medical application of bioactive plant compounds.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-07-01
A systematic review of 12 mathematical models reveals why the same cannabis dose hits people very differently: the drug's absorption into the body varies wildly depending on how it's taken, the formulation used, and whether someone is a regular user. Researchers compiled these models into a reference repository to help clinicians tailor cannabis-based medicine to individual patients.
Bioavailability of THC varied from 22% to 91% across studies, reflecting extreme absorption unpredictability tied to route of administration, formulation, and usage history.
Between-subject variability in clearance ranged 17-50% and in volume of distribution 10-57%, with absorption-phase variability consistently the largest driver across all 9 reviewed THC models.
All 12 identified population pharmacokinetic models used two- or three-compartment structures; the review consolidates them into a standardized repository to guide model-informed precision dosing.
