What is Project 545?

Project 545 is an educational platform created by The Gift with the goal of educating the public on the biodiversity of plants and how Whole Plant Extractions can play a role in self-care.  Project 545 is the campaign for whole plant extractions in cannabis products.

The cannabis plant contains more than 545 natural chemical compounds including phytocannabinoids, chlorophyll, terpenes, lipids, and flavonoids(1). These compounds drive the way that the plant looks, smells, grows, and the way that it interacts with our bodies. The genetics of a cannabis plant as well as the area and methods in which it was grown will determine which of the 545 chemical compounds the plant will possess. Understanding how the plants grow and interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system allows users to select the strains that best align with their needs. Once we’ve grown our favorite strains of cannabis, it is important to preserve as much of those naturally occurring chemical compounds as possible through the proper methods of harvesting, drying, storage, and most importantly extraction.

Whole Plant Extractions utilize methods that extract as much of the original plant matter as possible without excessive processing or removal of certain beneficial parts of the plant. Let’s relate this concept to food. Brown rice is made of three key parts, the outer layer called bran which contains fiber, the inner layer called endosperm which contains proteins and carbohydrates, and the germ which is rich in vitamins and minerals. White rice on the other hand has had the nutrient rich germ and bran removed and what you’re left with is the protein and carbs making white rice higher in calories, carbs, and sugar and lower in healthy protein, fat and fiber than brown rice. Similarly, when consuming cannabis Mother Nature has already balanced the plant compounds perfectly and maintaining the existing diversity of the cannabis plant is key to maximizing the health benefits while minimizing any undesirable effects.

Follow us as we explore all of the terms and plant compounds in further detail…

(1)Gonçalves, J., Rosado, T., Soares, S., Simão, A. Y., Caramelo, D., Luís, Â., Fernández, N., Barroso, M., Gallardo, E., & Duarte, A. P. (2019). Cannabis and Its Secondary Metabolites: Their Use as Therapeutic Drugs, Toxicological Aspects, and Analytical Determination. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland), 6(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines6010031