Cannabidiol Discovery and Synthesis—a Target‐Oriented Analysis in Drug Production Processes

The current state of evidence and recommendations for cannabidiol (CBD) and its health effects change the legal landscape and aim to destigmatize its phytotherapeutic research. Recently, some countries have included CBD as an antiepileptic product for compassionate use in children with refractory epilepsy. The growing demand for CBD has led to the need for high‐purity cannabinoids on the emerging market. The discovery and development of approaches toward CBD synthesis have arisen from the successful extraction of Cannabis plants for cannabinoid fermentation in brewer's yeast. To understand different contributions to the design and enhancement of the synthesis of CBD and its key intermediates, a detailed analysis of the history behind cannabinoid compounds and their optimization is provided herein. Plant potential: Demand for cannabidiol (CBD) has increased drastically in the recent years, so highly pure cannabinoids and its intermediates are an emerging market for use as an antiepileptic product. Despite numerous studies describing the isolation and purification of CBD from plant material, its production is still limited. A detailed analysis of the history behind cannabinoid compounds and their optimization is provided.