Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), a medicinal plant of family Cannabaceae, growing
wild in most of the rainfed areas of Punjab, Pakistan. In this study, phytochemical
profile of methanolic extract of root was assessed through GC-MS analysis and
various biologically active compounds were identified through literature survey.
There were 14 compounds in the root extract. The most abundant compounds were
γ-sitosterol (27.08%) and 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, methyl ester (24.09%)
and hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (21.81%). Other identified compounds were
methyl stearate (5.51%), stigmasterol (5.12%), campesterol (4.19%), phenol, 2,2'-
methylenebis[6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methyl-(2.52%), 11-octadecenoic acid,
methyl ester (2.10%), squalene (1.89%), β-amyrin (1.88%), eicosanoic acid, methyl
ester (0.85%), tetracosanoic acid, methyl ester (0.88%), dronabinol (1.02%) and 2-
methoxy-4-vinylphenol (0.96%). Most of the identified compounds possess one or
more biological activities viz. antitumor, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant,
anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and analgesic.