Cannabis Knowledge-to-Bioeconomy Nexus (CKBN): From Ethnobotany to Circular Innovation

Abstract

Cannabis sativa L. remains one of the most versatile plants at the interface of traditional medicine, modern pharmacology and industrial bioeconomy. In Pakistan—particularly the Himalayan foothills of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Swat, Dir, Chitral), Gilgit-Baltistan and adjacent valleys—the species retains deep ethnobotanical significance for pain, epilepsy, inflammation, respiratory complaints and cultural practice, while global research and markets expand around pharmaceutical cannabinoids and industrial hemp.

This review proposes the Cannabis Knowledge-to-Bioeconomy Nexus (CKBN): a sequential, indicator-driven framework that converts ethnobotanical knowledge into chemotypic characterisation, molecular-target mapping, biotechnological optimisation and circular bioeconomy outcomes. The framework is operationalised with a PRISMA-informed synthesis of peer-reviewed literature (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed), bibliometric patterns (Bibliometrix/VOSviewer), cheminformatics (PubChem/LOTUS), network logic (Cytoscape/KEGG conventions) and spatial reasoning for Pakistan using QGIS/ArcGIS principles.

Key findings: (i) traditional Himalayan and Pakistani indications for pain and epilepsy align with CB1/CB2 and non-canonical pharmacology of Δ⁹-THC and CBD; (ii) micropropagation protocols achieve 5–8 shoots per explant and >85 % ex-vitro survival under optimised conditions; (iii) industrial hemp shows documented phytoremediation capacity for Cd, Pb and Ni; (iv) the largest research gaps and highest innovation potential lie in metabolic engineering, field mycobiome–metabolite studies, waste valorization and comparative life-cycle assessment. CKBN therefore supplies both a conceptual scaffold and measurable priorities for research, breeding and policy in Pakistan and comparable mountain agro-ecosystems.