Salt · The Research Doorway
Research
The scientific center of the work. It begins in pharmacognosy and moves, step by step, toward evidence that can stand in front of regulators, clinicians, and the communities the science is meant to serve.
The Scientific Pathway
From plant knowledge to regulated evidence.
Pharmacognosy
The study of medicines derived from natural sources. The discipline that grounds every step that follows, treating the plant as a complex, characterizable system rather than a folk remedy.
Novel Botanical Drug Discovery
Identifying and characterizing botanical candidates for their therapeutic potential, with the rigor of drug discovery applied to whole-plant and multi-constituent systems.
FDA Botanical Drug Development Pathway
The regulatory route that lets a botanical be developed and evaluated as a therapeutic, holding the work to a recognized standard of evidence and quality.
Endocannabinoid System Modulation
The translational focus: how botanical constituents interact with the endogenous cannabinoid system, and what that means for clinical and public health practice.
IRB-Registered Research
KF-ECS-2025
Endocannabinoid System Deficiency: A Comprehensive Study of General, Clinical, and Medically Authorized Adult and Pediatric Populations.
An IRB-registered study of the Kiona Foundation, generating community-anchored evidence on endocannabinoid system function across general, clinical, and medically authorized populations. Informed consent is offered in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, so that the communities most affected are able to participate on equal footing.
- Study identifier: KF-ECS-2025
- OHRP Federalwide Assurance: FWA00034558
- IRB Organization: IORG0012116
- Consent languages: English, Spanish, Haitian Creole
Research Leadership
Who leads the work.
Dr. Lakisha®
Founder & President and Principal Investigator, Kiona Foundation. Ph.D., RH (AHG). Traditional Naturopath and Clinical Herbalist.
Dr. Denise C. Vidot
Co-Principal Investigator.
Dr. Maurice D. Hinson
Co-Investigator.
Dr. James A. Railey
Independent member and Chair of the Institutional Review Board. Dr. Railey safeguards the independence of the review and is not a study investigator.
Plain Language
Questions people ask.
What is pharmacognosy, and how does it differ from herbalism?
Pharmacognosy is the study of medicines derived from natural sources. It brings the rigor of drug discovery to plants, characterizing their constituents and mechanisms rather than relying on tradition alone. It is the discipline that grounds the research.
What is the FDA Botanical Drug Development pathway?
It is a recognized regulatory route that lets a botanical be developed and evaluated as a therapeutic, holding whole-plant and multi-constituent medicines to a real standard of evidence, quality, and safety.
What is the endocannabinoid system, and what does ECS modulation mean?
The endocannabinoid system is a signaling network involved in regulating many of the body's processes. ECS modulation is the study of how botanical constituents interact with that system, and what that means for clinical and public health practice.
Is this Cannabis research?
Cannabis is one case study within a broader botanical methodology, not the identity of the work. The research is rooted in pharmacognosy and novel botanical drug discovery across many plants.
What is the KF-ECS-2025 study?
It is an IRB-registered study of the Kiona Foundation, generating community-anchored evidence on endocannabinoid system function, with informed consent offered in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
What is novel botanical drug discovery?
It is the identification and characterization of botanical candidates for their therapeutic potential, applying the rigor of drug discovery to whole-plant and multi-constituent systems rather than to a single isolated molecule.
What is clinical endocannabinoid deficiency?
It is the hypothesis that the body can become under-resourced in endocannabinoid signaling, which may make certain conditions more likely or more severe. It is an active area of research, framed as a question to study rather than a settled diagnosis.
Can the endocannabinoid system be supported through nutrition?
Certain dietary inputs, including specific fats such as omega-3 fatty acids, are the raw material the body uses to build its own endocannabinoids. This is the basis of feeding the endocannabinoid system through nutrition, a theme at the center of Dr. Lakisha's work. It is educational information, not medical advice.
Who is Dr. Lakisha?
Dr. Lakisha is a Traditional Naturopath, Clinical Herbalist, and researcher, Ph.D., RH (AHG). She is Founder and President of the Kiona Foundation and Principal Investigator of its IRB-registered endocannabinoid system study, working in pharmacognosy and novel botanical drug discovery.
How is the research made equitable?
Evidence is generated with the communities most affected, not only about them, with informed consent offered in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. Health, agricultural, and Indigenous equity are treated as the reason for the standard, not an afterthought to it.
Does Dr. Lakisha provide medical advice or treatment through this site?
No. Everything here is educational. Nothing on this site is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a promise of outcome.
Free primer
The Endocannabinoid System, in plain language.
A short, readable primer on what the endocannabinoid system is and why it matters. Enter your email and it is yours, along with occasional notes from the research.
Why It Matters
The equity case sits at the center, not the margin.
Health, agricultural, and Indigenous equity are not an afterthought to the science. They are the reason for the standard. Evidence generated with the communities most affected, and held to a recognized regulatory bar, is how botanical medicine earns a permanent place in the systems that decide who gets care.