Research

Pharmacognosy studies medicines and potential drug leads from natural sources. Herbalism and pharmacognosy can inform one another; a responsible account distinguishes traditional knowledge, material identity, experimental findings and clinical evidence rather than treating them as interchangeable.

It is FDA's guidance for developing a botanical product as a drug through the standard investigational and approval process. It holds whole-plant and multi-constituent medicines to a real standard of evidence, quality, and safety.

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.

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.

It is the Foundation's protocol on endocannabinoid system deficiency. Independent IRB reconstitution is required before the next submission. No current approval, enrollment, recruitment, intervention, participant availability, or results are announced. Prepared consent materials do not mean participation is currently open.

Botanical drug discovery identifies and characterizes candidates and preparations for investigation. Natural-source discovery can also involve isolated compounds. A complex botanical product and a highly purified or synthetic drug are not automatically the same regulatory category.

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.

Nutrition is part of the research conversation, not a demonstrated treatment for endocannabinoid deficiency or cancer. Hemp seed and hemp seed oil are food materials, distinct from CBD extracts. NCI's terminology overview distinguishes edible seed oil from cannabinoid extracts. The Living Materia Medica provides separate botanical teaching, not a cancer protocol.

Dr. Lakisha Jenkins-Samuels, Ph.D., RH (AHG), is a Traditional Naturopath, Clinical Herbalist, and research scientist. Her work focuses on pharmacognosy, botanical drug discovery, endocannabinoid system research, scientific consulting, public policy, education, and nonprofit leadership. She is Founder and President of the Kiona Foundation and Principal Investigator named in its prepared endocannabinoid research protocol. These roles do not establish current study approval or available treatment.

Yes. Dr. Lakisha® is the federally registered mark and professional brand used by Dr. Lakisha Jenkins-Samuels, Ph.D., RH (AHG). She also appears publicly as Dr. Lakisha Jenkins. All three names refer to the same person.

The design aims to include the communities most affected, with prepared consent materials in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. Community participation, language access, independent review, and appropriate consent are requirements before research proceeds, not outcomes demonstrated by this page.

Dr. Lakisha®'s broader professional interests include psychedelic science, policy, and patient safety. Her community-steering role and FDA public-hearing record are separate from KF-ECS-2025. This page does not announce a Foundation psychedelic trial, participant access, or therapeutic results. See the FDA public record.

No. Dr. Lakisha® does not provide individualized medical treatment or patient care through this website. Everything here is educational. Nothing on this site is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a promise of outcome.