The team found CBD in the fruits and flowers of a plant known as Trema micrantha blume, a shrub which grows across much of the South American country and is often considered a weed.

Neto said chemical analysis had found “Trema” contains CBD but not THC, raising the possibility of an abundant new source of the former – one that would not face the legal and regulatory hurdles of cannabis, which continues to be outlawed in many places, including Brazil.

“It’s a legal alternative to using cannabis,” he said.

“This is a plant that grows all over Brazil. It would be a simpler and cheaper source of cannabidiol.”

Scientists had previously found CBD in a related plant in Thailand, he said.