According to a recent study, 9 out of 10 Americans think marijuana should be legalized for both medical and recreational use. So, it’s no surprise that the popularity of CBD and THC products continues to rise.
However, there are many cannabis strains that many have yet to discover. If you have questions about different types of cannabinoids, the following guide can help.
Read on to learn more about the cannabis plant and all of its fascinating benefits.
Endocannabinoid System
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) serves as a biological system made up of endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid act as neurotransmitters that attach to cannabinoid receptors.
The ECS also contains cannabinoid receptor proteins that get distributed throughout the central nervous system. They also get expressed through the peripheral nervous system.
This very crucial system plays a vital role in many processes such as brain plasticity, learning, and memory. Other important processes include neuronal development and nociception.
It can also regulate inflammation, appetite, metabolism, digestion, energy levels, and motility. On the mental health side of things, the ECS helps manage stress and emotions.
Understanding Phytocannabinoids
The cannabis plant makes its own natural chemicals referred to as “phytocannabinoids.” The chemicals have structures similar to endocannabinoids made by our bodies.
Phytocannabinoids can connect to our CB1 and CB2 receptors. However, they can create specific effects unique to cannabis because they aren’t the same.
Examples of effects include the high that recreational users get. On the medical side, users might seek pain relief from phytocannabinoids. For information on how to stop a high, view additional content here.
Cannabis plants create cannabinoids in the highest concentration possible. This results in a thick and sticky resin produced by trichomes. You’ll find trichomes on a cannabis plant’s flowering buds and they look like small crystals.
Tricomes are very delicate and their size and thickness indicate the concentration of the plant’s cannabinoids. The more trichomes a plant has, the more cannabinoids you’ll find in the resin.
You can also find cannabinoids in the leafy parts of a cannabis plant but the concentration isn’t as high.
THC
THC is the most well-known cannabinoid on the market today. It stands for tetrahydrocannabinol and it’s a special cannabinoid that produces psychoactive effects for users.
Psychoactive effects mean that a cannabinoid creates a euphoric feeling often referred to as “getting high.” THC is the only psychoactive cannabinoid with a concentration high enough for ingesting or smoking dried leaves.
Because of this, recreational users seek out THC more than any other cannabinoid. It’s even a growing craze for recreational cannabis users to perfect extracting and consuming THC. Examples include concentrates that separate cannabinoids from plant matter.
THC creates its euphoric effects by binding to a user’s CB1 receptors in their brain. This binding action causes a change of how chemicals get released in the person’s brain.
Cannabis users enjoy the psychological effects of these changes such as increased dopamine releases. THC binding to CB! receptors also causes changes to a person’s memory, movements, mood, perception, and cognition.
All of the physiological effects mentioned also lead to several helpful therapeutic benefits for medical THC users.
THCV
The V in THCV stands for “-varins” which are a class of phytocannabinoid. They’re isometric homologs of root compounds such as THC.
Judging by its name, you might think that THCV also has psychoactive effects similar to THC. However, it’s not that simple, and many people question the exact properties that makeup THCV and just how they work.
In some studies, researchers have found that THCV acts as an enemy to THC at CB1 receptors. So in this case, it means that THCV would weaken and limit THC’s psychoactive effects on users.
However, different studies show that THCV can act as an especially powerful psychoactive cannabinoid. In these studies, they argue that THCV is actually more potent than THC. they say that THCV doesn’t last long but creates strong euphoria and head highs.
Other studies combine both models to create an argument that THCV acts like a hybrid between THC and CBD. Like THC, it creates chemical changes but it also reduces potent highs like CBD does.
Keep in mind that it takes higher doses of THCV to produce a psychoactive effect compared to THC. Because of this, cannabis users that prefer a more mild high might actually benefit from its reduced effects.
THCA
The A in THCA represents the natural acidic form that the cannabinoid takes. Remember that cannabinoids must take a form that can enter the bloodstream and connect to receptors for the body to metabolize them.
It’s important to note that the acidic form of THC cannabinoids has a carboxyl group. When you expose acidic forms of cannabinoids to heat, it makes them lose the carboxyl group.
After losing the carboxyl group, they enter a form that the body can use. It’s a process known as “decarboxylation” which activates the cannabis.
If you’ve ever looked up how to make cannabis edibles, you’ve probably seen the term “decarbing”. That’s because you have to activate raw cannabis to make the cannabinoids chemically active in the body and produce effects.
There are different acidic types of many other major cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant as well. Each of them converts to usable forms with the help of heat.
Some studies have started to look at raw forms of cannabinoids and the effects they have. As of now, more research needs to get done to see if there are any advantages to raw cannabis.
THCA shows promise as an effective anti-inflammatory compound worth looking into. Also, CBDA might have the potential to help cancer patients with their treatments.
Delta 8 THC
Delta 8 hasn’t been on the radar of cannabis users for long, but those who dab know all about its effects. It’s a unique psychoactive cannabinoid with a special set of medicinal benefits when compared to the more common delta 9.
Delta 9 THC Delta-8 is stronger when it comes to psychoactive effects, but Delta 8 has therapeutic advantages. Much like THCV, its less potent psychoactive effects often appeal to users that don’t enjoy the strong highs of THC.
Recent research has linked delta 8 to cancer cells dying and tumors shrinking in mice. Delta 8 THC also has a strong capability of relieving nausea and vomiting substantially.
It can also boost a user’s appetite which is another huge benefit to those suffering from the side effects of cancer treatments. While there is still a lot for researchers to learn, the future looks bright for Delta 8 uses.
CBD
CBD (cannabidiol) is extremely important when it comes to the medicinal uses of cannabis. Cannabidiol was one of the first cannabinoids ever discovered. Today, it’s still one of the most carefully studied chemicals in the cannabis plant.
Keep in mind that CBD is non-psychotropic, which means that it doesn’t create the same psychoactive effects as THC. CBD still creates a relaxing feeling, but it also balances the mental effects produced by THC.
The fact that it isn’t psychoactive is one of the most important benefits of CBD. For instance, no psychoactive properties make CBD legal in many areas that ban THC products. That’s also why more CBD research gets done compared to other cannabis strains.
Because it’s legal in more places, it’s more available in supplements and medicines. A lot of medical cannabis users find THC’s psychoactive too strong or offputting. So, they turn to CBD products for the therapeutic uses of cannabis without getting high.
CBD mainly comes from hemp plants and only contains a tiny amount of THC. However, growers have started producing strains of cannabis where CBD is more dominant.
CBD-dominant strains have become a hit with medical cannabis users in recent years. A few CBD benefits include examples such as reduced anxiety and better sleep throughout the night. It also helps relieve PTSD symptoms for some patients.
CBG
You’ll only find 1 percent or less of CBG (cannabigerol) in a fully-grown cannabis plant. However, it’s not because cannabis plants don’t make very much CBG. The plants actually produce quite a lot of CBG throughout their growth.
Over time, almost all of the CBG made from the plant gets transformed into other cannabinoids. That’s why CBG has the nicknames “mother cannabinoid” and “stem cell cannabinoid”. Cannabigerol converts into derivative cannabinoids, making it very important.
It mostly changes into THC and CBD as of now, which are the most popular. Hopefully, researchers can use it to find out which factors set the path of CBG. Then, they can guide its cannabinoid production and make strains with different levels of CBD and THC.
On its own, CBG isn’t psychoactive at all but might have several medical uses. The hope is that it might help treat cancer and different diseases affecting the bladder and bowels. CBG might also help those suffering from pain, anxiety, glaucoma, and inflammation.
CBN
CBN is very from the other cannabinoids already mentioned for one important reason. It’s the only cannabinoid that doesn’t stem from CBG (cannabigerol). Instead, CBN comes from THC naturally degrading.
Light, air exposure, and oxidation force the degradation of THC. For example, dried cannabis flowers constantly lose THC over time as it degrades into CBN.
So, if you don’t store dried marijuana buds correctly, they won’t keep their potency as time goes on. CBN isn’t psychoactive and so its existence means a loss of strength. That’s why new plants and freshly dried buds only contain a hint of CBN.
But CBN does have potential medical benefits and isn’t just a sign that your weed went bad. It also acts as a sedative and as an antibiotic. Some research even shows that it might work as an analgesic.
CBC
CBC (cannabichromene) is similar to CBD because it isn’t a psychoactive cannabinoid. However, CBC differs from CBD because doesn’t counteract THC’s psychoactive effects. Instead, research suggests that THC uses CBC to improve its anti-inflammatory properties.
The way that THC and CBC interact is a great example of what many researchers refer to as the “ensemble effect.” The ensemble effect proposes a cannabinoid’s effectiveness largely depends on its exchanges with different cannabinoids.
A lot of cannabis caregivers use a “whole-plant” approach to try to achieve the ensemble effect. They argue that isolating extractions of a single cannabinoid might hurt cannabinoid relationships that could benefit users.
Also, CBC is notable because it attaches to receptors other than those of the endocannabinoid system. Researchers think these unique attachments might give CBC added medicinal properties.
Consumers often buy CBC products for their anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and anti-fungal properties. CBC extractions are very popular in cannabis topicals because of those benefits.
CBVD
CBDV (cannabidivarin) is homolog of CBD that amplifies the strong anticonvulsant results of CBD. It isn’t psychoactive and there aren’t any legal bans on CBDV.
Because of this, prominent pharmaceutical companies often research CBDV as a remedy for epilepsy in children and adults. It can help lessen the harshness of seizures for anyone dealing with epilepsy.
Cannabidivarin has also shown potential to curb nausea, but it’s hard to find CBDV in most marijuana strains for research. The highest CBDV amounts come from the Himalayas via landrace Indica cannabis strains.
Understanding Types of Cannabinoids
Keep your eyes peeled for the different types of cannabinoids discussed in this guide and remember their benefits. While many still require advanced research, more and more valuable cannabis information gets discovered each year.
Check out our blog’s health and fitness section for more fascinating news about the future of cannabis.
