Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most common cannabinoid and is best known for causing the euphoric feeling people get from smoking or inhaling cannabis. However, it also has a number of medical applications, and is commonly reported to relieve pain, nausea and depression and improve appetite among many other things.
Scientific research on THC began decades ago in Israel, and has since spread to many countries across the globe. Yet its status as an illegal drug has made information about this cannabinoid compound hard to come by.
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA)
THC is mostly present in the cannabis plant as THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), its acidic precursor. THCA is not psychoactive, which is why ingesting cannabis raw is popular amongst medical users who commonly take raw preparations, since THCA possesses some of the same therapeutic benefits as THC.
THCA is typically converted to THC when exposed to heat, through a reaction known as decarboxylation. However, when plants are stored, small amounts of the acid may be converted to THC over time.
Cannabidiol (CBD)
CBD is non-psychoactive because it does not act on the same pathways as THC and gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine. CBD is quickly changing the debate surrounding the use of cannabis as a medicine especially for young children since health professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects.
CBD seems to offer natural protection against the euphoric feeling of THC with numerous studies suggesting that CBD acts to reduce the intoxicating effects of THC, such as memory impairment and paranoia and also appears to counteract the sleep-inducing effects of THC.
Cannabinol (CBN)
Cannabinol is a weak psychoactive cannabinoid found in trace amounts in cannabis and has been shown to have analgesic properties. It is mostly a metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and acts as a weak agonist of CB1 receptors, but has a higher affinity to CB2 receptors, with lower affinities in comparison to THC.
Unlike other cannabinoids CBN does not stem from CBG, but is the degraded product of THC. If cannabis is exposed to air or ultraviolet light for a prolonged period of time, THCA will convert to CBNA. CBN is then formed by decarboxylation of CBNA. CBN on its own provides a mild psychoactive effect, but when combined with THC can make you feel drowsy and induce sleep.
Cannabigerol (CBG)
CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, and the building block for THC and CBD. CBG is quickly converted to other cannabinoids by enzymes in the cannabis plant, which explains the low concentration of CBG in most strains.
CBG is also responsible for most of cannabis’s medical effects and has been shown to reduce intraocular pressure, making it ideal for glaucoma patients. CBG can also inhibit the uptake of GABA in the brain, which can decrease anxiety and muscle tension.
Although CBG hasn’t been studied nearly as much as THC or CBD, a small body of evidence also suggests it has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects as well as anti-depressant and some modest anti-fungal properties.
Cannabichromene (CBC)
CBC is non-psychotropic cannabinoid, and bears structural similarity to the other natural cannabinoids. Evidence suggests that it may play a role in the anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects of cannabis, and may contribute to its overall analgesic effects.
Recent studies show that CBC along with CBD and THC have anti-depressant effects. Another study showed that CBC helps promote neurogenesis, stimulation of the growth of brain cells. It has also been shown to normalise gastrointestinal hypermotility (diarrhea) without reducing the transit time in an animal study.
Cannabidivarin (CBDV)
CBDV is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid very smilar to CBD, and has bben proven to be a powerful way to minimise the severity and duration of seizures resulting from many conditions. It is also good at reducing nausea and vomiting resulting from a variety of pharmaceutical drugs, treatments, and conditions.