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The Construction of Cannabis: What Are Cannabinoids?

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Are you someone that is curious about the world around you? Do you find that you want to know more about what’s in something rather than just using it and not knowing the difference? Then you’re in the right place!

Today’s article is going to be focused on understanding what cannabinoids are. Anyone who uses CBD or cannabis-based products should be aware of cannabinoids and what role they play in the function of these items. Still, we know that this information isn’t something that we get taught in school.

Get ready for class, everyone! Phytoextractum cannabinoid class is now in session.

What Are Cannabinoids?

The chemical compounds that make up cannabis are known as cannabinoids. There are more than 100 different cannabinoids in cannabis, and each strain has a unique combination of cannabinoids in it. Each cannabinoid works differently in the body, so the effects that they have differ widely.

You may have heard people talk about how different strains of cannabis have different psychical or psychological effects. Have you ever wondered why that is?

Simply put, that is because each strain has a unique combination of cannabinoids, so the way that the compound interacts with your body is different.

How Do Cannabinoids Interact In The Body?

Our bodies have something known as the endocannabinoid system. This system is full of endocannabinoid receptors, and these receptors are the areas of the body that interact with the cannabinoid compounds. When each binding occurs, a different effect or reaction may happen in the body.

Since there are so many different cannabinoids as well as different types of receptors throughout the body, there are different reactions that your body may have

Common Cannabinoid Effects

There are a lot of different effects that can be caused by the interactions that cannabinoids have with the body. In fact, some cannabinoids cause more than one effect. A lot of research still needs to be done into cannabinoids, but it has been found that many issues may be helped with cannabinoids.

There are many resources you can use to keep up-to-date on the latest research on cannabinoids and their benefits. We’re excited to see what future research into cannabinoids will help us discover.

The Most Common Cannabinoids

Though there are hundreds of different cannabinoids, there are a few that are more commonly known than others. In particular, most people know about THC and CBD. Both of these cannabinoids are incredibly powerful and interesting, but they aren’t the only ones.

Let’s take a closer look at both THC and CBD as well as some other unique cannabinoids; you might be surprised at what you learn!

THC and CBD

As mentioned, these are the big players in the world of cannabinoids. These two have some of the strongest and most recognizable effects of all of the cannabinoids, and they are also present in very large quantities.

CBD has incredible benefits, and it is now being used in both medicine (Epidiolex, recently approved by the FDA) and at-home health concoctions. CBD is not psychoactive; this means that it will not make you high when you use it. From CBD oil to CBD edibles, there are many different ways that people are using this cannabinoid to ease their everyday aches and other problems.

THC, on the other hand, is psychoactive. THC is typically the cannabinoid that is responsible for feeling high when cannabis is used, but it isn’t the only psychoactive cannabinoid out there. THC is present in very large quantities in some strains of cannabis; in others, it can barely be traced.

CBC

The next cannabinoid that we want to introduce is CBC, also known as cannabichromene. The amount of CBC found in any cannabis strain tends to be very small, but it is still effective. In fact, this is one of the cannabinoids that most full-spectrum products will make sure to include because of how it rounds out the overall treatment plan.

The endocannabinoid system in your body contains fewer CBC receptors compared to the number of THC and CBD receptors. As such, CBC on its own would not have a very large effect. When used in combination with a full-spectrum product, however, CBC’s presence can activate more receptors.

The CBC receptors studied so far seem to mostly affect the digestive and immune system.

CBN

Now, let’s talk about CBN, also known as cannabinol. Like THC, this is a cannabinoid that does have some psychoactive effects. The effects, however, are not as strong as those of THC. In fact, it is interesting how the two are linked. CBN, as far as it has currently been studied, only seems to show up in strains that also contain THC. Why is that?

It’s actually because CBN is a side product of THC’s oxidation process! As cannabis plants that contain high amounts of THC get older, the THC oxidizes and creates CBN. Depending on the age of a plant, the ratio of CBN and THC will differ, and that is why there is some commonality between the two.

More than psychoactivity, CBN is known for sedation effects. It can make you quite sleepy! If you eat old edibles or use older cannabis plants in any way, it’s quite possible for this effect to occur. This is because of the THC oxidation.

CBG

CBG is another non-psychoactive cannabinoid. CBG, also known as cannabigerol, forms very early in the cannabis growing process. As more and more CBG is created, the presence of this cannabinoid triggers the THC and CBD formation.

The effects of CBG are similar to those of both THC and CBD, and that is likely because of how they are linked. CBG is a great for nervousness and restlessness, and it also may have a number of other effects on mental health. 

As CBG is studied more and more, we believe that it is possible that links to other cannabinoids might be found. Since there are so many cannabinoids that haven’t been studied very much, we can’t wait to see what else will be learned in future years!

Can You Spot The Differences Among Cannabinoids?

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As CBD oil and other cannabis-based products grow in popularity, the range of common knowledge about the scientific facts of these products is growing, too. Many people have heard of THC and CBD, and they are also aware of the ways that these two substances affect the body when cannabis products are used.

What a lot of people are still unaware of, however, is that THC and CBD are just two of the many cannabinoids that can be found in cannabis. Each individual cannabinoid can have effects on the body, and some are found in larger quantities than others.

Let’s learn about what a cannabinoid is, why THC and CBD seem to be the only well-known varieties, and what else is worth learning about some of the lesser-known cannabinoids that come from cannabis!

What The Heck Is A Cannabinoid?

Cannabis is full of naturally occurring chemical compounds. These compounds are known as cannabinoids, and they cause various physiological and psychoactive effects when cannabis products are used. Most strains of cannabis contain more than 100 different cannabinoids, and some strains may even have twice as many!

How Do Cannabinoids Work In The Body?

Every person has an endocannabinoid system in their body. Much like the nervous system, this system responds in different ways when chemical compounds bind to the system receptors.

In the endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids will bind with the various endocannabinoid receptors. When this bind occurs, some effects may be noticed or felt in the body. The exact effect will depend on which set of receptors it binds to and how fully it binds.

The Well-Known Cannabinoids

THC and CBD are the most well-known cannabinoids among all of the cannabinoids that are found in cannabis. This is mostly because they have the most obvious effects, and they are found in the largest quantities depending on which strain of cannabis you are looking at.

CBD is known for the wide range of benefits that it has, and it does not have any psychoactive properties. THC, on the other hand, is known for the “high” aspect of cannabis and does have some psychoactive properties depending on its concentration.

Potential Effects of Cannabinoids

Many cannabinoids have been studied to various degrees, and we can expect more to be unraveled about these interesting compounds as time goes on. For now, however, we can say that there is the potential for cannabinoids to help with a variety of health and wellness issues, and there is much anecdotal evidence as to their effectiveness.

Differences Among Other Cannabinoids

What are cannabinoids other than CBD or THC going to do if they enter your endocannabinoid system? Let’s find out a little bit more about these cannabinoids and why they matter as well.

CBG

CBG is a sort of mother hen cannabinoid. The full name for CBG is cannabigerol, and it is a non-psychoactive chemical substance found in cannabis. When the cannabis plant is growing, CBG is one of the very first compounds that is created by the plant. The presence of CBG in cannabis allows for the formation of THC and CBD.

Because of this parental nature, many of the effects that have been studied of CBG are similar to those of THC and CBD. CBG does stand out in its ability to fight off anxiety and other mental health issues thanks to the specific way that it binds with the endocannabinoid system.

There have even been studies that show CBG may have positive effects on the symptoms of Huntington’s disease! In time, it can be expected that more clear answers about how CBG works in the body and what it can treat will be discovered.

CBN

Another cannabinoid that is worth learning more about is CBN. Also known as cannabinol, this is a very powerful cannabinoid that has some psychoactive effects. The effects are not nearly as strong as those of THC, but they are worth mentioning.

CBN is known for inducing sleepiness, and it is only present in cannabis strains that also contain THC. CBN is actually a by-product that forms when THC oxidizes. This means that older, dried cannabis plants will have very high levels of CBN and low levels of THC, while fresh plants will see the opposite effect.

If you have experience with cannabis products such as edibles or topicals, you may have noticed that they seem to cause you to get sleepier as they get older. Or maybe you’ll notice it for the first time after reading about CBN today! That is because the CBN overpowers the THC as the product oxidizes, and this leads to more physically relaxing effects.

CBC

Cannabichromere, also known as CBC, is a cannabinoid that tends to appear in very small amounts whenever it shows up in a type of cannabis. Though it isn’t present in large amounts, it is nearly always included in full-spectrum CBD products that seek to use more of the natural power of cannabis.

CBC binds with specific receptors in the endocannabinoid system that are less numerous in the body compared to the receptors that bind with THC and CBD. This means that the effects of CBC are much gentler, but they are still present. That is why it is typically used in combination with other cannabinoids.

The effects of CBC are not psychoactive, and they seem to focus on the digestive and immune system about others.

There’s More Than CBD!

As you can see from just these few introductions to lesser-known cannabinoids, there is a lot that we are still learning about cannabis and all that it has to offer! While CBD is becoming a common and useful product for many around the world, there is more waiting to be unlocked within cannabis thanks to all of these different cannabinoids.

If you are interested in trying some of their effects, we recommend finding a full-spectrum CBD oil or product to try. Full-spectrum products contain more than just CBD cannabinoids, so you can get a balanced set of effects from the included cannabinoids.