What are Cannabinoids? [The 2020 Comprehensive Guide]

With the recent craze around CBD, many shoppers wonder, “What are cannabinoids anyway?” In an effort to help inform our readers, we’ve completed a deep dive into cannabinoids, terpenes, and other related chemicals.

Cannabinoids are the active ingredients found in the marijuana or cannabis plant. They are a class of chemical compounds that interact with specific types of receptors in the human nervous system. These interactions produce a variety of psychological, neurological, and physiological effects that we are only beginning to understand.

Cannabinoids are named after the cannabis plant because they were first discovered when researchers set out to understand the mechanisms behind marijuana’s psychoactive effects. Scientists theorize that the marijuana plant evolved to produce cannabinoids in order to protect itself from invasive insects, excessive sunlight, and other environmental threats.

Since their discovery, cannabinoids have been found in a handful of other flowering plants such as echinacea. Interestingly, cannabinoids occur naturally in humans as part of a large and complex network of signals and receptors in the body called the endocannabinoid system or ECS.

The potential benefits of cannabinoids to humans for medicinal and recreational use is an active area of research and spirted scientific and political debate.

THC and CBD – the two big players

THC

Arguably the most well-known cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the mind-altering “high” one experiences shortly after consuming marijuana.

The therapeutic benefits of THC

While recreational marijuana users often seek the high produced by THC for its own sake, THC may also useful for the treatment of a handful of medical ailments including:

• Glaucoma
• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Poor appetite
• Chronic pain
• Muscle spasms
• Multiple sclerosis

THC and barriers to medical research

Studies demonstrate THC’s potential to be harnessed for its powerful medicinal properties, and many use it as an alternative to more destructive substances such as prescription opioids. However, the ability to conduct in-depth research and clinical trials with medical marijuana in the United States is complicated by the fact that THC is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government and classified as a Schedule I substance.

Schedule I substances are those that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration defines as having “no currently accepted medical use.” Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, ecstasy, and LSD.

Even as many states decriminalize or legalize cannabis and more and more marijuana users find relief and healing for a wide range of ailments, the ability for the medical and scientific communities to explore the full medical potential of THC and other cannabinoids is hampered by legal red tape.

THC as a recreational drug

Consumption of THC has a marked effect on dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward. It also has hallucinogenic properties (particularly in higher doses) and it affects memory, judgment, and the perception of time while the user is high.

Because of its pleasurable and mind-altering effects, whether or not THC is addictive is a topic that has been widely researched. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that recreational marijuana use can create symptoms of dependence, particularly in young and/or frequent users.

However, THC is not chemically addictive in the way that many other drugs like alcohol or heroin are (i.e. heavy users do not experience acute or life-threatening symptoms of withdrawal). Nor can users overdose on THC, although consuming it in high amounts can be extremely unpleasant.   

While the high produced by THC lasts only a matter of hours, it usually remains detectable in the body for several weeks after use, and can be found by way of urine sample drug testing or hair follicle analysis.

CBD

Another cannabinoid that is isolated and synthesized for its beneficial properties is cannabidiol or CBD. A prescription drug with the active ingredient CBD recently received FDA approval for the treatment of certain types of epilepsy in children. Additionally, it shows promise in preliminary research studies for addressing a variety of ailments including:

• Anxiety and mood disorders
• Chronic pain
• Inflammation
• Autoimmune disorders
• Psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders

Alongside THC, CBD is one of the more abundant cannabinoids, making up around 40 percent of all cannabinoids in the marijuana plant. However, unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive. This makes it an attractive option for those seeking to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of cannabis without getting high.

Hemp legislation and the CBD craze

Federal legislation in 2018 removed hemp, a type of marijuana plant with very little THC, from the Controlled Substances Act. This paved the way for high-volume production of hemp and therefore lots of products containing non-THC cannabinoids harvested from hemp. This rapidly expanded the number of products containing CBD as well as the claims around CBD’s benefits.

While CBD is more readily available than ever, it’s still not regulated by the FDA, and our scientific understanding of its effects on the brain and body is still very limited, so these claims should be scrutinized by CBD consumers.

Researchers need more research on human subjects to determine all of CBD’s medicinal uses. However, preliminary studies indicate that it may indeed be effective in the treatment of a wide range of health problems.

Other noteworthy cannabinoids in marijuana

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA)

THCA is the chemical form that THC takes when the cannabis plant is still alive. Drying and burning the leaves of the marijuana plant converts THCA into THC, which is why the plant is smoked, vaporized, or cooked in food by users wishing to experience marijuana’s psychoactive effects.

Although THCA converts to THC when dehydrated and heated, THCA itself is not psychoactive. However, like CBD and other non-psychoactive cannabinoids, early research indicates that THCA may have some therapeutic benefits.

In fact, a review of the published medical research on THCA found that “the available literature…points toward novel therapeutic perspectives for raw, unheated cannabis preparations in humans.” In other words, THCA has the attention of some in the scientific and medical communities.

THCA for nausea

One study conducted on rats by the British Pharmacological Society suggests that THCA may be a powerful anti-nausea agent. Some cancer patients currently use medical marijuana to lessen the nauseating effects of chemotherapy, and this research indicates that THCA could be even more effective than THC in achieving this goal.

Additional potential therapeutic benefits of THCA

Other studies suggest that THCA may be useful for its neuroprotective properties, for reducing chronic inflammation, and for the treatment of epileptic seizures. However, all research to date on THCA is “pre-clinical,” meaning we aren’t yet certain how or in what ways THCA might help humans.

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV or THV)

THCV, like its name indicates, is chemically similar to THC, although its effects on the brain are different than THC depending on the dose.  

When consumed in smaller doses, THCV appears to work as a kind of counterweight to the mind-altering effects of THC, reducing the overall high experienced by the marijuana consumer. However, at higher doses, it may work differently, intensifying the effect of its cousin THC while providing a short-lived but clear-headed, euphoric experience.

Because of the nature of its psychoactive properties, strains with higher THCV content tend to recommended for marijuana users wishing to experience a high but avoid the cloudy or sluggish effects associated with some strains.

THCV and appetite suppression

Interestingly, THCV has been shown to reduce or suppress appetite, leading some to theorize that it might be the key to achieving a high without the “munchies,” a term for the state of intense hunger that sometimes accompanies a marijuana high.

Some have gone so far as to claim that THCV could help with weight loss, although more research is needed to substantiate this claim, and consumers should always be advised to partner with a doctor before using THCV or any supplement in the pursuit of weight loss.

THCV and diabetes

Because of its apparent effect on appetite, THCV has been studied for its potential to treat diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions such as glucose intolerance, leading one group of researchers in 2016 to state that “THCV could represent a new therapeutic agent in glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes.” Since most cannabinoids increase appetite, THCV is an outlier in this regard, and its unique therapeutic uses may be based around its ability to suppress or control hunger.

Cannabinol (CBN)

As THC ages and is exposed to the air or “oxidized,” it slowly converts to cannabinol or CBN. Because of this, CBN is found in trace amounts in live marijuana plants and in much higher concentrations in dried, aged cannabis. CBN is thought to be psychoactive to some degree, but it seems to have a much gentler and subtler effect than THC.

Does CBN make you sleepy?

Cannabis enthusiasts have long touted CBN for its sedative and sleep-inducing properties, and many companies market CBN as a sleep aid supplement, but this has not actually been validated by science.

It is possible that CBN working in tandem with other cannabinoids like THC may synergistically produce a sedative effect, but this too is unconfirmed and mostly anecdotal at this point. One study on mice suggested that CBN prolonged sleep time, but overall, peer-reviewed research on CBN is very scant.

As is the case with many cannabinoids, marketing claims dominate the current narrative around CBN, and more research is needed before we know the true therapeutic potential for this compound.

Cannabigerol (CBG)

Cannabigerol or CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that makes up less than one percent of the cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant, though it is sometimes found in higher quantities in the hemp plant.

We have not yet researched the effects of CBG on humans, but animal studies and laboratory research have investigated CBG for a handful of potential benefits including its antibacterial properties, its potential to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors, and its anti-inflammatory effects. One study on mice demonstrated its potential for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Like so many of the cannabinoids on this list, CBG will benefit from further research as we seek to understand its full therapeutic potential.

Cannabichromene (CBC)

CBC is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid with potential therapeutic value, especially when used in combination with other cannabinoids. For example, one study on mice demonstrated that CBC and THC administered together produced a more dramatic effect on inflammation than the two cannabinoids administered individually.

Cannabichromene has also garnered attention for its neurogenerative properties (fostering growth in brain cells), for treating acne caused by the overproduction of sebum, and for its ability to work in partnership with CBD and THC to positively affect mood in depression sufferers.

Terpenes in marijuana  

What are terpenes?

Terpenes or terpenoids are aromatic and oily chemical substances that give marijuana strains their strong, unique smell. Like cannabinoids, terpenes likely evolved as part of the plant’s defense mechanisms to ward off predators while attracting pollinating insects. There are over 100 distinct terpenes that occur across marijuana strains.

However, terpenes aren’t just found in cannabis. They are present throughout the plant kingdom. For example, the fresh citrus smell associated with squeezing a lemon peel is due to a terpene called limonene. Pine needles receive their distinct aroma from a terpene called pinene. Companies extract terpenes for a variety of health supplements, and they are the key ingredient in many essential oils.

Interestingly, the terpenes in marijuana are thought to have some therapeutic benefits beyond their soothing aromas, but like most of the chemical compounds in the marijuana plant, we simply don’t yet have the hard research to substantiate these claims.

The full spectrum: cannabinoids working together

While it is beneficial to examine each cannabinoid in isolation, it’s also key to understand that cannabinoids in their natural form (i.e. within plants and within our bodies) do not exist as isolated chemical compounds.

Instead, cannabinoids are thought to work in tandem with one another and perhaps with other chemical compounds like terpenes, enhancing or altering the effect that a given chemical would otherwise have on its own. This is described in scientific literature as “the entourage effect.”

The entourage effect

A 2017 study published in Frontiers in Plant Science made the following observation:

The case for Cannabis synergy via the ‘entourage effect’ is currently sufficiently strong as to suggest that one molecule is unlikely to match the therapeutic and even industrial potential of Cannabis itself as a phytochemical factory.

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2017

Researchers describe the entourage effect as a means by which cannabinoids modify the effects of THC, the most abundant and psychoactive cannabinoid. For example, THC and CBD are thought to work synergistically with CBD, counteracting some of the more undesirable effects of THC including sedation and tachycardia (elevated heart rate).

Full-spectrum cannabinoid supplements

Elsewhere, marketers use the terms “full-spectrum” or “whole-plant,” describing the “phytochemical factory” that produces the entourage effect, as in “full-spectrum CBD oil.” The idea behind full-spectrum or whole-plant supplements is that the user benefits from consuming cannabinoids and terpenes all together as they occur in nature, rather than in isolation.

Endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid system (ECS)

The cannabis plant is host to over 100 known cannabinoids in total. Cannabinoids found in cannabis are called phytocannabinoids (phyto is from the Greek word for “plant”). However, the human body also naturally produces them as part of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a complex system that regulates homeostasis within the body, affecting everything from mood to sleep to appetite.

Cannabinoids that occur naturally within the body are called endocannabinoids (endo is from the Greek word for “within”). Around a half dozen distinct endocannabinoids have been discovered to date, and they act as signaling mechanisms within the ECS similar to the way neurotransmitters work in the brain.

The ECS contains two main types of receptors and cannabinoids affect them both, but in different ways. CB1 receptors are located throughout the nervous system – primarily in the brain and spinal cord – while CB2 receptors are found throughout the body and regulate the immune system and the inflammation response.

Some researchers speculate that cannabinoids have therapeutic benefits precisely because they mimic endocannabinoids in our own bodies, helping to restore balance and order to the ECS.

The bottom line on cannabinoids

In conclusion, the marijuana plant hosts over 100 active ingredients called cannabinoids, of which THC and CBD are the most well-known for their medicinal properties and therapeutic potential. Other cannabinoids such as CBN and THCA may also have healing properties that we are only beginning to understand.

The available scientific literature suggests that cannabinoids may work better in tandem – with each other and with other compounds in the plant such as terpenes – than they do when they are isolated. This phenomenon, called “the entourage effect,” has spurred a new line of products labeled “full-spectrum” and “whole-plant.”

As legal restrictions ease and public opinion about marijuana continues to shift, our knowledge about how cannabinoids work will continue to deepen and grow. Until then, consumers should be cautious of the many bold claims made my cannabis retailers that are not necessarily validated by scientific findings.

Anyone wishing to use marijuana or supplements containing cannabinoids should do so in partnership with their healthcare provider.

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