Minor Cannabinoids

August 25th, 2022 by Brandy Palmer

Minor Cannabinoids: What They Are and What to Know

Cannabinoid wheel

When you think about hemp and marijuana plants, usually two compounds come to mind – THC and CBD. While those two major cannabinoids are the most well-known, they are far from the only compounds that are found in both hemp and marijuana. Would you like to learn more about what else is in these plants? Let’s jump in.

What Are Minor Cannabinoids?

Minor cannabinoids get their name not from their possible value to your health, but from the quantity in each plant. They’re less abundant than THC and CBD but potentially even more important. At present, there are more than 120 compounds found in hemp and marijuana plants. While the medicinal use of cannabis can be traced back thousands of years, this is still a new science and we are learning more about both the major and minor cannabinoids and their possibilities every day.

While this is far from a complete list, here are some cannabinoids that are considered minor that you may want to learn more about.

CBN

CBN, or cannabinol, is formed in a cannabis plant when THC is exposed to heat and light (oxidation.) This can occur naturally over time or can be sped up in a lab environment. While CBN was initially THC, it’s important to note that CBN is not intoxicating – you won’t get high from it.

CBN has been shown to have sedative properties. Many products that are intended to assist with sleep will contain both CBN and CBD. Studies show that CBN may also assist with pain relief when married to CBD. You can find CBN, and many other minor cannabinoids, in all the same product forms as CBD – from oils to gummies and capsules.

CBG

CBG, or cannabigerol, is considered the “mother of all cannabinoids” because it serves as the precursor for all the other compounds. It is derived from young hemp or marijuana plants. As the plant grows, CBGA and CBG convert to other cannabinoids. Just as CBD imitates endocannabinoids that occur naturally in our bodies, CBG will also bind and work to neutralize cells, bringing us to a level playing field.

CBG is non-intoxicating. It can make people feel energized and focused, rather than relaxed. This makes CBG popular among people searching for a cannabinoid to boost productivity.

CBDA Molecule

CBDA

CBDA is probably our favorite minor cannabinoid here at Green Wellness Life. CBDA is an acidic precursor to CBD. It is the compound in the plant that eventually becomes CBD with heat and time. In our experience, CBDA is the most effective compound for dealing with persistent discomfort. Non-human studies are backing this up, finding that greater benefit is found with much lower servings of CBDA than CBD.

Raw and heated cannabinoids interact with different receptors and enzymes in the body. Raw options like CBDA may be less active in the brain, which means they are hyperactive in the body and gut. That may be why people often report better or more sustained inflammation relief.

CBC

CBC , or cannabichromene, also stems from CBGA. It was discovered in the 1960s and is the third most prominent cannabinoid found in cannabis, after CBD and THC. While we know that it works in conjunction with THC and CBD to keep our system neutral, we don’t know much more than that. Research suggests that it is a potent anti-inflammatory and could be more beneficial than CBD in mood enhancement. CBC is non-intoxicating and one of many potentially beneficial minor cannabinoids.

THC-O

Many of us have never heard of THC-O. That may be because it does not naturally occur in the plant in the ground. THC-O is the shortened name for THC-O-Acetate, also called ATHC. It can only be produced in a laboratory environment. Lab tests show that THC-O can be 300 percent stronger than regular THC.

THC-O is intoxicating. As such, it can only legally be purchased from a licensed dispensary, even in states where recreational marijuana is legal. Use caution when purchasing this or any synthetic cannabinoid – it’s more likely a temporary trend than a natural compound with consistent benefits like CBD.

THC-V

THC-V, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is a naturally occurring minor cannabinoid. It’s most commonly found in African Sativa marijuana. The jury is still out as to how intoxicating THC-V can be. The buzz associated with THC-V, from the small amount of research available, appears to be clear-headed and stimulating, lasting about half as long as THC intoxication. Some research shows that it is useful as an appetite suppressant and THC-V products are certainly gaining popularity in that area with fans calling it “skinny pot.”

Delta 8 THC

Delta-8 THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is an additional psychoactive cannabinoid. The natural amount of delta-8 THC that occurs in cannabis is very low. As such, additional chemicals are often used to convert other cannabinoids, like CBD, into delta-8. Initially, it was sold over the counter as a legal marijuana alternative that provides less euphoria than THC but still provides relaxation along with potentially lessened negative side effects.

States have quickly caught on to the intoxicating nature of delta-8. At the time of this article, 20 states have classified delta-8 as illegal or have restrictions on how it can be sold. As with THC-O, we would recommend using caution and only purchasing from a reputable source, as delta-8 may be synthetically made.

How Do Minor Cannabinoids Work?

Minor cannabinoids interact with our endocannabinoid system (ECS) just as CBD and THC do. They bind to receptors that have a range of effects on everything from our brains to our gut and everything in between. The ECS exists and is active in your body even if you don’t use cannabis. It works using compounds you create to promote homeostasis (balance) throughout your entire life. When you take in major or minor cannabinoids, they bind to that system and get to work keeping you neutral.

The Entourage Effect

If you’ve heard the phrase ” the whole is more than the sum of its parts” then you already understand the entourage effect. Put simply, many people find that cannabis plants work better when taken as a whole, made up of those 120+ compounds than broken apart into individual cannabinoids. That doesn’t mean that there is no value if you isolate and use CBD or CBN or even THC alone, but it does mean you may see a greater impact keeping them together.

Final Thoughts

There is still so much to learn about all of the minor cannabinoids working together in cannabis. If you’re just getting started with cannabinoids. our CBD 101 is an excellent resource. If you’d like to learn more, but have specific questions or prefer to chat with a human, we can do that, too. Reach out to us toll-free at 888-772-7875 or email us at support@greenwellnesslife.com. We look forward to chatting with you!

What Are CBGA, and CBDA?

January 12th, 2022 by Cara Oorbeck

There is a study that was released recently by Oregon State University that discusses promising findings about the potential effects of CBDA & CBGA in blocking the cellular entry of sars-CoV-2 and other emerging variants. According to the university, “Van Breemen and collaborators, including scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, found that a pair of cannabinoid acids bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a critical step in the process the virus uses to infect people.

The compounds are cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA, and the spike protein is the same drug target used in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy. A drug target is any molecule critical to the process a disease follows, meaning its disruption can thwart infection or disease progression.“

We at Green Wellness, want to make sure you know that these are currently just studies and much more research needs to take place before this can be said conclusively! However we thought you may want to know a bit more about some of the minor raw cannabinoids and what products you can find these compounds in. Not all CBD products have CBDA and CBGA in them. Keep reading to learn more!

New acronyms?

While we typically associate cannabis with two cannabinoids (THC and CBD), there are dozens upon dozens of other, rarer, cannabinoids contained within each plant. So why don’t we hear more about these other chemical compounds? Their rarity. Most cannabis plants will contain only around 1% in mass of all the minor cannabinoids. In fact, this is why you don’t see isolates sold of CBN, CBDA, and CBG; they are too costly to isolate and sell at profit.

But, despite their low concentrations in cannabis, they do have potential benefits to bodily wellness and their positive effects can be understood with a little reading and curiosity. Shall we delve deeper into three of the more common of these rare cannabinoids?

CBN: THC Transformed

Our first cannabinoid is CBN, which is a compound that arises when THC is subjected to high heat or light for long periods of time. This transformation is why cannabis with high levels of CBN has usually undergone oxidation or aging. It goes from being THC-9 (C21H30O2) to CBN (C21H26O2) by losing four Hydrogen molecules.

But that sounds like a lot of confusing chemistry. What are the benefits of CBN and why should you care to know more about it? Before we continue to discuss the potential benefits and uses of CBN (in and out of the body), it needs to be understood that there is limited research on this compound. Only a handful of studies demonstrating CBN use in the human body have been published, and most current research focuses on its effects in mice (which, to these studies’ defense have remarkably similar nervous systems to humans. Who knew?)

The first use I want to focus on is the use of CBN as an antibacterial compound. In lab settings, CBN was tested on strains of MRSA bacteria that are resistant to traditional antibiotics. Researchers found it to be a potent antibacterial agent against these resistant strains. Perhaps in the future, we will see CBN used as a replacement for some antibiotic pairings.

It may also have uses as a neuroprotectant. In one rodent study, researchers used CBN as a treatment for ALS and found that it was able to delay the onset of the condition. While further studies need to be conducted to determine if this effect is also seen in humans, these findings suggest that CBN may provide a powerful tool in the fight against ALS and other neurodegenerative conditions.

In other rodent studies, CBN increased the amount of food that rat subjects ate, suggesting that it could be an effective appetite stimulant. Since some avoid THC (another well-known appetite stimulant) due to its intoxicating effects, CBN could potentially offer an alternative for those seeking benefit without the high—but more research is needed.

Likely the most common recent application of this specific compound, however, has been to address those sleepless nights that I’m sure we are all too familiar with. CBN has long been associated with drowsiness. In the world of hemp and cannabis, there is a quote from Steep Hill, a cannabis laboratory, that is frequently used when describing CBN’s sedative effects. They claimed that the consumption of 2.5mgs to 5mgs pf CBN had the same level of sedation as a mild sedative, with a relaxed body sensation. More research is needed and Green Wellness does not diagnose, prescribe, or treat, but the potential sleep benefits are simply too good to ignore. With CBN sleep gummies, tinctures, and even capsules with higher levels of CBN, if interested there are lots of mechanisms to potentially benefit from the compound.

CBG: Decarboxylated CBGA

The CBG cannabinoid originally stems from CBGA. After undergoing an oxidation process, it becomes CBG, a compound that can directly interact with the endocannabinoid system of the body.

One of the challenges of using CBG comes from the prohibitive cost of sourcing it. As a cannabis plant ages, more and more of the initial cannabinoids oxidize and turn into the common cannabinoids of CBD and THC. CBG, on the other hand, never comprises a significant proportion of the cannabinoids within a harvest of cannabis.

This being said, despite the cost, difficulties of sourcing, and insufficient human research, CBG has been found to interact with the body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors, having a strong affinity for the CB2 receptor. These receptors regulate physiological processes such as mood, pain response, and appetite. More research is needed, however, as CBG appears to interact with the body’s endocannabinoid receptors differently than either THC or CBD, producing unique physiological effects.

While there’s an abundance of awareness around the major cannabinoids THC and CBD, less is known about CBG. CBG shares some similarities with CBD: it seems to be anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. However, CBG also boasts its own unique set of properties, offering potential therapeutic benefits such as treatment for inflammatory bowel disease and glaucoma in animal tests. I know I’m a broken record here, but, more research is needed (especially in humans).

CBDA: CBD’s Precursor

I think it is fair to say that, if you are a regular customer of ours, you know quite a good deal about CBD. Even if you don’t take it regularly, it seems that CBD has entered into the public consciousness these days (with many misunderstandings abounding). But where does CBD come from? The easy answer is the cannabis plant, which is mainly true. But were you aware that there is a chemical precursor to CBD? That precursor is CBDA.

So how does CBDA become CBD? With heat and time. Think of CBDA as the “raw” form of CBD. In fact, a lot of people will take CBDA in capsules, tinctures, and topicals to get that raw form into their daily diet. We’ve definitely got more options for CBDA than CBG or CBN. Green Wellness carries many CBDA products with brands like Endoca, Plus CBD, Entourage CBD, and Hemplucid. But what are the benefits of this?

Your CB1 and CB2 receptors are the primary nodes in your body for actively making use of CBD, both that which you take as a supplement and that which is naturally produced within your body. CBDA doesn’t work in this way. Instead, CBDA interacts with the endocannabinoid system by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme. COX-2 enzymes are associated with inflammation after an injury or infection. By blocking COX-2 enzymes, CBDA can relieve inflammation and associated pain.

In one rodent study, scientists found CBDA affected levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells to aid in signaling between cells. Serotonin is vital to core human functions like motor skills, sleeping, eating, digestion, and emotions. However, excess serotonin, which often is associated with stressors like chemotherapy, can cause nausea and vomiting. Vomiting can be controlled with medications, but nausea is harder to treat. But do not despair yet if you are a chemo patient! Scientists have demonstrated that CBDA can affect the body’s 5-HT serotonin-producing receptors, hinting at a potential use for CBDA as a medication for chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting (CINV) and other conditions that induce these symptoms. However, more research is needed.

We will keep you updated!

One recurrent theme throughout this blog was that more research was needed. While THC and CBD are gaining popularity, and the institutional barriers to research using these compounds are removed, it is important to keep in mind that there is a lot that is either not understood or is poorly understood about cannabis in relation to the human body. We will try to keep you up to date on relevant and recent research so that you can make informed decisions and purchases, and we always invite you to get in touch with us with any questions that you may have.

As always, we hope that this was informative, and would love to hear from you on our social media accounts, our email, or on our phone lines. If you are ready to explore the world of CBD, give us a call at 888-772-7875, fill out an online contact form, or press the live chat button to speak with one of our experts.