Although science is still identifying the hundreds of substances found in the cannabis plant, the ones that have been identified all hold healing properties that scientists are still studying, but which they believe could play a role in treating many diseases and health conditions. Here are some of the most important ones:
Cannabidiol (CBD), is the non-intoxicating part of the cannabis plant. It has generated significant attention from the scientific world in recent years to its having healing properties but not being psychoactive, like THC. Scientists are still not sure of how CBD exerts its therapeutic impact on a molecular level. CBD is pleiotropic, meaning that it produces different effects through a number of different molecular pathways. At present, scientists have reported that CBD targets more than more than 65 molecular areas. CBD, which binds very weakly, if at all, to CB1 receptors on its own, needs THC in order to bind to CB1 receptors, and in doing so, reduces some of the euphoric effects of THC.
Health Benefits: Seizures, Inflammation, Pain, psychosis and mental disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, migraine, nausea, anxiety, reduces THC effects, supports THC in treating cancer and also reduces the plant’s psychoactive effects. However, CBD-only products are far less effective than those that are full-spectrum, so including THC. Â
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound responsible for the psychoactive effects that the cannabis plant is known for. THC binds to CB1 receptors, especially those found in the areas of the brain responsible for pleasure, time perception, memory, and thinking. THC and CBD have identical molecular structure: 30 hydrogen atoms, 21 carbon atoms, and 2 atoms, but they are arranged slightly different, and it is this difference in arrangement that accounts for their different effects on the body. CBD and THC work in harmony with each other, so the presence of both compounds is essential for effective healing and treatments.  Â
Health Benefits: Pain, muscle spasticity, glaucoma, insomnia, low appetite, anxiety, nausea, reduces tumours to nothing, and causes cancerous cells to self-destruct.     Â
Cannabigerol (CBG): Scientists believe that CBD and THC may have started out or originated from CBG. This compound is anti-bacterial, is neuroprotective in models of Huntington disease, is anti-inflammatory, and there is evidence to suggest it can protect from inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis). A 2014 study that examined the effects that CBG had on cancer, reported that in vivo CBG reduced chemically induced colon and carcinogenesis and xenograft tumours.Â
CBG is perceived as a minor cannabinoid because there is less than 1% in most cannabis strains. Even so, it plays an extremely important role in maintaining homeostasis, and works in synergy with the ECS to reduce inflammation and pain. Closer in molecular function to the endocannabinoids made in our bodies that those found in cannabis, scientists report that it has many medical properties and benefits on its own, but that this chemical helps to amplify healing outcomes and contributes towards the entourage effect.Â
Health Benefits: Preclinical studies in animal models have shown CBG to be: antidepressant; pain-relieving, anti-fungal, anti-tumour (some types of brain cancers, including glioblastoma in humans, and also breast cancers); and effective topically for treating skin disorders such as psoriasis; and anti-bacterial.   Â
Cannabinol (CBN) is psychoactive, but less so than THC, and it also shares some affinity with CB1 receptors, but works more efficiently with CB2 receptors. This fact, as well as CBN working as an immunosuppressant, makes scientists believe that it can help with ailments such as arthritis, Chron’s disease, and other health problems caused by an over-active immune system. If so, then CBN could be a safer treatment than the pharmaceutical drugs currently used for treating disease by immunosuppression. Â
Health Benefits: Research has shown that CBN has bacterial properties, can combat fever by causing body temperature to drop, and there is also scientific evidence showing it helps with insomnia and other sleep issues. Studies also show that CBN has the following medicinal properties: sedative, anti-convulsant, analgesic, and treats burns.
Cannabichromene (CBC) is anti inflammatory and has anti-viral properties. It is also believed to contribute to the overall analgesic effects of cannabis, although further research is needed for scientists to be sure of this. CBN us not psychoactive, and it doesn’t bind well with other receptors through the body, including those that play a role in a person’s perception of pain.Â
There is evidence showing CBN plays a role in reducing the symptoms of depression, skin problems, inflammation, and pain relief, as well as evidence that it has a ton of other potential health properties. It reduces inflammation, for example, in the intestinal tract and other places without binding onto cannabinoid receptors, which has led scientists to believe it could be a powerful, holistic medicine if combined with cannabinoids that do bind to the receptors.Â
There is also evidence showing that CBC is anti-bacterial and successful in combatting bacteria such as E-coli and Staph, and that it plays a role in neurological development and the process of new brain cell development (scientists no longer believe that this only occurs during foetal development). This has raised questions over whether CBC could be useful in treating neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases.Â
Interestingly, CBC plays a role in pain relief and reducing the symptoms of depression, although scientists are unsure of how it achieves this as it does not interact with the brain in the same way as other cannabinoids that help with depression (e.g. CBD and THC). Medicinal properties include: analgesic (especially when used with THC); anti-tumour; and anti-inflammator.
Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), the unheated, raw version of CBD, has an even stronger affinity with the 5-HT1A receptor. Research suggests that it has a powerful antiemetic effect that is far more potent than either CBD or THC. Medicinal properties include: anti-inflammatory; anti-nausea.
CBDV (non-intoxicating): Little is known about this cannabinoid, but early research suggest its medicinal properties include: anti-nausea; anti-convulsant; and my reduce intestinal inflammation (gut).
THCA (non-intoxicating): THCA, the acid precursor to THC, is found in the raw plant. The cannabinoid has been hard to bottle, but this has improved recently due to technological advances. It is: anti-obesity; anti-convulsant; anti-inflammatory; anti-tumour effects
THCV (non-intoxicating): This is a minor cannabinoid that pharmaceuticals are investigating because of its possible anti-obesity effects. There is also research suggesting its potential to reduce plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. Other medical properties: anti-inflammatory; analgesic; increases bone density.
Anandamide: the ‘Bliss Molecule:’ The endogenous cannabinoids that our bodies make are known as anandamide (ANA), which means “joy, bliss, delight,” or N-arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA). Our ECS makes anandamide, which is able to bind to both receptors, on demand (for the most part), and uses it to maintain homeostasis and perform many other functions necessary to good health and wellbeing, e.g. regulating neuron signalling and inflammation. Scientists chose the name anandamide because of its ability to profoundly impact a plethora of physiological functions, including appetite stimulation, mood fluctuation, the development of nerve cells in the brain, pain management, and fertility. Essentially, anandamide plays a role in every single aspect of the workings of the human body.
Terpenes - the essential oils of plants
The reason that plants, fruits, flowers, fir cones, and so forth, smell so nice is because of their essential oils or terpenes (terpenoids). The number of terpenes in cannabis is strain-dependent, but somewhere between 120-200 in each plant, and they include scents that range from fruity oranges and lemons through to pungent, earthy meadow-like, and grassy perfumes. They are commonly found in fragrances and flavourings and, unlike cannabinoids, are responsible for the plant’s aroma. Terpenes are known to be safe. The amount of terpenes in CBD products are relatively small, but even levels as low as 0.5% are believed to be potentially significant because they appear to impact the body and brain.
Terpenes, like cannabinoids are fat-soluble, which means they can pass through the blood-brain barrier, thus having a direct impact on the brain, especially when taking medical cannabis via a vaporiser or transdermal patches. Vaping is the quickest way to absorb cannabis into your system. Also, when patches are applied to the skin, the healing properties of medical cannabis enter the bloodstream (not just the area of skin the patch is applied too). Both methods are excellent ways of taking medical cannabis. For those looking for relief from gut conditions (e.g. IBS, Crohn’s disease, etc.), it appears that ingesting full spectrum CBD oils or edibles (so with terpenes – should be labelled on the product), is believed to act on multiple pathways in relation to pain perception and inflammation.
Terpenes are also essential building blocks of complex plant molecules, hormones, sterols, cannabinoids, and pigments. They act on neurotransmitters and receptors and are organic hydrocarbons[1] that: (a) enhance dopamine[2] activity; (b) increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a natural chemical produced in our brains and a valuable anti-anxiety neuro-transmitter; and (c) they act as serotonin[3] uptake inhibitors (like Prozac and similar antidepressants). The distinctive smells of terpenes, which are used to identify a specific cannabis strain, are divided into four categories: spicy, sweet, bitter, and sour, and each of these categories are then subdivided further. These different aromas are also associated with a strain’s particular therapeutic and physiological benefits, so many patients will want to smell the plant material when using cannabis as medicine in its raw form. This is because specific aromas can enable patients to identify different strains and their health effects and benefits.
Although terpene and cannabis strain wheels were originally created so that cannabis seeds could be more effectively marketed by seedbanks, their use in helping customers choose specific strains of cannabis was quickly recognized and these wheels are easily accessed on many websites selling cannabis products for medicinal purposes. They are now seen as being an invaluable tool for patients, their caregivers, and people growing cannabis for medicinal use (whether illegally or professionally). Nevertheless, more research is needed for scientists to fully understand the different processes at play and how these enhance therapeutic effects.
Notes:
[1] Hydrocarbon – An organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen.
[2] Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter found in the brain and essential for the normal functioning of the central nervous system; as a pharmaceutical drug (trade names Dopastat and Intropin) it is used to treat shock and hypotension.
[3] Serotonin: A neurotransmitter involved in e.g. sleep and depression and memory.
