What is inside Cannabis?
Cannabis is a plant of over 1,000 chemical constituents, varying by chemotype (chemical phenotype), batch and crop. Cannabinoids are the most active compounds. There are over 150 discovered cannabinoids in the plant, including THC, CBD, CBN, and others. Over 230 Terpenes and Terpenoids (more commonly known as essential oils, e.g. pinene, limonene) give smell and taste to Cannabis and to all other plants in nature. Like cannabinoids, they also provide numerous medicinal qualities.
THC and CBD – Main Phytocannabinoids and Their Ratios:
THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) provides many of the medicinal properties of Cannabis (see table below). THC is responsible for most of the psychoactive and neurological effects of Cannabis, including euphoria, laughter, altered sense of space and time, transient changes in short-term memory and coordination, heightened sensory perception (five senses). Finding an individual dose of THC that produces therapeutic benefits without affecting activities of daily living is the goal for most patients.
CBD (Cannabidiol) produces a multitude of medicinal effects of Cannabis and is considered a “non-psychoactive”, not mind-altering cannabinoid. CBD helps to decrease the psychoactivity and other side effects of THC (e.g. heart racing, hunger, anxiety, sedation) while enhancing some of THC’s benefits. At the 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC, psychoactive effects of THC start to diminish. At the ratio of 3:1 or more with CBD predominance, they are minimal to none.
| CBD | THC | effect | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✔ | ✔ | analgesic | reduces pain |
| ✔ | ✔ | antiemetic | reduces nausea and vomiting |
| ✔ | ✔ | anti-cancer | inhibits cancer cell growth |
| ✔ | ✔ | anti-inflammatory | significantly reduces inflammation |
| ✔ | ✔ | antioxidant | protects cells from oxidative damage |
| ✔ | ✔ | neuroprotective | slows nerve cell degeneration, promotes new cell growth |
| ✔ | ✔ | antiepileptic | relieves or reduces seizures |
| ✔ | ✔ | muscle relaxant | helps to relieve muscle spasms and bowel/bladder contractions |
| ✔ | ✔ | glaucoma | lowers eye pressure (THC); protects retinal neurons (both) |
| ✔ | ✔ | PTSD | fear extinction, focus on present (THC); relieves anxiety, depression (CBD) |
| ✔ | anxiolytic | relieves anxiety | |
| ✔ | antidepressant | relieves symptoms of depression | |
| ✔ | antipsychotic | treats psychosis/hallucinations | |
| ✔ | anti-addictive | helps to treat addiction | |
| ✔ | immunomodulator | helps to treat autoimmune conditions | |
| ✔ | antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal | treats bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, effective against MRSA | |
| ✔ | anti-diabetic | reduces blood sugar levels | |
| ✔ | anti-ishemic | reduces risk of artery blockage | |
| ✔ | vasorelaxant | reduces vascular tension/blood pressure | |
| ✔ | bone stimulant | promotes bone growth | |
| ✔ | anti-psoriatic | helps to treat psoriasis | |
| ✔ | anti-pruritic | relieves itching | |
| ✔ | orexigenic | stimulates appetite | |
| ✔ | bronchodilation | helps to open airways and breathe better |
Read more:
Phytocannabinoids: a unified critical inventory.
Minor Phytocannabinoids: A Misleading Name but a Promising Opportunity for Biomedical Research.
Terpenes/Terpenoids in Cannabis: Are They Important?
What is needed to become a legal Medical Cannabis patient in Virginia?
