Cannabinoids: what are they and how do they work?

It's no secret that hemp has many different uses. This is all due to hemp's ability to produce a wide range of chemicals. Over 500 of them have been identified in the plant. Some of them are also common in other plants, such as terpenes and flavonoids responsible for the taste and smell of cannabis. However, 144 of the chemicals in cannabis are cannabinoids.

How do cannabinoids work?

You've probably heard about tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which, in addition to its great medicinal value, also has an intoxicating effect. It is a substance that is illegal in Poland, but it is only one of many cannabinoids. Cannabidiol (CBD) also has medicinal properties and has health-promoting properties, but does not contain psychoactive substances. These are just two of hundreds of cannabinoids found in cannabis. To understand how cannabis works, you must first understand how cannabinoids interact with your body.  

The endocannabinoid system

In the 1990s, cannabinoid scientists discovered the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the human body. The endocannabinoid system consists of:  

• cannabinoid receptors
• endocannabinoids
• metabolic enzymes

One of the most important elements of the ECS are receptors. The main receptors scattered throughout the human body are CB1 and CB2 receptors. The plant cannabinoid is known to interact with each of these two receptors.  

How does the endocannabinoid system work?

The human body cannot produce THC on its own. So scientists tried to discover why these receptors appeared in humans in the first place. Research has shown that they can be found in all vertebrates and that they interact with chemicals naturally produced in the body - endocannabinoids. These substances are produced in response to external factors, such as pain, low or high temperature. The interaction between endocannabinoids and their corresponding receptors plays a key role in maintaining the body's internal balance and homeostasis. The endocannabinoid system is responsible for regulating very important aspects of your health, such as:  

• appetite
• blood pressure
• body temperature
• energy
• pulse
• immune response
• memory
• mood
• dream
• muscle control
• desire
• pain response

Endocannabinoid deficiencies

So, as you can imagine, keeping the ECS system in good shape is extremely important, not only for our physical health, but also for our mental health. Scientists suggest that cannabinoid deficiencies may be partially responsible for many diseases, especially those that respond well to the effects of cannabis in the treatment . A poorly functioning endocannabinoid system can lead to depression, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and Crohn's disease. The cannabinoids found in hemp are almost identical to the endocannabinoids produced by our body . To distinguish them, they are called phytocannabinoids. When phytocannabinoids enter the human body, they begin to mimic endocannabinoids and interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors or other parts of the ECS.

Cannabinoid interactions

There are over 140 known types of cannabinoids, and they all differ from each other to a greater or lesser degree. Some of them occur naturally in the plant, others are found, for example, in burnt hemp resin. The way they are produced often involves a chain of chemical changes that occur between cannabinoids. This means that some cannabinoids are transformed by the plant itself or human intervention into others. This is how, for example, THC is created: in the hemp plant it starts as CBGA, the plant transforms into THCA, and then a person heats the substance while smoking, turning it into THC.  

If you see cannabinoids with similar names, they are most likely part of the same chain. Changes in the chemical structure may be small, but they can significantly affect the medicinal effects of a given substance. As cannabinoids transform from one form to another, their level or type of psychoactivity and specific therapeutic effects may change. Different cannabinoids activate the endocannabinoid system in different ways.

Entourage effect

To further complicate the situation, it should be mentioned that the effects of cannabinoids can be influenced by other cannabinoids, but also by terpenes and flavonoids present in the cannabis consumed. This therapeutic synergy is known as the "entourage effect" and is confirmation that the active chemicals found in cannabis work together to create effects that could not be produced by just one of them.   

The entourage effect is best visualized using THC and CBD . Growers have long known about CBD's ability to influence high cannabis production , but only recently have scientists been able to measure specific effects. Most research suggests that consuming THC and CBD together can help reduce or completely eliminate the side effects caused by taking THC, such as memory impairment or anxiety.

If the theory is true, and the available sources and state of research indicate that it is, then we have an endless source of possibilities. Given the number of different cannabinoids produced by specific cannabis strains, the number of potential combinations is impossible to estimate. Each hemp strain is a unique mixture of active substances that may have surprising effects on the human body. The entourage effect is still under research, but currently available studies can help you decide which cannabinoid blend will be best for you.  

Cannabinoid acids

When a cannabis plant produces cannabinoids, it is actually producing an "acidic form" of them. For example, THC in cannabis is produced as THCA and is converted to THC only once - when a person heats the substance to consume it. Interestingly, cannabinoid acids, although considered inactive, actually offer enormous therapeutic potential. The acids are absorbed by the body but do not appear to enter the brain, which is why they were probably initially written off as therapeutic cannabinoids. All cannabinoids produced in the cannabis plant are cannabinoid acids - they come from the cannabinoid CBGA. There are very few “activated” substances in cannabis flower, as is the case with THCA, which is decarboxylated after smoking.  

Types of cannabinoids

We currently know that there are about 144 different cannabinoids in hemp, but we can assume that we still haven't discovered all of them. Although each of them has slightly different properties and creates different combinations, it is worth mentioning that there are a few cannabinoids that are particularly common:

• THC

• CBD

• THCV

• CBG

• CBN

• CBC