Have You Heard of CBN?
The two most well-known cannabinoids in cannabis, THC and CBD, are probably familiar to anyone who uses the drug. However, the plant also produces other cannabinoids. Minor cannabinoids such as CBN (cannabinol), among others, are also present.
These medicinal substances, which are found only in cannabis, can differ greatly from one another in regard to their effects and therapeutic advantages. So, learning about the various cannabinoids is the first step if you want to understand how you will be affected.
So let's learn a little bit more about CBN.
What is CBN?
CBN is a minimally psychoactive and possibly sedative component of marijuana. Yes, that's right; hemp doesn't contain CBN. This is so because THC, the cannabinoid found in marijuana that is most abundant, breaks down into CBN.
THC oxidation, which happens as marijuana buds ripen, turns THC into CBN. According to preliminary research, CBN may have similar health advantages to THC and CBD.
CBN: Is it psychoactive?
CBN might indeed make you high. However, you would need to consume a large dose to experience the very same high as with THC. This is the case because CBN is roughly ten times less powerful than THC.
According to some studies, CBN is not intoxicating, but according to others, it has very weak psychoactive effects.
To be clear, CBN doesn't have a strong affinity for the CB1 receptor in the brain, so it won't make you feel euphoric or high or crave hearty food.
Potential therapeutic uses for CBN
CBN could be helpful in the treatment of a variety of health issues, such as:
1. Neuroprotective benefits
2. Maintenance of healthy inflammatory function
3. Appetite stimulation
4. Treating glaucoma
The startling sedation misconception
If you've read about CBN before, you might be surprised that we didn't list "insomnia" among the health advantages above. Although CBN is frequently hailed as a powerful sedative, its reputation can be deceptive.
Despite the paucity of research on CBN's sedative properties, one human study conducted in the 1970s attempted to answer this question. Despite the small sample size, none of the participants in the study claimed that CBN resulted in them feeling sleepy.
So why do they all claim that it is sedative?
There are two potential causes, and both of them originate from the same place: Older cannabis, which contains a lot of CBN, is known to make users sleepy, so people assumed that CBN was the cause.
First, it's possible that the sedative effect is actually brought on by the interaction of CBN and THC.
Researchers analyzed CBN alone, THC alone, and CBN with THC in the same study that found CBN didn't cause subjects to feel sleepy. Even though THC alone causes some drowsiness, the two together cause even greater amounts of it.
Therefore, those who consume cannabis with a high CBN content and THC may have observed the synergistic action and thought the sedative impact was due to CBN alone.
However, even in the absence of a THC connection, there could be other factors that contribute to the sedative effects of higher CBN cannabis.
The older cannabis that contains a lot of CBN also contains many sedative terpenes. The sedative effects may be attributed to these terpenes instead of CBN.
Whereas CBN may not have sedative properties by itself, you may combine it with THC to produce the desired sedative effects.
Cannabis strains high in CBN
The following are among the weed strains high in CBN:
Purple Cadillac
Blackberry
Bubble Gum
Durban Poison
Lemon Kush
Super Green Crack
Final word
Despite being "just" a supportive cannabinoid, CBN has a lot of benefits both on its own and as a component of cannabis' entourage effect.
Although some people believe the combo of CBN as well as oxidized terpenes, rather than CBN alone, is what causes such effects, products infused with CBN are still marketed as efficient sleep aids.
We might not fully understand the potential of CBN for some time. However, what we currently know gives us hope that soon more benefits will be established.
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