Cannabinoids, the naturally occurring chemicals in cannabis that give it many of its medicinal effects, are mostly just known by patients to be CBD, THC, and a few other cannabinoids. Contrary to popular knowledge, there’s actually many cannabinoids, with each possessing an individual benefit, contributing to medicinal importance to each blend of cannabinoids in a given strain.

(Photo Credit) CBD, the cannabinoid widely known for its powerful anti-seizure effects, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, meaning that it doesn’t provide a psychedelic high in the way that THC does, but still provides the anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and analgesic effects that cannabinoids like CBD and THC do. Another one of these non-psychoactive cannabinoids is CBN, or cannabinol. According to leafly.com, “CBN’s most pronounced, characterizing attribute is its sedative effect, and according to our partners at Steep Hill Labs, 5mg of CBN is as effective as 10mg dose of diazepam, a mild pharmaceutical sedative. Indica strains have long been connected to these sedating, sleepy effects, and some researchers theorize that their tendency for higher CBN contents has something to do with that.” This means that MMJ patients who potentially would need an anxiolytic like diazepam could substitute CBN for the addictive and potentially harmful sedative drug. CBN’s medicinal benefits are thought to include but not be limited to:

Pain relief
Anti-insomnia
Promotes growth of bone cells
Antibacterial
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-convulsive
Appetite stimulant

Unfortunately, most flowers just contain very low levels of CBN, usually under 1%. CBN is, however, a potent compound, and CBN is thought to occur through THC degradation: usually a result of improper storage, improper curing, or by heat. Cannabis Extracts do exist with high levels of CBN, and extracts tend to have higher levels of cannabinoids in general, making it easy to get higher levels of any cannabinoid by medicating with a cannabis extract.

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