What Are Cannabinoids and How Can They Positively Affect Your Health?

What are cannabinoids? Are they beneficial to your health? We take a look at cannabinoids to discuss their healing properties.

The legalization of marijuana is an ongoing legislative battle across the country. As of 2021, there are fifteen states that have legalized weed. What has everyone so passionate about the right to light up?

In a word? Cannabinoids, or legal access thereto. But what are cannabinoids, and how can they help your health and well-being? Here’s what you need to know.

What Are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are the natural compounds native to the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids resemble endocannabinoids, which are produced by the human body. These chemicals promote homeostasis or the body’s natural regulating system. This can regulate your immune system or give you a slight high, like what runners get after exercise.

How Cannabinoids Function

So, if you’re purchasing medical cannabis, you may wonder how the chemicals within it work for you. Understanding cannabinoids is simple when you learn how receptors in your body function. To oversimplify, our bodies have millions of receptors that bind with certain chemicals.

However, when an external substance chemically resembles or binds with the receptor in the same way as its natural counterpart, it can alter the way those receptors function. The healing properties of cannabinoids come from this lock-and-key interaction between chemical and receptor.

Compounds Containing Cannabinoids

Despite what you might think, more compounds contain cannabinoids than THC. While THC and CBD are the most common, there are many others, including:

CBG

Cannabigerol, also known as CBG for short, is a new player in this field. While not well-known as of yet, researchers are curious about this compound’s beneficial effects on malignant tumors, irritable bowel syndrome, glaucoma, and Crohn’s disease. Like its sister compound, CBD, it’s non-psychoactive, meaning that it won’t get you high.

CBC

Cannabichromene, or CBC, is another of the minor cannabinoids. CBC has shown fascinating results in the fields of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. These processes are key parts of healthy brain growth and development. It also seems to have some anti-inflammatory properties without binding to common cannabinoid receptors.

CBN

CBN, or cannabinol, has psychoactive effects, but they are far milder than those from THC. This compound is still being researched at the moment, but some early reports indicate that it may help with insomnia and arthritis pain. CBN products are getting more popular these days, especially CBN Gummies for sleep, as these gummies have the right potency to be really effective.

Health Benefits of Cannabinoids

In addition to the high you would expect from THC, cannabinoids have many other health benefits. These include:

  • Reducing the severity of seizures
  • Helping with arthritic and muscular pain
  • Decreasing the effects of anxiety and depression
  • Help reducing pain from cancer treatments

With so many excellent health benefits, it’s easy to see why so many turn to smoking marijuana to help with their mental and physical health.

Back to Cannabis Basics

What are cannabinoids? Cannabinoids are the chemicals that, in essence, make marijuana work. They give THC, CBD, and all other weed-related chemicals their healing properties and strength. Without them, you’d only be smoking a handful of normal leaves.

If you found this article about cannabinoids, their sources, and their uses informative and would like to read more, check out our blog daily for more health articles like this!