There are a number of active ingredients in cannabis aka marijuana and THC is the most prevalent, CBD comes in second. CBD stands for cannabinol which is part of the larger category of phytocannabinoids that make up the complex, naturally occurring compounds in the marijuana plant. CBD seems to be used by everyone from retirees who are struggling with arthritis pain to dogs who have some anxiety while going on car rides. Everyone knows of a success story due to CBD, but how does it really work and why is it different than marijuana?
There are naturally occurring receptors in our body specifically made for cannabinoids like CBD and THC and endocannabinoids produced in our body. The most commonly mentioned are CBR1 and CBR2. CB1 is more prevalent in the brain while CB2 is more commonly seen in other peripheral tissues. Two important endocannabinoids produced by our bodies are AEA and 2-AG that will activate CB1 receptors by crossing the membrane and then suppressing neurotransmitter release through the suppression of calcium channels. This is often why people are warry of using THC and marijuana in general as a treatment because there are a larger number of downstream effects that can occur after the activation of these receptors because CBR1 is literally all over our body and the most prevalent GPCR in our brain!
Therefore, people turn to CBD as a treatment option. CBD has a low affinity for these receptors meaning the side effects of its usage are not at worrisome. They likely work through adenosine reuptake on the antagonism of some GPCRs. Below is a figure that lists some receptors or targets in the brain that CBD is known to interact with.
One important interaction to note is that CBD is an agonist of 5-HT which is another name for serotonin which is important in reducing depression and regulating anxiety.
In summary, you would have some of the same positive effects on your body if you were to ingest marijuana but using just CBD seems to be a way to reduce the negatives, like the psychoactive component, and still get the beneficial results. However, the research on CBD is somewhat confusing as the federal government is not quite sure how it wants to regulate it yet. Marijuana and therefore THC is still illegal at a federal level and the FDA claims it isn’t sure about the efficacy of CBD even though numerous studies have supported the benefits. Until marijuana is legal, it won’t be an easy subject to study and without studying it, we have no idea the true effects, positive or negative, it can have on our bodies.
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/what-you-need-know-and-what-were-working-find-out-about-products-containing-cannabis-or-cannabis
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/serotonin#functions
