Consumer Education

Phytochemicals are active compounds responsible for the colors, flavors, aromas, effects, and therapeutic value of cannabis. Phytochemicals are found all over the cannabis plant, with the highest concentration in the trichomes. Trichomes are the shiny, sticky, bulbous “crystals” that cover the flowers, upper leaves, and stems. Trichomes develop during the flowering cycle and appear clear until the plant matures, then they become dark and cloudy. These resin glands house a molecular mixture of hundreds of active phytochemicals, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. These are the most well-known and well-studied of the many active phytochemicals. Cannabinoids, Endocannabinoids and the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) Most people know that consuming cannabis can produce a psychoactive or mindaltering effect and that THC is the culprit. THC is one of many compounds produced by cannabis, known as cannabinoids. Upon discovery in the ’60s, cannabinoids were first thought to be unique to the cannabis plant. However, over the last few decades, we have come to understand that humans and cannabinoids are intrinsically connected. We produce endocannabinoids internally that are part of a complex cell-signaling system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The purpose of the ECS is to maintain homeostasis within our bodies. We produce endocannabinoids, as needed, to keep our internal functions in balance. These endocannabinoids bind to receptors located all over the body as an ECS response to things like stress or pain. There are two main types of endocannabinoid receptors in the body where that endocannabinoids and cannabinoids bind. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the central nervous system, which includes nerves in the brain and spinal cord, and they affect memory, cognition, coordination, movement, appetite, emotion, energy, and immunity. CB2 receptors are located primarily in the peripheral nervous system, which includes all the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord and extend to our muscles and organs, and affect our renal system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, reproductive system, immune system, digestive system, connective tissue, bone, skin, and eyes. Cannabis plants produce over 100 different cannabinoids, also referred to as phytocannabinoids, that interact with our CB1 and CB2 receptors and other receptors to affect our internal balance. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) are the most known cannabinoids, followed by CBG (cannabigerol), CBC (cannabichromene), and CBN(cannabinol).Cannabis plants do not directly produce these cannabinoids and instead synthesize the cannabinoid acid CBGA, the chemical precursor to THCA, CBDA, and CBCA. Specific enzymes inside the plant break down most CBGA and direct it toward one of the previously mentioned cannabinoid acid lines. The resulting cannabinoid acids, THCA, CBDA, and CBCA, and the leftover CBGA must be activated through a process known as decarboxylation to produce the sought-after cannabinoids THC, CBD, CBC, and CBG. Decarboxylation of cannabinoids happens naturally and partially over time through drying and curing, but more powerfully and direct with the application of heat, such as smoking, vaporizing, and baking. Alternatively, CBNA, the precursor to the very sedative cannabinoid CBN, is synthesized through the decomposition of THCA, which happens over time from exposing dried cannabis to the air. Similarly, CBNA must be decarboxylated to yield CBN.