CBN vs CBD: The Differences Explained

CBN vs CBD: How are They Different?

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Hundreds of cannabis compounds have been discovered, and only a few have received the spotlight they deserve.

Researchers have compared several cannabinoids and found some potential therapeutic benefits of multiple compounds, including CBN. Comparing the differences of CBN vs CBD is an interesting conversation that warrants more research. These two cannabinoids are popular, but offer different possible therapeutic benefits.

When comparing CBN vs CBD, both cannabinoids might look similar from a molecular standpoint, but these are two very different compounds. When looking at CBN and CBD, both have some similar potential therapeutic properties. We're going to take some time to go over them, and see how they may be able to give you the relief you need.

What is CBN?

Cannabinol, or CBN, is a compound of cannabis (marijuana and hemp are both cannabis) famous for its non-intoxicating properties and a remarkable similarity with CBD. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is also a cannabinoid. CBN is a byproduct of degrading tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. This simply means when THC ages and decays into an old compound, it turns into CBN. 

CBN vs CBD: Oxidation

Let's explore oxidation a little bit. Several different cannabinoids in the cannabis plant can oxidize into different compounds, depending on their makeup. Oxidation can happen in a few different ways. We'll discuss the two most popular forms which are:

-Light exposure
-Time

Manufacturers can expose THC rich plants to extreme UV lighting in order to force the oxidation process. Over time, the excess exposure to UV lighting slowly turns the THC into CBN. The end result is a CBN rich product. Check out this picture of a UV light being used to exposure impurities in minerals. You'll notice it uses a blue-ish spectrum of light, similar to a black light.

Time is also a key factor in oxidation of THC to CBN. Over time, THC will degrade and turn into CBN. That means CBN may exist in large amounts the older the plant is. Since we can't (unfortunately) alter time, people will typically use the UV light method to force the oxidation process.

Currently, levels of CBN in cannabis depend on environmental factors instead of genetic factors of the particular strains. For this reason, there are currently no super-high CBN strains on the marketplace yet. This is one area of CBD vs CBN that is interesting, since there are several high CBD strains that exist.

Potential Benefits of CBN

CBN, back in 1896, was the first cannabinoid that was isolated in its purist form. People actually thought that CBN was responsible for the intoxicating effects of cannabis.

We now know that different forms of THC are, in fact, responsible for these effects. Originally CBN was the culprit! Interesting, isn't it? This is one of the reasons that CBN is still heavily regulated in some areas. It wasn't until later that the researchers showed CBN doesn’t produce intoxicating effects on its' own.

In the topic of CBN vs CBD, the effects of CBN have not been thoroughly studied in human subjects - yet. Keep this in mind when you see products with CBN that make loads of medical claims. Sure, they could be true, but there aren't enough scientific trials to substantiate the claims. That said, let's talk more about the potential benefits of CBN.

Relieving Effects

Cannabinol has shown an ability to induce relaxing effects on the human brain and body. A study published in 2011 in the British Journal of Pharmacology made a claim that the combination of THC and CBN could produce a "tranquilizing" effects in humans. These two compounds are responsible for a large portion of the sedative effects people feel after using cannabis or marijuana products.

Aged cannabis products, or those with more exposure to heat and sunlight, showed better results in relaxing the human body. This is primarily because of the amount of THC that has converted to CBN, like we spoke about earlier.

The older cannabis products contain higher CBN content which makes them more useful for relieving purposes - or so it seems. Research with CBN is still being conducted, and refined, almost on a daily basis.

Anti-inflammatory and Anti-convulsant Properties

Researchers found out that a particular combination of CBN vs CBD can be a decent pain reliever. Scientists need to manufacture a CBN isolate to conduct proper research, as a specific breed of a  heavily CBN enriched cannabis plant does not yet exist. This practice is one of the main hurdles for initiating further CBN-based investigations. In only two years, though, we have seen massive breakthroughs in developing CBD-rich strains.

CBN May Work as a Sleep Aid

The research in this particular area is lacking, but current results have shown CBN's potential impacts on treating sleep disorders.

Read more in the blog...