What are cannabinoids?
Cannabinoids are a group of substances produced by the cannabis plant that are responsible for its effects; the best known are THC and CBD. More than a hundred have been identified, although most of them appear in very small amounts.
They take their name from the plant itself. If terpenes are what give each strain its smell and taste, cannabinoids are what shape its effect.
The plant makes them in the trichomes, those tiny glands, like little hairs with a ball on the tip, that cover the buds. That's why the buds are the part that holds most of the cannabinoids, and the seeds have practically none.
You can think of them as a family: they all share an origin and have a similar structure, but each member has its own character.
The best-known cannabinoids
- THC (tetrahydrocannabinol): responsible for the psychoactive effect, the "high".
- CBD (cannabidiol): the second most abundant in many strains. It doesn't get you high.
- THCA: the form THC takes in the living plant. It has no psychoactive effect yet; it turns into THC with heat, when you smoke, vaporize or cook it.
- CBG (cannabigerol): it usually appears in small amounts. Its acid form, CBGA, is the starting point from which the plant makes other cannabinoids, like THCA and CBDA. That's why it's sometimes called "the mother cannabinoid".
- CBN (cannabinol): it forms when THC ages, for example over time or with exposure to light or air. Fresh, well-stored buds contain very little.
What cannabinoids mean on a product page
On our product pages you'll usually see the THC percentage and, for some strains, the CBD percentage or the ratio between the two. These are the figures the seed bank gives to show you how intense the variety will be. The actual result depends on how you grow the plant.
Related terms
Before you grow, check the laws in your country: growing cannabis is not allowed everywhere.
