Cannabinoids are a group of natural compounds that the hemp plant forms. The most common are CBD and its raw precursor CBDA, plus CBG, CBN and THC. In the living plant they exist as acids (CBDA, CBGA); the neutral forms develop with heat. THC is the only psychoactive one.
What are cannabinoids?
Cannabinoids are fat-soluble compounds produced in the hemp plant's flowering head, above all in the tiny glandular hairs (trichomes). The hemp plant forms them as acids — the biochemically original form. It is only through heat, light or long storage that the acids convert into the neutral forms most people recognise.
Which cannabinoids are found in hemp?
The most commonly discussed are:
- CBDA – cannabidiolic acid (C₂₂H₃₀O₄), the raw form in living hemp.
- CBD – cannabidiol (C₂₁H₃₀O₂), formed when CBDA is heated and loses carbon dioxide.
- CBG – cannabigerol, often called the "mother cannabinoid" because its acid form CBGA is the starting point for the others.
- CBN – cannabinol, formed as THC breaks down over time.
- THC – tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive cannabinoid.
What is the difference between acids and neutral forms?
The difference is a carboxylic acid group (–COOH). In raw, unheated hemp the acids dominate (CBDA, CBGA). On heating, the group leaves as carbon dioxide — decarboxylation — and the acid becomes its neutral form, e.g. C₂₂H₃₀O₄ (CBDA) → C₂₁H₃₀O₂ (CBD) + CO₂. That is why raw hemp is CBDA-rich while heated extracts are CBD-rich (more in CBDA & CBD).
Which cannabinoid is psychoactive?
Only THC. CBD, CBDA, CBG and CBN are not psychoactive. It is the THC content that determines a product's legal status in Sweden (see full spectrum, broad spectrum or isolate).
FAQ
- What are cannabinoids? Natural compounds in hemp; the most common are CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN and THC.
- Which is psychoactive? THC is the only psychoactive one; CBD, CBDA, CBG and CBN are not.
- What is CBDA? CBD's raw, unheated acid form (C₂₂H₃₀O₄) found in living hemp.
Sources (PubChem): CBD 644019 · CBDA 160570 · CBG 5315659 · CBN 2543 · THC 16078.
For how cannabinoids interact with the body's own signalling systems, see oxytocin & the endocannabinoid system.
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