By now, most people have heard of THC and CBD — two of the most abundant and medically relevant constituents in the cannabis plant.
CBC is a closely related compound that’s starting to become more popular as a supplement. This unique cannabinoid has been shown to offer a variety of unique health benefits. It’s shown promise as an anticancer agent, painkiller, and neuroprotective agent.
Some studies have even shown CBC could be a more effective antidepressant than CBD.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about CBC — including how it works, how to use it, and its health benefits.
What is CBC?
CBC is short for cannabichromene. It’s the third most abundant cannabinoid in the hemp plant after CBD and THC. This cannabinoid is considered a “sibling” of CBD and THC because it’s made from the same precursor — CBG.
First, the hemp plant manufacturers CBG, which can be thought of as the “cannabinoid stem cell.” From here, CBG is converted into either CBD, THC, or CBC.
Most hemp plants convert the majority of the CBG into CBD, while marijuana plants convert the majority of the CBD into THC instead. Plant breeders are now turning their focus towards CBC by making strains that emphasize the conversion of CBG into CBC instead.
Is CBC Legal?
CBC products are entirely legal in most countries — including the United States. The caveat is that they must be from the hemp plant. CBC made from marijuana is a substance that is in control and one can sell in places where marijuana is legal — even if the THC component is below psychoactive thresholds.
CBC that comes from hemp is completely legal. In some parts of Europe, they need to confirm the THC content to be 0% — so only CBC concentrates or broad-spectrum extracts are legal. Full-spectrum CBC extracts may not be legal in all European countries.
Hemp is differentiated from marijuana based on the THC content of the plant. Hemp is defined as any Cannabis sativa plant that produces less than 0.3% THC by dried weight.
It’s unlikely any regulators will seek to ban or restrict CBC in the future. This compound is very similar to CBD in terms of effect profile and safety. There’s no indication CBC is harmful to our health or addictive in any way CBC is completely non-psychoactive, which means that you won’t feel high no matter how much you take.
Health benefits of CBC.
- Antimicrobial– CBC Fights Bacteria and Fungi. It exhibits “strong” antibacterial effects on a variety of gram-positive, gram-negative, and acid-fast bacteria; CBC shows “mild to moderate” activity against different types of fungi too.
- Anti-Viral– It may play a role in the anti-viral effects of cannabis.
- Anti-inflammatory Properties– CBC can reduce oedema (swelling) as well as inflammation of the intestinal tract. CBC appears to fight inflammation without activating cannabinoid receptors, CBC produces a stronger effect when combined with other cannabinoids.
- Analgesic– Reduces pain, although it is not as strong as THC. CBC contributes to the overall analgesic effects of cannabis. It fights pain by “interacting with several targets involved in the control of pain” at the spinal level. CBC is non-psychoactive, scientists are hopeful that these cannabis compounds can treat pain – without the high.
- Anti-Depressant– It fights depression. CBC and several other cannabinoids may “contribute to the overall mood-elevating properties of cannabis.” It doesn’t seem to activate the same pathways in the brain as THC.
- Stimulates Brain Growth– CBC appeared to increase the viability of developing brain cells – a process known as neurogenesis.
- Anti-Proliferative– inhibits the growth of cancerous tumours. This could be a result of its interaction with anandamide (an endocannabinoid, which means our body produces it naturally). It affects the CB1 receptors, as well as the CB2 receptors, and has been found to fight against human breast cancer. CBC inhibits the uptake of anandamide, which allows it to stay in the bloodstream longer.
- Migraines– CBC has also been a successful remedy for migraines.
Is CBC Safe?
CBC is safe and non-toxic.
Despite the lack of research specific to CBC, there’s never been any indication this cannabinoid is dangerous. Research has shown the opposite so far.
One of the best ways to assess the toxicity of a compound is to find its LD50. This is a concept that describes the amount of a substance that one needs to have a 50% fatality rate.
Scientists are yet to determine the LD50 for CBC. Mice given an insanely large dose of CBC (3000 mg/kg) was fatal in only 20% of the subjects.
This is an extremely high dose — only achievable by injection. It’s virtually impossible to get this dose of CBC by eating or smoking it. To put this into context, a 150 lb person would need to inject 204 grams (204,000 mg) of pure CBC to reach this same dose. For context, the dose of CBC is around 20 to 50 milligrams.
With that said, side effects are always a possibility. In the case of CBC, the side effects are very minimal.
The most common side effects from high-dose CBC extract:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
Conclusion.
There hasn’t been a lot of research on CBC yet — but so far, the effective dose appears to be on par with CBD.
The average dose of CBC is between 10 and 50 mg.
CBC is a very safe cannabinoid — just like CBD. It’s also completely non-psychoactive, which means even very high doses aren’t going to make you feel high and are unlikely to produce side effects.
The initial rush of medical research focused on the two primary cannabinoids — CBD and THC. Now that we have a much stronger understanding of these two compounds, researchers are shifting their focus to look at some of the more minor cannabinoids — such as CBC.
So far, the results have been auspicious.
As more research is ongoing every year on the health benefits of CBC, we expect to see a dramatic uptick in the production of new CBC products and CBC-rich hemp flower.
It’s going to take several years for the CBC market to develop, but we’re already heading in the right direction.
