The cannabis plant produces many different compounds known as cannabinoids. Two of the most well-known of these cannabinoids are THC and CBD but have you ever heard of CBN (Cannabinol)? Many people think that CBN is irrelevant, especially those with limited knowledge, who aren’t aware of its many benefits. In this review, we will tell you everything you need to know about CBN, and then you can decide for yourself if this compound deserves more praise.
Overview
While its name bears a striking resemblance to CBD, cannabinol, better known as CBN, offers its own unique effects and benefits that have researchers demanding more scientific investigation. The most pronounced and characterizing attribute of CNB is its sedative effects, and many companies are using this as a selling point. In fact, Steep Hill labs have claimed that cannabinol is the most sedative known cannabinoid. According to the lab, 5mg of CBN is equivalent to 10mg of valium when it comes to body relaxation. Interestingly, it has been speculated that the reason that Indica strains make you more sleepy is that they have higher levels of CBN.
On a more scientific level, CBN is closely related to THC because it is formed from the exterior oxidation of THC. In other words, the THC leaves CBN during its degradation. When the weed is cut and stored, THC ultimately becomes CBN. This is vastly different to the other molecules, which come directly from the cannabis plant.
What is CBN used for?
Now that we’ve had a look at what CBN is let’s look into how it can be used. As we mentioned before, CBN is a great sedative, actually, one of the best sedatives. This makes it an excellent treatment for insomnia. Thanks to CBN, you can benefit from a great night's rest, without the side effects and grogginess that are associated with sleeping pills. Research as far back as 1976 has proven the ability of CBN to treat insomnia and marijuana strains that contain a high level of THC and also contain CNB and myrcene are known to be the best options for getting a decent night's sleep.
Other benefits
While its’ sedative effects are the main use for CBN, there are a number of other benefits associated with this phenomenal compound. Let’s take a look at some of them below:
- Increasing appetite - While research thus far has only involved rats, they were found to eat large portions after consuming CBN. It’s thus thought to be an excellent choice for anyone who suffers from eating disorders.
- Chronic pain relief - Medical cannabis is known to act as a great pain reliever, and it seems that CBN plays a significant role in this.
- Cancer - Studies have found that CBN reduces Lewis lung carcinoma which is a type of a lung tumor. CBN also targets cellular pathways that are that are known to cause cancer growth.
- Anti-Inflammatory - Just like CBD and THC, CBN works as a very effective anti-inflammatory in the body.
- Anticonvulsant - As a compound that can reduce epilepsy-related seizures, CBN as an anticonvulsant works almost as well as CBD and THC.
- Vasorelaxation - CBN acts as a vasorelaxant. This means that it is useful if you have a condition like glaucoma.
- Bone Formation & Healing - Since CBN recruits stem cells from your bone marrow, it could help heal bones. Stem cells are changed into various cell types including fat, muscle, bone cells, and cartilage. CBN may also be responsible for increasing fibroblast cells which can greatly aid the healing of bone.
- Psoriasis - CBN is thought to decrease keratinocytes (a type of skin cell) proliferation, and thus CBN can reduce the process of psoriasis and treat your skin condition.
- Antibacterial - Research has found that CBN contains strong antibacterial effects and it could become an important MRSA (the superbug) treatment.
- Burn Treatment - CBN possibly has a hypothermic effect. This means that it lowers body temperature. Therefore you can use CBN topically to treat burns because of the compound’s pain-relieving and cooling effect.
After reading this review, we do not doubt that your views on CBN may have shifted, especially if you were one of those people who had written it off as a useless cannabinoid. If you were one of those people, you’re forgiven because truthfully, research on cannabinol, specifically on humans is currently lacking. As more research on CBN is conducted, we suspect that we will find even more uses for it. As for now, the thing that sets it apart from all the other cannabinoids is its strong sedative ability.