What is CBN in cannabis and how is it different from CBD?

As a reader with some background on the cannabinoids of hundreds of cannabis components, CBD or cannabidiol may be an all-too-familiar term. But it’s relatively rare to find people equally aware of another vital cannabis component: CBN or cannabinol. The overarching category of cannabinoids are essentially chemical compounds that interact with and attach to specific body receptors that experts refer to as the endocannabinoid system. So don’t worry if CBN is something completely new to you as most of the people who use cannabis for medicinal purposes are incredibly familiar with CBD instead. However, this article gets you to the point.

Not just for you, but for scientists and medical professionals as well, CBN is something they have only stumbled upon in the recent past. There are some studies on CBN, but the number is very small. According to the first indications of medical studies, CBN minimizes pain and has a general sedative effect. Before we go any further, let’s briefly examine the differences between CBD and CBN, as the two have some overlapping medical benefits.

Photo of Enecta cannabis extracts, courtesy of Unsplash

Uses and benefits of CBD

One of the distinguishing features of CBD is that it is not psychoactive, meaning that it does not induce a high like THC. Typical uses of CBD include treating people who suffer from conditions such as anxiety and pain. Unfortunately, the existing body of CBD studies is not exhaustive. But those we have on record suggest a high safety profile for the chemical constituent of cannabis. You can find CBD in a number of forms, including:

• Tinctures and oils
• gummy bear
• Pills and capsules
• Lotions and creams
• And of course steam

Some key medical uses of CBD are as follows:

• Coping with depression and anxiety
• Control seizures and protect the neural system
• Parkinson’s disease (research is ongoing)
• Alzheimer’s disease (research is ongoing)
• Epilepsy (research is ongoing)
• Multiple sclerosis (research is ongoing)
• Quality sleep
• Pain relief
• Treat cancer

Uses and benefits of CBN

Scientists infer the CBN chemical by breaking down the psychoactive THC cannabinoid. So, unlike CBD, CBN is actually psychoactive, albeit in a mild and negligible way. That means, in all likelihood, CBN won’t give you the THC high.

The relationship between research studies on CBD and CBN is not proportionate. The truth is that experts and scientists paid little attention to CBN in their research. But that does not affect their positive effect. CBN has already made a name for itself as a sleep aid. Granted, the lack of research on CBN is quite unfortunate. The chemical shows promise as a cure, if preliminary research is correct. CBN is widely used for its advantages in the following cases:

Most people who have taken CBN work like magic to ensure a more comfortable, deeper sleep. But as far as research goes, only one study suggests that CBN could potentially be a good sedative. The research dates back to 1975 and looked at only five male subjects. The study found that THC and CBN together had a stronger sedative effect than the THC compound alone.

A 2019 study in rats showed the effectiveness of CBD and CBN in reducing the perception of myofascial pain in rodents. Interestingly, the study observed how a mixture of CBN and CBD was more effective at relieving pain than either drug alone. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the study suggests that administration of CBD and CBN may relieve pain caused by fibromyalgia and TMJ disease.

• Potential protective effects on the neural system

According to a relatively older study in rats from 2005, CBN appears to delay the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, it is not certain that the chemical will have the same effect on humans.

Another rat study suggests that CBN appears to reduce inflammation resulting from arthritis. However, like its neuroprotective effects, current research cannot be certain that the effects will persist in humans.

Key Differences Between CBD and CBN?

Photo by Louis Reed, courtesy Unsplash

CBD helps people who suffer from the following diseases:

• Depression and anxiety
• sleep disorders
• Relief from pain
• Seizures
• Anti-inflammatory
• Neuroprotection

While CBN only helps with:

• sleep
• Pain relief
• inflammation
• Neuroprotection

Other important differences

Ordinary people might be expected to confuse between the similar sounding CBN and CBD. However, it is extremely important to distinguish between the two molecules.

• Differences in Obtaining CBD and CBN.Methods

CBD is the second largest ingredient in cannabis. As a result, manufacturers of CBD products can create certain breeds of cannabis that provide a greater amount of CBD. On the other hand, CBN manufacturers cannot directly manipulate the amount of CBN in a cannabis plant as it is the product of the breakdown of THC. However, manufacturers are free to heat the THC to accelerate the dissolution of THC in the form of CBN.

While science has only just begun discovering CBD and CBN, CBD is still miles ahead of CBN in terms of medical expertise.

CBD enjoys FDA approval as a treatment for two rare types of epilepsy and TSC-related seizures.

• Differences between CBD and CBN in terms of side effects

Medical professionals and experts regard CBD as a relatively safe treatment. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have side effects, including:

• fatigue
• diarrhea
• Change in appetite
• Fluctuations in weight

Mixing some medicines with doses of CBD can damage the liver. These drugs include:

• Lomitapid
• Leflunomide
• Mipomersen
• Teriflunomide
• pexidartinib
• Valproate

On the other hand, CBN has no known side effects, but it’s only natural as we know little about the chemical.

Conclude

While CBN is actually a potential drug with exceptional healing properties, it requires the advice of a doctor before using it. Not only CBN, but also CBD or other dietary supplements are best taken according to medical advice. This is mainly because drugs often interact with each other and may make your condition worse. The last thing to keep in mind is that these are complementary therapies and not those that a doctor can perform on their own.