CBC: The Newest Cannabinoid for Health

Is there anything the marijuana plant can’t do? (Besides increase motivation and energy, of course.) You’ve probably heard plenty about the benefits of CBD, which can help regulate anxiety, stress and improve sleep, among other things. There’s also THC, which is responsible for giving you that “high” feeling.

You might not be as familiar with CBC, or cannabichromene. It’s one of the top six cannabinoids that scientists are researching, but it doesn’t get the same kind of press that CBD and THC do. However, studies are showing that it can offer significant benefits. Read on to learn what CBC can do for you.

An overview of cannabichromenes

First of all, CBC is not psychoactive, which means it’s not going to give you a high like THC does. This cannabinoid forms from cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). Over time, it breaks down into cannabichrome carboxylic acid (CBCA), then finally becomes CBC after exposure to ultraviolet light.

CBC is thought to work well with, and enhance the effects of other cannabinoids. Researchers call this the “entourage effect,” thanks to CBC’s tendency to bind to other receptors in the body. More research is necessary to understand just what CBC can do—but preliminary studies are looking promising. As scientists continue to look into this cannabinoid, we should better understand how it works and what kind of health problems it may help alleviate.

As always, you should consult a medical professional before starting a new health program—including a daily dose of CBC. Your doctor can tell you whether CBC will help or hinder your health, and give you dosage recommendations.

Benefits of CBC

If your doctor gives you the thumbs up, there are plenty of benefits CBC can offer. Here’s how it’s been known to help.

• Reduce pain and inflammation. Chronic pain and inflammation can make everyday life a lot more difficult, so it’s only natural that patients would seek out a better way to treat these conditions. CBC may be able to reduce pain and inflammation, without the side effects of traditional pain medication. Studies have shown that CBC helps reduce the symptoms of collagen-induced osteoarthritis. Instead of taking NSAIDs, you can dose yourself with CBC and skip the NSAID side effects.
• Get rid of acne. Adult acne is way more common than we tell teenagers. After all, if your parents said, “Oh, you’ll be dealing with this the rest of your life—it just won’t be as bad!” one can only imagine the response that would have gotten. Luckily, CBC has been shown to reduce lipid production in sebaceous glands, and reduce the inflammation that causes or accompanies acne. While more research is needed, this might just be the be-all, end-all solution to your acne problems in the future.
• Boost your brain health. Want to boost your brain function? CBC might be the answer, at least some time in the future. This compound has been shown to have a positive effect on neural stem progenitor cells (NSPCs), which help brain function. In fact, CBC may even help prevent neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s. That’s great news for anyone with a family history of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Banish depression. Finally, CBC might be helpful in treating depression. Along with THC and CBD, it offers some antidepressant properties. Of course, research is in the early stages, so don’t go out and buy CBC supplements for this specific reason. It’s too early to tell whether it may have any harmful side effects, let alone which doses are appropriate for your specific needs. However, this is great news for anyone who has had trouble with traditional antidepressants.

Anyone who has had trouble treating the conditions above should welcome these new developments. Traditional medicines often come with a whole host of side effects, some of which override its usefulness. For example, some depression medications have side effects like weight gain, loss of libido and other issues that make life less enjoyable. If scientists can harness CBC’s healthful properties, they may be able to come up with more effective medications. That’s why you should keep an eye on CBC research.

If your doctor isn’t amenable to using CBC or CBD to treat some of your issues, it may be worth finding one who does. As marijuana’s health properties are studied, we’re bound to find even more benefits—and discover the best ways to harness them.