What is CBN?

Canabinol (CBN) is one of many active components found in cannabis called cannabinoids. It has many health benefits and works well in combination with other cannabinoids like CBD and THC which many people are familiar with already. These cannabinoids are all closely related; next we will address how they connect to each other.

How are CBN and CBD related?

CBD and CBN are both active components of cannabis known as cannabinoids. CBD is not psychoactive. On the other hand, CBN is mildly psychoactive, but won’t cause you to get high like with THC. This is because CBN is what happens when THC breaks down. It is found a lot in older cannabis plants.

CBN has benefits on its own but may work best when combined with other cannabinoids. There are some applications where THC and CBN work well together. Below we will find out more about what CBN can help with.

What Are The Benefits of CBN?

Research on CBN commonly occurs alongside research on CBD, there are overlapping benefits between the two and they usually produce a stronger effect together than separate. It is important to note that the research available is done with rodent studies. This means that CBN has potential to help with certain ailments but we aren’t totally sure how it works in humans. Here are the ailments that CBN has the potential to help with:

• Pain. One study suggests that CBD and CBN may provide relief for chronic pain in conditions like temporomandibular disorders and fibromyalgia based on the responses on rats. In the study, CBD and CBN worked the best together instead of separately.
• Inflammation. Cannabinoids CBN, CBD and THC all have the ability to help ease inflammation based on rat studies.
• Neuroprotection. The onset of neuron disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was delayed in one study on rats.
• Appetite stimulation. One rat study showed that CBN increased feeding. The same study also found that CBD decreased food consumption.
• Glaucoma. One study states that “CBN promotes neuroprotection, abrogates changes in ECM protein, and normalizes the IOP levels in the eye. Therefore, our observations in the present study indicate a therapeutic potential for CBN in the treatment of glaucoma.”

CBN as a Sleep Aid

You may have heard of CBN being used as a sleep aid, but this was not included in the benefits above because of its complexity. There are people who use CBN as a sleep aid and feel it works well for them.

However, this evidence is mostly anecdotal as there has only been one study from 1975 on the sedating effect of CBN. One thing found in the study was that combining THC with CBN had stronger effects than by itself. This makes sense considering the relationship between the two. So, if you are considering CBN for sleep it may work best alongside THC as well.

Choosing the Right Product for You

CBN occurs in smaller amounts in hemp compared to CBD. This is the same with other cannabinoids like CBG and CBC that show up in trace amounts. Because these minor cannabinoids have specific benefits companies are able to concentrate them in products like oils and gummies. Below is a list of the high CBN products that Happy Trails offers.

• Vesl CBN tincture: this is a full spectrum product with an MCT oil base made for sublingual absorption.
• CBN Gummies: 25 mg each...Edibles can take an hour or more to absorb in the body but do stick around for longer.

Cannabis medicine is very individual so it does take some experimentation to figure out what works best for you. If you are interested in adding CBN to your routine, try out one of the products listed. Feel free to reach out online or in person with any questions.

My name is Amber. I am a cannabinoid consultant and columnist for Happy Trails. I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology, I enjoy learning about things I have passion for, and my family lovingly calls me a “human encyclopedia”.

References

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Farrimond, J. A., Whalley, B. J., & Williams, C. M. (2012, September). Cannabinol and cannabidiol exert opposing effects on rat feeding patterns. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 223(1), 117-129. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22543671/

Karniol, I. G., Shirakawa, I., Takahashi, R. N., Knobel, E., & Musty, R. E. (1975). Effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol in man. Pharmacology, 13(6), 502-512. https://doi.org/10.1159/000136944

Weydt, P., Hong, S., Witting, A., Moller, T., Stella, N., & Kliot, M. (2005, September). Cannabinol delays symptom onset in SOD1 (G93A) transgenic mice without affecting survival. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Other Motor Neuron Disord ., 6(3), 182-184. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16183560/

Wong, H., & Cairns, B. E. (2019, August). Cannabidiol, cannabinol and their combinations act as peripheral analgesics in a rat model of myofascial pain. Arch Oral Biol, 105, 33-39. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31158702/

Yetman, D. (2021, January 14). CBD vs. CBN: Benefits, Differences, Potential Side Effects & More. Healthline. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-vs-cbn#cbn-benefits-uses

Zurier, R. B., & Burstein, S. H. (2016, July 19). Cannabinoids, inflammation, and fibrosis. FASEB, 30(11), 3682-3689. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.201600646r