What Is CBC And Does It Carry Benefits?
Cannabinoids like CBD and THC are quite familiar to all but not many might have heard of cannabichromene known as CBC. It was discovered over fifty years ago and it is regarded as one of the six cannabinoids that are being subjected to medical research. Although it doesn’t get much attention like CBD and THC, the benefits of CBC seem quite promising.
Like CBD and THC, CBC originates from CBGA (cannabigerolic acid). CBGA produced by cannabis plants is the precursor to three major cannabinoids CBDA, THCA and CBCA.
The aforementioned compounds are broken down by plant enzymes respectively into CBD, THC and CBC respectively.
Working Of CBC
CBC is a non-intoxicating compound and hence does not produce the euphoric effects characteristic of THC. Although it binds poorly to the CB1 receptors in the brain (which is why it is non-intoxicating), CBD binds with other receptors in the body including the vanilloid receptor 1(TRPA1) and transient receptor potential ankyrin 1(TRPA1), both linked to pain perception. When the receptors are activated by CBC, the body’s natural levels of endocannabinoids like anandamide increase. CBD offers various benefits when used alone but it works with other cannabinoids to produce the synergistic effect known as the entourage effect.
What Are The Medicinal Benefits Of CBC?
Some of the medical conditions that can be handled with CBC intake are discussed below.
Cancer
The interaction of CBC with anandamide, the body’s natural endocannabinoid suggests that CBC may be effective in fighting cancer. It is also observed from various studies that CBC is capable of limiting the uptake of anandamide, thereby allowing it to remain longer in the bloodstream.
Many of the in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that anandamide can fight breast cancer. This puts forward the possibility of using CBC and other cannabinoids as a chemopreventive agent in the future.
Pain And Inflammation
Several studies have demonstrated that CBC can effectively block pain and inflammation that is associated with collagen-induced arthritis. Cannabinoids like CBC handle inflammation differently from NSAIDs that are known to have some side effects.
Brain Cells
In a 2013 study that was conducted on mice, it was found that CBC has a positive effect on neural stem progenitor cells (NSPCs), which are the cells that play an important role in brain function. It is the NSPCs that differentiate into astroglial cells, which are very important in maintaining brain homeostasis. Neurotransmitter direction and defending oxidative stress are some among the functions performed by astroglial cells.
CBC offers a host of benefits similar to CBD. A full spectrum CBD product comes with all beneficial compounds in the source cannabis plant including CBD, CBC, THC, CBN, and more.
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