Cannabigerol (CBG) is a type of cannabinoid obtained from the cannabis plant. It’s often referred to as the mother of all cannabinoids. This is because other cannabinoids are derived from cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), an acidic form of CBG.

Other more common cannabinoids obtained from cannabis plants include cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). 

CBG is found in smaller quantities than other cannabinoids in cannabis plants. In most strains of the plant, only 1% of CBG can be found compared to 20 to 25% of CBD or 25 to 30% of THC.

This makes consumer products derived from the cannabinoid rare and often expensive. However, CBG is growing in popularity because of the many potential benefits the cannabinoid offers. 

Cannabinol (CBN) is a cannabinoid found in the cannabis sativa plant. It can also be produced synthetically.

CBN forms when THC degrades due to exposure to heat, air and/or light. “This is why higher levels of CBN can be found in aged, dry cannabis,” says Eric Adams, CEO, president and director of InMed Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer and developer of rare cannabinoids. However, CBN isn’t known to cause the intoxicating psychoactive effects associated with THC.

THCA stands for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid and it is the precursor to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). When cannabis is growing it makes cannabinoids as carboxylic acids that most often convert into non-acidic compounds through a process called decarboxylation. Almost all cannabinoids start off in their acidic form which have differing structures and effects than that of their non-acidic versions.

THCA, although abundant in fresh cannabis, is unstable under controlled storage conditions and when exposed to light and/or heat it readily decarboxylates into THC.

In fact, one THCA study found that “THCA decarboxylates even when stored between 4 and 18ºC (39-64ºF) so THC contamination in THCA is nearly unavoidable.” This THC contamination even among pure extracts is what makes lab results based only on THCA so difficult to determine.

THCV, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is a minor cannabinoid—meaning it is found in lower concentrations than the major cannabinoids THC and CBD. THCV can be found in cannabis and hemp plants where it can either be consumed in plant material or taken as an isolated extract, most commonly in oil form.

THCV is slowly starting to gain more visibility, and it is particularly gaining a reputation for its health benefits. It induces its effects on the body through its interaction with cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. These receptors are responsible for the subsequent cascade of effects in the body, depending on their location.

CBD is short for cannabidiol, a naturally-occurring chemical found in the Cannabis sativa plant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cannabis is a genus of plants that contain many different compounds that can have different effects on the body.

Two different cannabis plants are marijuana and hemp. Two of the chemicals in these plants are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). Marijuana has higher levels of THC and lower levels of CBD while hemp has higher levels of CBD and lower levels of THC.

Unlike THC, which creates a "high" when used, CBD is not psychoactive, according to the CDC. Therein lies the major difference.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects. It acts much like the cannabinoid chemicals made naturally by the body, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Cannabinoid receptors are concentrated in certain areas of the brain associated with thinking, memory, pleasure, coordination and time perception. THC attaches to these receptors and activates them and affects a person's memory, pleasure, movements, thinking, concentration, coordination, and sensory and time perception, according to NIDA.

THC is one of many compounds found in the resin secreted by glands of the marijuana plant. More of these glands are found around the reproductive organs of the plant than on any other area of the plant. Other compounds unique to marijuana, called cannabinoids, are present in this resin. One cannabinoid, CBD is nonpsychoactive, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and actually blocks the high associated with THC.