Being all too familiar with insomnia and not a fan of prescription medications, I wrote about CBN for Big Buds Magazine, in an effort to spread the word about this naturally occurring cannabinoid and it’s sedative properties.
If you are a medical marijuana patient — or even a recreational cannabis enthusiast — you are likely very familiar with cannabidiol (CBD) and its myriad medical benefits. But there’s another beneficial compound that you should know about if you don’t already: cannabinol (CBN).
CBN is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that occurs after tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been oxidized (exposed to oxygen over a period of time), and is known for its sedative qualities by producing more indica-type effects — a 5mg dose has been described as effective as a 10mg dose of pharmaceutical sedatives. CBN is often requested by patients as a sleep aid and for its pain-relief properties.
Perhaps even more impressive, CBN has shown promise as an antibacterial and could be a focal point in the future treatment of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), according to MIT Technology Review. Patients also sing its praises as a treatment for seizures, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and as a relief from post-operative pain, making it an incredibly useful part of natural medication.
One way to assist Mother Nature in increasing the amount of CBN in your own flower is through a proper curing process of at least 90 days, followed by decarboxylation, which is a key process before creating infused edibles.
CBN is not strain-specific, rather, it’s a product of how the material itself is treated, so there is no such thing as a high-CBN strain. Strains that test over 0.3 percent CBN — such as Purple Kush, Northern Lights or Granddaddy Purple — are a good start.
CBD-only products have certainly gained popularity in the medical market, so it’s important to distinguish it from CBN, which is a product of degraded THC and works in conjunction with more than 100 other terpenes as a whole-plant medicine.
Categories: cannabinoid, cannabis, insomnia, marijuana, medical marijuana
