{"id":3013,"date":"2018-12-12T01:48:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T01:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/learn\/dictionary\/phytocannabinoid"},"modified":"2021-07-13T19:50:27","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T19:50:27","slug":"phytocannabinoid","status":"publish","type":"dictionary","link":"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/learn\/dictionary\/phytocannabinoid","title":{"rendered":"Phytocannabinoid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The most simple phytocannabinoid definition is any cannabinoid produced in the trichomes of a cannabis plant. When extracted from the plant and consumed, phytocannabinoids interact with our body's receptors to produce numerous psychotropic and therapeutic effects. Both plants and animals produce their own cannabinoids. Those produced inside the mammalian body are called endocannabinoids.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many different phytocannabinoids are found in the cannabis plant?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects you'll experience depend on which phytocannabinoids and terpenes are prominent in this strain.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tWhat are phytocannabinoids? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cannabinoids are a class of lipophilic molecules that interact with the body's<\/span> endocannabinoid system<\/span><\/a> (ECS). Phytocannabinoids, or exogenous cannabinoids, are plant-derived cannabinoids produced by glandular trichomes covering the surface of the cannabis plant. Trichomes are responsible for producing all of the plant's desirable compounds. More than 100 cannabinoids have been discovered in the cannabis plant, though research into their effects has only been done on the most prominent ones, <\/span>delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tWhat is the difference between phytocannabinoids and cannabinoids?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term cannabinoid refers to a broad class of chemical compounds produced by many biological species. Generally speaking, these chemicals help regulate and balance a number of biological functions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world of cannabinoids can generally be broken down into two main categories: phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids. The difference between the two is straightforward. Phytocannabinoids are produced by plants, while endocannabinoids are produced by mammals.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, are cannabinoids produced inside the mammalian body.<\/span> Every function in our bodies requires a specific balance of factors in order to perform at maximum capacity. When this balance is achieved, it's called homeostasis. Endocannabinoids play a major role in survival by helping the body maintain homeostasis. Because our bodies already use cannabinoid molecules to regulate many functions, we're inherently endowed with many targets the cannabis plant can activate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids aren't necessarily different on a structural level. They both activate the body's ECS by binding to cannabinoid receptors. Endocannabinoids activate a homeostatic effect, bringing the body to a balanced state of health. They are produced by our cells in an \u201con-demand\u201d fashion. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phytocannabinoids have the ability to produce more overtly medicinal effects, and <\/span>may be making up for endocannabinoid deficiencies<\/span><\/a> in the body when they trigger therapeutic responses. Phytocannabinoids are also capable of producing intoxication, which endocannabinoids alone cannot do.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tWhy does the plant produce cannabinoids?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The human body produces cannabinoids for survival through the activation of homeostasis. The cannabis plant also produces cannabinoids for its survival, but in a far more direct response to external pressures. Hytocannabinoids, produced by the cannabis plant's trichomes, cover the surface of the plant as a defense against environmental hazards such as insect predators and harsh weather conditions. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBiosynthetic pathways <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cannabinoids are produced through biosynthesis, in which enzymes trigger a series of chemical reactions that create complex molecules from simple ones. The enzymes responsible for producing the cannabinoids with which most of us are familiar are cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) synthase, cannabichromenic acid (CBCA) synthase, and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) synthase. These enzymes take the central cannabinoid precursors, cannabigerovarin acid (CBGVA) and cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), and convert them into the acidic cannabinoids CBDA, CBCA, and THCA. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These cannabinoids may be altered further through decarboxylation. When a chemical compound decarboxylates, it loses carbon atoms and releases carbon dioxide, either by heat or prolonged exposure to environmental stress. THCA and CBDA decarboxylate into THC and CBD, respectively, and only then do they exhibit psychoactive effects. THC, CBD, and other neutral cannabinoids can then be metabolized, or broken down into other cannabinoids by way of oxidation, or exposure to oxygen. CBD, for example, may be oxidized into the metabolites cannabielsoin (CBE) and cannabidinodiol (CBND). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tHow phytocannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid system<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ECS helps the body maintain functional balance through its<\/span> three main components<\/span><\/a>: \u201cmessenger\u201d molecules that our bodies synthesize, the receptors these molecules bind to, and the enzymes that break them down. Pain, stress, appetite, energy metabolism, cardiovascular function, reward and motivation, reproduction, and sleep are just a few of the functions influenced by the endogenous <\/span>cannabinoid<\/span><\/a> system. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Endocannabinoid\n\t\t\t<\/a>Photo by: Weedmaps<\/cite><\/figure>\t\t\t