Three important definitions to start from.

1. CBD (or Cannabidiol) is a chemical compound with its own formula (C21H30O2).

2. CBD is a phytocannabinoid, which is a cannabinoid produced naturally from a plant. There are 146 phytocannabinoids in cannabis, each with its own characteristics.

3. A cannabinoid is “a group of molecules with twenty-one carbon atoms, or as the set of its carboxylic acids and analogues”, words of Professor Mechoulam.

CBD is, together with THC, the phytocannabinoid with the highest concentration within cannabis plants. CBD is particularly concentrated in fiber cannabis varieties (what we commonly call hemp) and does not have the central psychotropic effect of THC.

Properties of CBD

Each of us has an endocannabinoid system that processes, via receptors, the benefits that each of the cannabinoids and phytocannabinoids brings to the body. The benefits of CBD on our body studied are countless, here are some of the most important:

1. It is a natural psychophysical balancer: the endocannabinoid system is one of the main biological centers of our body, its correct function is essential for physical and mental processes to function correctly. CBD acts directly on the endocannabinoid system: stimulates it, protects it, strengthens it.

2. It's a painkiller.

3. It also reduces the psychotropic effects of THC itself, weakening the hangover symptoms felt.

4. It is a stabilizer of intraocular pressure.

5. It acts as an antiepileptic, anxiolytic, antibiotic.

Brief history of CBD

The scientific and pharmacological basis of the effects of cannabis has only been brought to public attention in the last century. “This is another herbal remedy with a very bad reputation.” These are the words of Patrick Wall, one of the fathers of "pain therapy" who at the end of the nineties highlighted the unfounded contrast between law, reputation and actual properties that cannabis plants, in all its forms, were able to provide of civilization.

It is from Napoleonic expeditions that the precariousness to the detriment of scientific research which has persisted intermittently since the end of the 19th century has persisted. The difficult history of CBD begins in 1940 in the States when it was isolated for the first time by Professor R.Adams' team.

Twenty years later, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam will use his academic efforts to study the magnificent properties of Cannabidiol which he will define as a "non-active precursor of THC". THC was in fact only isolated in 1942 and overshadowed and exacerbated any previous research attempts on cannabis phytocannabinoids due to its powerful psychotropic properties. Research proceeds and is updated with scientific truths that increasingly contrast the reputation and regulation of cannabis and the properties it makes available for the improvement of medical and everyday technologies.

Endocannabinoid system

The endocannabinoid system (EPS) is by definition an endogenous system (which has internal origin) of communication between cells and is of great importance for the regular functioning of the organism. In fact, it takes care of the regulation of pain, inflammation, appetite, hormones, glucose metabolism and the immune response. Cannabinoids act on EPS: endocannabinoids (internally produced cannabinoids) and phytocannabinoids (of predominantly plant origin). It is the receptors that are responsible for encoding the messages that the cannabinoids carry.

Worth mentioning are CB1s which are mainly widespread in the peripheral and central nervous system (they are also partly present in other types of tissues other than nervous such as endocrine glands, the reproductive and urinary systems). CB2 receptors are instead prevalent on immunocompetent cells: in the intestine, liver, spleen, tonsils, lymphocytes, monocytes.

Difference between CBD and THC

Hemp and Cannabis of the same genus and species, Cannabis Sativa. The big difference that has led to distinguishing them is in the concentration of cannabinoids: CBD (a non-psychoactive active ingredient with great relaxing, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving abilities) is higher in hemp; in Cannabis the THC (the psychotropic active ingredient produced by cannabis flowers) is much higher.

This is why the latter has always been referred to in Rastafarian and often derogatory terms, to the point of recognizing it under the name Marijuana which has only brought another element of confusion into the discussion. Only in recent years have cannabis and marijuana been separating their meanings in favor of Cannabis which is often linked to therapeutic use.

Hemp (often associated with the concept of "industrial") is instead at the origin of structures such as oils, fibres, cellulose. It has been fundamental since the dawn of time for the development of civilization thanks to its unrivaled versatility and is the backbone of the Hentourage project.