Halloween may be over, but a lot of people still fear the scary side effects of cannabis: i.e, the paranoia and anxiety. But what if there was a cannabinoid that didn’t cause those things?
A lot of people stay away from cannabis because of the unwanted side effects, and we can’t blame them. Nobody wants to induce a fun and giggly time only to end up certain that someone is outside their house and trying to get them. It sounds too good to be true, but there really is cannabis that won’t give you that nasty paranoia and anxiety, and its name is THCV.
How does it (not) do that?
Every human has an Endocannabinoid System. This system stretches across your whole body, and is responsible for many functions. THCV gets in the way of THC or other molecules from binding to certain receptors in that system (CB1), which turn on things like depression, brain fog, paranoia, and anxiety.
It also turns on other signals that boost the good vibes.
According to one study (Burggrena, 2019), using certain kinds of cannabis, like strains high in THCV, “was associated with increased signal in the hippocampus and cerebellum.” The hippocampus is responsible for memory, learning, and emotional processing, which controls things like anxiety. Increased signaling may sound like a bad thing, but it’s not. According to that study, “increased endocannabinoid signaling is associated with reduced stress response, improved emotion regulation, and increased reward signaling,” which means you feel all of the good, and none of the bad.
So next time you want the fun and giggly euphoria of cannabis (but not the scaries), reach for some THCV.
Sources:Burggrena, Alison C., Shirazi, Anaheed, Ginder, Nathaniel, and London, Edythe D. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. “Cannabis effects on brain structure, function, and cognition: considerations for medical uses of cannabis and its derivatives” 2019 Jul 31.Ferber, Sari Goldstein et al. The “Entourage Effect”: Terpenes Coupled with Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Mood Disorders and Anxiety Disorders. Curr Neuropharmacol. Feb 18, 2020. Webpage. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7324885/