The Essential Cannabinoid List

Did you know that more plants than just Marijuana produce cannabinoids?

There are over 480 different compounds in the Cannabis Sativa plant alone. And 66 of them are cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids themselves aren't all psychoactive like you might assume. Only a handful of them are. And sometimes their properties need to be changed in order to make them psychoactive in the brain.

While the classic cannabinoids found in the Cannabis Sativa plant may not be found elsewhere, compounds that affect the same cannabinoid system in the body do exist. These are called Cannabimimetics.

They have the same effects on the body as cannabinoids and could be considered cannabinoids themselves if you aren't a purist.

But the positive aspects of cannabinoids are shared by most if not all the compounds. And since you can find these compounds elsewhere in the plant world, we don't have to rely on changing laws to find them.

Here's our cannabinoid list. And it includes several plants that are not a marijuana plant.

1. Echinacea

Echinacea, vitamin C, and Zinc. This is the old standby for a lot of people when they start to come down with a cold.  

But what would your grandma think if she knew she was peddling a cannabinoid when she offered you her old cold remedy? 

But only certain species contain cannabinoids.  

The endocannabinoid system is a complex lipid signaling network. But we now know how to tell which part a chemical effects. The echinacea cannabinoid N-alkyl Amides (NAAs) interacts with the CB2 receptor.

And this receptor is mainly used by the body to regulate the immune system, inflammatory response of the body, and pain.

This would, of course, fit with echinacea's use as a common cold remedy. 

2. The Electric Daisy

For centuries Peruvian tribes used The Electric daisy to create a painkilling gel. But it wasn't until recently that it's been tested through modern techniques.

Within this miraculous plant lies a cannabinoid is known to also affect the CB2 receptor. N-Isobutylamides might be the culprit of the powerful painkilling properties of this plant.

As the CB2 receptor does deal with both pain and inflammation in the body, it is not unlikely that a cannabinoid would be responsible for the Electric Daisy's ability to kill the pain.

Of course, if this is approved by government agencies, we could be seeing it used in dentistry in place of drugs like lidocaine. 

3. Helichrysum Umbraculigerum

If you're looking for a plant with anti-depressant properties, you should examine the Helichrysum Umbraculigerum.

Long name, we know. But it's an indigenous plant in South Africa and it has a lot of the cannabinoid cannabigerol or CBG.

This cannabinoid is an antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and mood stabilizer. 

This is actually not a Cannabimimetic, but an original cannabinoid also found in cannabis.

It's not regarded as a psychoactive cannabinoid. It does have neuroprotective effects on mice. Which may translate into human health. 

And this is actually the initial chemical found in cannabis before it gets transformed into THCA, CBDA or CBCA. 

4. Liverwort

If you're looking for a THC-like compound, you'll find it in liverwort. 

Perottetinenic acid acts on the CB1 receptor. 

While we haven't seen any psychoactive effects come from this alternative to TCH, its effects on the CB1 receptor seem to suggest some sort of medical benefit around the corner.

And it's a plant that's been used to treat various illnesses naturopathically. Whether there is any credence in its uses for medical purposes hasn't been yet confirmed through science.

5. Chocolate

It's well known that dark chocolate is good for you. It's chock-full of antioxidants. And it's known to improve your mood and give you feelings of being in love.

And chocolate contains chemicals that react with the endocannabinoid system. 

Th two cannabinoid compounds found in chocolate deactivate the fatty acid amide hydrolase. The FAAH inhibits the production of anandamide in the body. 

Anandamide is called the bliss molecule. It binds to cannabinoid receptors and makes you feel great. 

This could very well be the reason that chocolate is so notorious in the world, health benefits aside. 

6. Black Pepper

There are marijuana plants that exude a taste like black pepper. And the culprit for this taste is the terpene chemical compound called beta-caryophyllene. 

BCP is now known as a cannabinoid compound. It binds to the CB2 receptor, which, as you probably remember, regulates the inflammatory processes. 

And it's found in large quantities in the black pepper plant. 

The compound has been shown to do some pretty amazing things like increase the ability of anticancer drugs to fight cancer, treat conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis.  

7. Flax Seeds

You probably wouldn't have guessed that the stuff in your morning bowl of muesli had cannabinoids. But it's recently been discovered that they do.

This plant actually produces a cannabidiol like substance. And it's found in all parts of the flax seed plant. 

Strangely, it seems like there is a correlation between two things in these plants that have cannabinoid-like compounds. They tend to already be healthy for you and be high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.

This is true for flax seeds and their plant of course.

The effects of the cannabinoid found in flax seed react with the body in the same way that cannabidiol reacts in the body.

While more analysis is needed before this compound is ever brought to market. It seems promising that we'll be seeing it as an alternative use medicine in the near future. And its uses might be consistent with those of CBD from cannabis.

Conclusion for this Cannabinoid List:

The miraculous endocannabinoid system would not have been well studied if it weren't for the cannabis plant. But the future for cannabinoids and their cousins looks promising. Especially as we're discovering more and more plants that react with the same system.

As we increase our awareness of what the ECS can do, we'll see more and more diseases rarified.

And we're working on a book that explores the basics of the endocannabinoid system and the many benefits of cannabinoids and their cousins.

If you'd like to be one of the first to access the book, join our waiting list. We'll pick 500 people to get a free digital copy of the book once it launches.