Cannabinoids Archives

CBN, as a cannabinoid, has been around for decades. Still, it’s just now getting its moment in the spotlight—or should we say it’s getting infused into a whole basket full of sleep-aid products. CBN oil can help you quiet your racing thoughts and ease into bed when used properly.

In this post, we’re going to cover:

What CBN oil is
What CBN’s potential benefits are
How to take it to help with sleep
And address some of the internet’s most common questions

What Is CBN Oil?

CBN oil is an oil, usually MCT, that’s been infused with the cannabinoid CBN, shorthand for cannabinol. CBN oil can also contain other ingredients which we’ll get into later in this post.

The Spectrum

CBN oil can come in three distinct varieties: full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate-based.

Without getting too in the weeds, here’s the breakdown:

Full-spectrum: Contains all cannabinoids present in the cannabis/hemp plant at harvest
Broad-spectrum: This is full-spectrum CBN oil with THC cannabinoids removed.
Isolate-based: Made with a carrier oil and isolated CBN. No other cannabinoids should be present.

You can figure out what kind of CBN oil you are considering by looking at its third-party certificates of analysis. These lab documents will show you which cannabinoids are in your product and at what concentrations.

Suppose you want to learn more about the differences in the hemp-product spectrum. In that case, we do have some blog posts about full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolated CBD.

What Does CBN Oil Do?

CBN is still a relatively understudied cannabinoid, but there have been a few non-FDA studies that suggest it may be able to help with:

How Do You Take CBN Oil To Sleep

Of the potential benefits listed above, promoting sleep is CBN’s biggest selling point. While calling CBN a guaranteed sleep aid would be misleading, there are ways that you can work CBN oil into your sleep routine.

As with most supplements, you must give CBN oil time to take effect. Unlike CBN gummies, which require up to two hours to take full effect, CBN oil may take as little as 15 minutes to kick in.

Sublingual | Est. Time To Effect: 15 Minutes

The first and faster way of taking CBN oil requires filling up your dropper, assuming your product comes with a dropper bulb and pipette. Fill the pipette to your desired dosage and put the oil under your tongue. Let the oil sit there for about 20 seconds before you swallow. This method is called sublingual ingestion.

Because the membrane is so thin under your tongue, CBN can enter your bloodstream more quickly here than in your digestive system.

Consuming | Est. Time To Effect: 45 Minutes

The second, more gradual way to take CBN oil is to swallow your desired dosage directly or put it in a beverage. Without letting the oil sit under your tongue, you’ll force the CBN in your oil to enter your bloodstream more slowly.

The added benefit of slower absorption is that the effects of the cannabinoids should last longer than if you were to use your CBN oil sublingually.

Will CBN Oil Change How You Sleep?

Adding CBN oil to your sleep schedule isn’t likely to change how you sleep. As a naturally occurring substance, CBN is a gentle cannabinoid. It won’t turn you into someone who can sleep through your alarm.

CBN will allow your body and mind to relax so that you can fall asleep more easily.

Will CBN Oil Make You Groggy In The Morning?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Waking up groggy is a function of many different factors, including where in your sleep cycle you wake up.

Grogginess after taking CBN oil can depend on your dosage, when you took your dose before bed and the presence of other cannabinoids.

If you do decide to add CBN oil to your sleep routine, start slow and gradually increase your dosage as needed. Experiment with ingestion methods, i.e., sublingual vs. consumption, timing, and different spectrum products.

Can CBN Oil Make You Hungry?

There is some evidence that suggests CBN can be an effective appetite stimulant. If your question is more, will taking CBN oil turn you into a midnight fridge raider—probably not.

CBN and full-spectrum CBD products may affect your appetite, but not in the way that THC products give you the “munchies.”

Can You Mix Melatonin and CBN Oil?

You can mix melatonin with CBN and cannabinoid products in general. Sunset Lake CBD sells melatonin-infused sleep products and CBN products that are melatonin-free.

As of this writing, no studies suggest mixing CBN and melatonin is harmful or counterproductive.

Frequently Asked CBN Oil Questions

So far, we’ve covered what CBN oil is, how to use it, and how it may affect your nightly routines. But there are many more general questions we haven’t touched on. In the rest of this post, we’ll address some of the internet’s most common questions.

Are There Any Side Effects?

Because federal agencies stifled cannabinoid research for so long, CBN-specific research is in its infancy. We don’t know much about the long-term side effects of CBN use, but we can extrapolate based on what we know about CBD. Side effects of full-spectrum CBD use may include:

Changes in appetite
Diarrhea
Nausea
Dizziness
Upset Stomach

Is CBN Habit-Forming?

As of this writing, CBN has no known addictive properties. It is a gentle cannabinoid that may have potential nighttime benefits. Inconsistent use, however, may lead to disrupted sleep patterns.

Does It Interact With Medications?

CBN, and cannabinoids in general, do interact with certain medications in the Staten class (and others). You should talk to your doctor and pharmacist before adding any cannabinoids to your nighttime routine.

Will CBN Oil Show Up On A Drug Test?

Your product may trigger a positive drug test. If your CBN oil contains any THC or is labeled as “full-spectrum,” there is a good chance that it will register on a workplace drug screening.

Isolate-based and broad-spectrum products should be fine. To learn more about cannabinoids and why some products show on drug tests, see our post about CBD and drug tests here.

Is CBN Oil Psychoactive Like THC?

Because CBN is the oxidated form of THC, it interacts with your endocannabinoid system in much the same way. Because CBN binds to your CB1 receptors, it is technically a psychoactive cannabinoid.

That said, you are unlikely to experience the same kind of psychoactive effects that you would a THC product. Think of CBN as causing drowsiness and relaxation rather than euphoria and time dilation.

Is It Legal?

Depending on where you live, CBN oil may or may not exist in a legal gray area. Federally speaking, as long as CBN is derived from cannabinoids harvested from industrial hemp, it’s legal.

The Wrapup

CBN oil offers a fast-acting and potent option for folks looking for natural sleep supplements. Before you buy anything, be sure to look into the quality of the products via testing documents and look at the company’s reviews.

Cannabinoid products are continuing to evolve and meet the needs of more and more people. One such need that millions face daily (and nightly) is a lack of quality sleep. CBD oil was the first product that many of us turned to, but as our understanding of cannabinoids deepens, CBN is beginning to gain popularity.

In this post, we will cover CBN oil specifically and talk about what the cannabinoid may be able to do for you. We’ll also cover,

The difference between full-spectrum and isolate CBN oil
Where CBN comes from
And five things you should be on the lookout for if you’re interested in buying CBN oil

What Is CBN Oil?

CBN Oil is any oil, called a carrier oil, that’s been infused with CBN. CBN is short for canna-bi-nol, emphasis ours.

Full-spectrum CBN Oil will contain additional cannabinoids like CBD and THC, though it is possible to find sublingual products made with CBN isolate. CBN oil made with isolate should not contain any other cannabinoids.

Before we jump into what you may want to use CBN oil for and what to look out for before you add that product to your cart, let’s review what CBN is and what it isn’t.

What Is CBN?

CBN is one of the more than 100 naturally occurring chemicals—cannabinoids— produced by the hemp and cannabis plants. It is different than other popular cannabinoids like CBD and THC because CBN is an oxidized cannabinoid.

Unlike CBD, CBN doesn’t come from fresh hemp flowers. Instead, the only way to harvest CBN is via THC oxidation, meaning that we must break down delta-9 THC with oxygen and UV light to reap its benefits.

Because CBN is the byproduct of THC, we consider it to be mildly psychoactive. That isn’t to say that CBN is a milder version of THC. CBN isn’t going to make you feel euphoric or dilate time. Instead, the effects commonly associated with CBN use include:

Relaxation
Sedation
Feeling weighted down
Mild fuzzy sensations in your limbs

Is CBN A Better Sleep Aid Than CBD?

It’s hard to say which cannabinoid is better at any one thing. CBN and CBD are not sleep aids, nor are they all that effective when used in isolation.

Sunset Lake CBD usually advocates for full-spectrum products, meaning you get all cannabinoids produced by the hemp plant. That’s a roundabout way of saying that CBD and CBN together are more effective than either CBN or CBD alone.

5 Things To Consider Before Buying CBN Oil

What Are Your Expectations For CBN Oil?

Before shopping for CBN oil, you should ask yourself what benefits you expect to get from its use. If your answer is a non-negotiable, surefire sleep aid, CBN oil may not be for you. Instead, you should talk to your doctor about what FDA-approved sleep aids are on the market.

If you are looking for supplements that can improve your sleep hygiene and help you relax, CBN oil is what you’re looking for.

One of the harsh realities about cannabinoids is that while they have a reasonably understood effect profile, they don’t work for everyone as intended. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but better now than after spending money on a product that isn’t right for you.

Side Effects And Medication Interference

Before you buy CBN oil, you’ll want to speak with your doctor or pharmacist about any possible interactions they may have with your medications. Serious cannabinoid interferences are rare but not impossible.

You should also know the side effects before you buy CBN oil online. CBN’s side effects include:

Changes in appetite
Diarrhea
Nausea
Dizziness
Upset stomach

If you do experience any of these side effects, stop using your CBN oil and monitor your condition. It may be a dosage issue, but you may also not tolerate CBN suspended in oil. You may want to check out CBN gummies if that’s the case.

Additional Ingredients

It’s not uncommon for CBN oil to contain other ingredients designed to help you get to sleep. More common additives include melatonin, St. John’s Wort, and peppermint.

Based on what you know about your body, these ingredients may or may not help you. Always check the ingredients on any supplement you plan on buying.

Full Spectrum vs. Isolate

One thing you’ll want to determine about any cannabinoid-infused product is whether or not it’s full-spectrum or not. We have a more in-depth explanation of this jargon below.

Essentially, when a product is full-spectrum, it contains additional cannabinoids that may not be mentioned on the label, specifically THC. While this may not be an issue for you, trace amounts of THC can throw a wrench into workplace drug tests and government assistance programs. Always be sure to check your certificate of analysis. That brings us to our final point.

Look For Test Results

Because the cannabinoid market is so underregulated, you should always ask to see test results for the CBN oil that you plan to buy online.

Not only can a certificate of analysis tell you about the potency of your product, but it will also tell you about any other cannabinoids that may be present and when the last time the manufacturer tested the product.

At first glance, certificates of analysis can be daunting. Luckily, we have a guide that can help you become an expert.

It’s amazing how many different cannabinoids the hemp plant produces in its short, but prolific lifespan. As of now, we know of more than 100 cannabinoids and over 400 other plant-based (phyto-) chemicals that hemp produces. What we didn’t know was how different environmental factors affected cannabinoid production, that is, until now.

In the rest of this post, we’ll summarize a 2023 study about environmental factors like light and soil and how they relate to hemp flower potency. We’ll touch on a few points like,

Is sungrown hemp more potent than indoor?
Can the plant’s light source affect the user’s entourage effect?
Do external factors affect terpene production?

Continue reading “CBD With A Conscience: Is Sungrown Hemp More Potent Than Indoor?”

What does the “best by” date on your jar of hemp flower mean? Can the cannabinoids— the active ingredients inside— expire? The short answer is, yes, sort of. While the flower itself isn’t going to go bad for quite some time, the cannabinoids that you’re buying the flower for (whether CBD or THC) can oxidize and lose potency. Understanding cannabinoid oxidation and its factors is crucial to keeping your flower fresh and stable.

In this post, we’re going to cover,

What cannabinoid oxidation is
How oxidation changes THC and CBD
And, how to prevent your flower from oxidizing

Continue reading “Can Cannabinoids Go Bad? Understanding Cannabinoid Oxidation”

Have you ever wondered why your CBD oil helps you relax at the end of the day or why music sounds amazing after a recreational edible? All of hemp and cannabis’s effects can be traced back to the expansive system of receptors and neurotransmitters found throughout your body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

But it doesn’t end there. The endocannabinoid system plays a role in many of our bodily functions. In this post, we’re going to cover,

Three main components of the ECS
Physiological functions our ECS regulates
The role phytocannabinoids play in our ECS

Continue reading “Understanding The Endocannabinoid System (ECS)”

You may not have ever heard of adenosine before, but it is the reason that most coffee drinkers need their first cup in the morning. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that can make you tired in the morning and later in the evening, but it can do so much more. It’s also at the mercy of our favorite cannabinoid. CBD and adenosine research is still lacking, but we’ll talk about why we may want to direct more attention towards their interaction.

In this post, we’re going to cover

What adenosine is
How adenosine interacts with our brains
How CBD can affect adenosine interactions
And what that means about CBD’s potential benefits

What Is CBD?

The abbreviated form of cannabidiol, CBD is one of the 100+ cannabinoids produced by flowering hemp plants. CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning that its consumption will not make you feel high or intoxicated like THC would.

While experts are still unsure about how CBD interacts with your body, we do know that it works closely with your endocannabinoid system— an intricate network of neurotransmitters, receptors, and enzymes. Your endocannabinoid system helps manage your bodily functions like,

Sleep
Mood
Appetite
Memory
Central Nervous System Development
And more…

What Is Adenosine?

Adenosine is an endogenous neurotransmitter made up of a nitrogen base (adenine) combined with a sugar molecule (ribose). Adenosine can combine with one, two, or three phosphate groups forming adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), respectively.

By itself, adenosine is a neuromodulator, meaning that it can influence the activities of the neurotransmitters around it like dopamine and glutamate. One of its primary functions is to calm the central nervous system by promoting relaxation and drowsiness. Adenosine builds up in your brain over the course of the day, making you feel more tired as the day wears on.

Note that caffeine (the psychoactive substance found in coffee) works against adenosine, blocking it from binding with the appropriate receptors resulting in feelings of alertness. Beware though that this effect will only last for so long before your brain’s neurotransmitters eventually win out.

How Does Adenosine Work?

Much like melatonin, adenosine is a chemical that works on a 24-hour schedule as part of our circadian rhythm. More and more adenosine builds up in the body as the day goes on.

Adenosine controls certain functions in your body by binding to specific receptors in your brain and central nervous system. Said receptors are important to many of our day-to-day functioning and worth a closer look.

A1 Receptors:

When activated, the A1 receptor curbs neurotransmitter release which can have a calming effect on the brain. Fewer chemicals flying through your brain means that you’re more calm. A1 receptors are involved in sleep regulation, pain management, and heart rate regulation.

A2A Receptors:

Found primarily in the part of the brain that links motivation to motor skills and decision-making, the A2A receptors can both stop or facilitate neurotransmission— the ability of neurons to share information with each other.

A2B Receptors:

Found in various tissues like blood vessels and white blood cells, A2B receptors help with immune response, inflammation, and reducing blood pressure.

A3 Receptors:

Similar to A2B receptors, A3 receptors are located throughout your body and help regulate your immune system, its response to external threats, and inflammation.

How Does CBD Affect Adenosine?

The interaction between CBD and adenosine is understudied, but there have been some cursory findings.

CBD has been found to increase adenosine signaling by inhibiting the reuptake of adenosine.¹ When CBD prevents the reuptake of adenosine, it effectively increases adenosine availability in your body. This surplus of adenosine must go somewhere, so it activates the four A receptors listed earlier, promoting a sense of calm, relaxation, and sleepiness.

It may be these adenosine interactions that give CBD its benefits.

Anti-Anxiety effects:

Adenosine and the A2A receptors may help alleviate stress and anxiety symptoms by promoting relaxation²

Anti-Inflammatory effects:

Adenosine has anti-inflammatory effects. CBD’s influence and uptake inhibition may further enhance adenosine’s anti-inflammatory potential.³

Sleep Benefits:

While not thoroughly studied, we can extrapolate and hypothesize that CBD and its interaction with adenosine may help regulate sleep. Adenosine increases an individual’s sleep pressure, and when inhibited from reentering your brain, excess adenosine is likely to make you more tired.

Further Study Is Needed

Research into CBD and adenosine interactions is still new, but the emerging findings are promising. As more rodent studies show promise for CBD therapeutic uses, we may even start to see human trials. For now, most findings into adenosine and its interactions with cannabidiol and cannabinoids at large are one-off and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Sources:

Carrier, Erica J et al. “Inhibition of an equilibrative nucleoside transporter by cannabidiol: a mechanism of cannabinoid immunosuppression.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 103,20 (2006): 7895-900. doi:10.1073/pnas.0511232103
Stollenwerk, Todd M et al. “Contribution of the Adenosine 2A Receptor to Behavioral Effects of Tetrahydrocannabinol, Cannabidiol and PECS-101.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 26,17 5354. 2 Sep. 2021, doi:10.3390/molecules26175354
Mecha, M et al. “Cannabidiol provides long-lasting protection against the deleterious effects of inflammation in a viral model of multiple sclerosis: a role for A2A receptors.” Neurobiology of disease vol. 59 (2013): 141-50. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2013.06.016

If you’ve visited a retailer that sells hemp or cannabis you may have come across the term “entourage effect.” No, they’re not referring to the HBO show of the mid- to late-aughts. The entourage effect as coined by cannabis scientists refers to the compounding nature of hemp’s cannabinoids. Taken individually cannabinoids can only do so much, but together they can do so much more.

In the rest of this post, we’ll tease out,

What the entourage effect is
Where the term was coined
And, all of the moving parts

Continue reading “The Entourage Effect: What Is It & How Does It Work?”

Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, cannabinoids, namely CBD (and a few others), have been attracting some attention. While many try to make a quick buck by selling cannabinoid-infused products as miracle cures, the science behind cannabinoids is much more nuanced.

In this post, we’re going to discuss,

What cannabinoids are
How they interact with our body
And, how external cannabinoids like CBD figure into the equation

What Are Cannabinoids: The Basics

Cannabinoids are a type of chemical compound produced by flowering cannabis plants. In this context, cannabis plants refer to Cannabis Sativa L. plants and mean both hemp and THC-dominant cannabis plants. What makes cannabinoids special is their ability to interact with the endocannabinoid systems (ECS) found in mammals, including us humans.

As of today, researchers have discovered over 100 different cannabinoids produced by the cannabis plant, though they expect to discover more.

The Endocannabinoid System

The discovery of the endocannabinoid system in the 1980s and early 1990s shed light on the importance of cannabinoids in the human body. Our endocannabinoid system consists of three parts: endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes

Endocannabinoids

Endocannabinoids act as neurotransmitters, carrying messages between your cells, helping them maintain homeostasis. Think of them as your body’s bike messengers delivering messages to receptors all over your body. The messages can include,

Produce and release growth hormone
Release dopamine
Time to release melatonin

The first endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), was discovered in 1992 in the lab of Israeli chemist, Raphael Mechoulam. Since then, researchers have discovered and cataloged over a hundred more cannabinoids that interact with your ECS. ¹

Receptors

Researchers have identified two different types of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2 receptors. While CB1 receptors are found mainly in your brain and central nervous system, CB2 receptors are found throughout your immune system and all over your internal organs.

Researchers discovered and cloned these receptors in the early 90s— CB1 in 1990 and CB2 in 1993. The discovery and confirmation of these receptors led researchers to hypothesize and find endogenous cannabinoids (endo-cannabinoids) that are produced inside your body. ¹

Enzymes

Once cannabinoids complete their messaging tasks, enzymes break them down so that your body can safely dispose of them. The primary enzymes responsible for endocannabinoid system cleanup are fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). ²

What Are Phytocannabinoids

Your body produces endocannabinoids for internal purposes, but we started this post talking about cannabinoids produced by the cannabis plant. We call those external, plant-based cannabinoids phytocannabinoids.

Phytocannabinoids mimic our body’s endocannabinoids and interact with our CB1 and CB2 receptors in varying ways. There are many different phytocannabinoids, but the most popular include,

Cannabidiol (CBD)

CBD is short for cannabidiol and unlike THC and CBN it’s not psychoactive, meaning that it doesn’t cause intoxication or make the user feel “high.” Instead, CBD interacts with both your CB1 and CB2 receptors to facilitate the uptake of beneficial endocannabinoids.

Back to our bike messenger analogy. If our endocannabinoids are messengers carrying important directions to different parts of our body, CBD is like the traffic cop who stops traffic and lets those messengers through. This can be quite helpful when our endocannabinoids are sending anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and anti-anxiety messages.

Cannabinol (CBN)

Cannabinol, shortened to CBN, is mildly psychoactive. It is the oxidated form of THC and interacts with our ECS and CB1 receptors in the same way. While we still don’t know for certain the isolated effects of CBN on humans, we believe that it may help facilitate better sleep.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

The most well-known phytocannabinoid thanks to its psychoactive properties, THC is a strong CB1 agonist. When THC binds to our CB1 receptors, we may feel euphoria, time dilation, and changes in mood and cognitive skills.

The Entourage Effect

While we’ve identified over 100 cannabinoids to date, it’s important to note that cannabinoids, both endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids, don’t work (well) in isolation. Research suggests that the interaction between the full spectrum of cannabinoids is vital to experiencing any benefits. This interaction is known as the “entourage effect.”

What Are Cannabinoids: Summarized

While the discovery of endocannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system is truly exciting, it’s important to realize that it’s relatively uncharted biology and that we know very little about how the system works.

That being said, we know even less about phytocannabinoids, which is why we don’t make any medical claims about our handcrafted hemp products. We do believe that cannabinoids can be beneficial, but each person needs to determine what their needs are and what product is right for them.

Sources:

International League Against Epilepsy, “The discovery of the endocannabinoid system: Centuries in the making”, Newswise.com, Newswise Inc., Jan. 27, 2019, www.newswise.com/articles/the-discovery-of-the-endocannabinoid-system-centuries-in-the-making, Aug. 17, 2023
Basavarajappa, Balapal S. “Critical Enzymes Involved in Endocannabinoid Metabolism.” Protein and Peptide Letters, vol. 14, no. 3, 2006, p. 237, https://doi.org/10.2174/092986607780090829. Accessed 17 Aug. 2023.

A full night’s rest isn’t something you should leave up to chance. But there are so many cannabis retailers out there selling CBN nighttime drops or CBN gummies. How can you have confidence in the CBN you’re buying? Not to worry as we’ve put together a short list of what to look for when you’re ready to buy CBN online.

In the rest of this post, we’ll cover,

Website green flags
Social media scouting
Verified reviews

Continue reading “Where Should You Buy CBN Online?”

Edible THC products are becoming more popular in today’s hemp market. You may have found this blog while looking for gummies infused with hemp-derived THC.

Have you ever wondered why edible THC seems to be more powerful than inhaled THC? You’re in luck. We’ll cover that and the following in this post. Continue reading “What Is Edible THC? 5 Tips On How To Safely Enjoy Edibles”

A lot of new delta-9 THC products are coming out that are designed to help users relax and have fun. But what is delta-9 THC? Is it the same as THC?

In this post, we’ll look at,

What Delta-9 THC is
Safety considerations
And, what you should know if you’re considering purchasing some.

Continue reading “What Is Delta-9 THC? The Basics”

The hemp plant produces over a hundred different cannabinoids, but as of now, researchers have only just scratched the surface when it comes to their potential benefits. Some of these cannabinoids you may be familiar with, like CBD, THC, and CBN. Lately, there has been a lot of media attention on the “varin” family of molecules, like cannabivarin (CBDV) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). Specifically, some articles have dubbed THCV “diet weed” citing claims that THCV might help with weight loss.

In this post, we’ll discuss:

What it is,
How it’s different from THC,
And, THCV’s potential benefits

Continue reading “What Is THCV & What Is It Used For?”