{"id":595,"date":"2021-09-08T12:23:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T19:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/the420areacode.com\/?p=595"},"modified":"2021-10-06T13:32:06","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T20:32:06","slug":"the-sports-car-and-the-sleeping-giant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the420areacode.com\/2021\/09\/the-sports-car-and-the-sleeping-giant\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sports Car and the Sleeping Giant: How THCV and CBN Are Taking Over the Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This interview was originally published on Open Book Extracts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 has the potential to be remembered as the year when minor cannabinoids achieved major status. While it\u2019s true that the cannabis market is generally interested in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the intoxicating cannabinoid that most marijuana consumers have come to know and love; as well as cannabidiol (CBD); but cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) cannabinol (CBN) have started to attract attention on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THCV: The Sports Car of Cannabinoids<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

THCV is probably the most sought-after cannabinoid on earth. Industry people refer to THCV as \u201cthe sports car of cannabinoids,\u201d \u201cdiet weed,\u201d or \u201cskinny pot,\u201d terms that allude to its effects and rarity. More than a decade ago, investigation on THCV was spearheaded by GW Pharmaceuticals who wanted to research its therapeutic potential in metabolic disorders and weight loss. Metabolic issues can cause high blood pressure, blood sugar imbalances, increased abdominal fat, and high or low cholesterol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, animal studies<\/a> have found that THCV may decrease fat in the liver, balance insulin, reduce hunger cravings, improve bladder control, and have therapeutic potential for schizophrenia, Parkinson\u2019s, epilepsy, and nausea reduction. In human trials,<\/a> THCV has been found to change elements of brain functioning related to food intake and improve blood sugar control for participants with type 2 diabetes. In laboratory studies, THCV has shown promise in decreasing inflammation, pain, liver damage, and may be useful as an anti-acne agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Vice news followed Franco Loja and Arjan Roskam<\/a>, the founders of the famous Green House Seed Company, into the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they looked for rare plants that might produce THCV. A grueling journey brought back a strain that tested at only 1.1 percent THCV\u2014a fairly tiny amount, but enough for Roskam to say that it was \u201cworth the effort, going into the jungle, fighting your way through, bribing your way through, in the end you have the reward.\u201d Loja later died after contracting malaria on a subsequent trip in January 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about THCV could entice someone to risk death to hunt for it?<\/b> THCV has been shown to be energizing and appetite suppressing, two traits that make it an obvious candidate for a valuable form of cannabis. Who in America doesn\u2019t want to lose weight and get more energy from an herbal drug?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is THCV?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) is a minor cannabinoid that naturally occurs in hemp plants. Although THCV isolate<\/a> is similar in name to THC (the compound that is responsible for marijuana\u2019s mind-altering effects), the two compounds are actually quite different. On a molecular level, THC and THCV are actually quite similar but have one distinct difference \u2013 the number of carbon atoms that make up their composition. THC has a pentyl (5-carbon) side-chain, and THCV has a propyl (3-carbon) side chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is significant, as the slight variances between THC and THCV cause them each to have different effects. One of the most interesting differences between the two compounds is their effect on appetite. THC is known to increase the desire to eat, while THCV does the opposite. And with its potential ability to suppress appetite, THCV is gaining a reputation as an aid to losing weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THCV Method Development & Commercialization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to scientific breakthroughs in processing techniques, a few processors have learned how to isolate THCV with almost no product impurities. By using THCV Isolate as an ingredient, you can standardize your formulating methods to get precise amounts of THCV into your finished cannabinoid products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2020, OBX began our pursuit of THCV production. Over the course of many months, OBX developed and refined methods of development. resulting in THCV isolate<\/a> that is consistently greater than 99% purity, at commercial scale. As we began to introduce our THCV to the market, our 3rd party external laboratory partners reached out to us, as none of the current laboratories had a reference standard for pure THCV, and therefore were unable to test the material and provide a certificate of analysis. The OBX technical team worked closely with each lab, to help them read the chromatography results, and ultimately create a reference standard that could be used for THCV going forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development and commercialization of THCV, an ingredient so novel and rare that no reference standard of testing existed before OBX produced the material to create the standard \u2014 that is the definition of being at the vanguard of ingredient innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Science Says About THCV<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like most cannabinoids, THCV did not become a research focus until very recently. As of today, research findings on THCV are relatively limited. Nonetheless, these few studies have produced extremely positive results and have helped fast-track THCV to phase 2 of FDA clinical trials.(1)<\/sup> While researchers continue to unearth new information, THCV has demonstrated a potential for the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n