How Many Cannabinoids Are There?

Before discussing how many cannabinoids there are, it is important to understand the different types of cannabinoids. According to Montana BioTech, Phytocannabinoids (also known as exocannabinoids,) are produced in the cannabis plant, while endocannabinoids are produced in humans or other animals. There are also synthetic cannabinoids on the market.

THC and CBD are some well-known examples of phytocannabinoids from the cannabis plant. THC causes psychoactive effects in marijuana users, and both THC and CBD are known to have positive medical uses.

Cannabinoids help regulate many of your bodily functions, including sleep, appetite, mood, pleasure and pain. Even if you have never used marijuana, you are likely familiar with the effects of the cannabinoids that your own body produces, called endocannabinoids. An article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States of America found that the phenomenon known as a ‘runner’s high’ likely depends on an endocannabinoid called anandamide.

Synthetic cannabinoids can also have positive effects on the body, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. For example, the FDA-approved drug dronabinol is used to treat the nausea that comes as a side effect of anti-cancer drugs, as well as to help patients with AIDS increase their appetites.

With so many varieties of cannabinoids and relatively little research into their effects, it is difficult to determine just how many cannabinoids there are. Some studies have found that there are over 85 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant alone, while others estimate that there are more than 113 different phytocannabinoids. There are over 480 natural components in the cannabis plant, and it is certainly possible that more of those compounds will be classified as phytocannabinoids, chemicals unique to the cannabis plant, as research continues.

There are only two known endocannabinoids, namely anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (better known as 2-AG). The first endocannabinoid was discovered very recently, in 1992. According to the Norml Foundation, cannabinoid receptors are believed to be more numerous than the receptors from any other system. We are currently aware of two types of receptors, CB1 and CB2, but researchers believe there may be a third. Seeing as the cannabinoid system is so crucial to the functioning of the human body, and that research has only just begun, there may be many more endocannabinoids waiting to be discovered.

There are two synthetic cannabinoids currently available for medical use, dronabinol and nabilone. While they are approved to treat conditions including nausea and appetite loss, they have been known to provide effective off-label treatments for chronic pain, migraine and other ailments. There are also many other synthetic cannabinoids being used in animal research or sold illegally for human consumption, according to the U.S. National Institute for Drug Abuse. Manufacturers frequently change the chemical compositions of their synthetic drugs in order to sidestep government regulations. This makes it nearly impossible to guess how many synthetic cannabinoids exist.