CB1 and CB2 Receptors
Also known as: Cannabinoid receptors, CB1 receptor, CB2 receptor
CB1 and CB2 are the two main cannabinoid receptors in the human body: CB1 sits mostly in the brain and nervous system, CB2 mostly in immune cells and peripheral tissue, and both are docking sites for the body's own endocannabinoids and for plant cannabinoids.
Both receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system. CB1 is found in high numbers in the brain and nervous system, which is why a compound that activates it can change how you feel. CB2 is found mostly on immune cells and in tissue outside the brain. Researchers study it as a signaling point between the endocannabinoid system and the immune system. The body's own endocannabinoids fit both receptors, and plant cannabinoids can too.
What binds where is the practical part. THC activates CB1, and that is the reason it makes you feel high. CBD does not bind CB1 or CB2 the way THC does. Early research describes it as acting indirectly, so it does not cause a high. The terpene beta-caryophyllene is the odd one out. A 2008 study by Gertsch and colleagues in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found it binds CB2 as a full agonist, and the lab data showed no sign of it binding CB1. Most of that work is lab and animal research, and human evidence is still early.
For a shopper, the takeaway is label-reading. Our THC-free broad-spectrum oil has THC removed (the COA reads ND / <LOQ), so there is nothing in it aimed at CB1. Our full-spectrum oil carries trace THC under 0.3%. Either way, a receptor name is not a promise about how a product will feel. We do not know how any one person's receptors will respond, so start low, go slow, and talk to your doctor.
Related terms
- Endocannabinoid System (ECS)The endocannabinoid system is a body-wide signaling network involved in pain, mood, sleep, immune function, and many other processes.
- CannabinoidCannabinoids are a class of chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. The plant contains more than 100 of them.
- Entourage EffectThe entourage effect is the theory that cannabinoids and terpenes work synergistically — that whole-plant extracts produce different effects than isolated compounds.
- TerpeneTerpenes are aromatic compounds found in cannabis (and many other plants) that give each strain its distinctive smell and flavor — and may contribute to its effects.
- THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)THC is the cannabinoid responsible for the psychoactive 'high' associated with marijuana. Hemp-derived CBD products may contain up to 0.3% THC under federal law.