Core Cannabis Course: CBCV

Welcome to homework assignment CCC 1.18 of the Core Cannabis Course from Higher Learning LV. This assignment teaches students about the minor cannabinoid CBCV. This cannabinoid is a chemical cousin of CBC and is the varin version of that molecule. Like many varin and varin acidic precursor cannabinoids, there is little peer-reviewed scientific research about this minor cannabinoid discovered nearly fifty years ago. Students will later in this course learn about the acidic precursor to CBCV, CBCVA.

When you complete this assignment, simply click the link at the bottom of the article to return to the master page for this course.

Cannabichromevarin (CBCV) is the varin version of cannabichromene (CBC), a cannabinoid that results from the acidic precursor cannabichromenic acid (CBCA). All major cannabinoids feature a varin version, including cannabidivarin (CBDV) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).

CBCV molecule

"From a hard research perspective, few studies have been conducted since its discovery and relatively little is understood about this cannabinoid."

CBCV, a minor cannabinoid, was discovered in 1975 at the University of Nagasaki in Thailand by researchers who first isolated it from a cannabis plant. View the study that uncovered this cannabinoid.

From a hard research perspective, few studies have been conducted since its discovery and relatively little is understood about this cannabinoid. However, based on the proven behavior of more researched cannabinoid isomers, including CBD and THC, scientists believe that many of the characteristics of CBC may also be exhibited by CBCV.

The studies that exist point toward CBCV providing anti-seizure efficacy for epilepsy. This phytomolecule may also deliver relief for those suffering from neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease based on benefits provided by similar cannabinoids, including CBC and CBCA.

Because CBC and CBCV feature very similar molecular structures, many of the benefits conveyed by the former may be delivered by the latter. This includes potential reductions in anxiety and depression and anti-inflammatory benefits. CBC has also demonstrated anti-cancer efficacy and may also treat Crohn's disease and glaucoma.

A 2021 study entitled "Cannabichromene, Related Phytocannabinoids, and 5-Fluoro-cannabichromene Have Anticonvulsant Properties in a Mouse Model of Dravet Syndrome" that was published in the journal Neuroscience explored the potential anticonvulsant (antiseizure) benefits of a number of cannabinoids—including CBC, CBCA, CBCV, and CBCVA—for children suffering from Dravet syndrome epilepsy.

The study reported that "anticonvulsant efficacy was evident with CBC, CBCA, CBCV, and CBCVA."

The study reported that "all phytocannabinoids within the CBC series were readily absorbed and showed substantial brain penetration" and that "anticonvulsant efficacy was evident with CBC, CBCA, and CBCVA."

Concluded the study's authors, "since CBC and derivatives are anticonvulsant in a [mouse] model of intractable pediatric epilepsy, they may constitute part of the mechanism through which artisanal cannabis oils [provide] anticonvulsant [benefits to] patients."

View the original study.

A 2020 study entitled "A Systematic Review of Minor Phytocannabinoids with Promising Neuroprotective Potential" that was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology had the ambitious goal of collating "all available data on the neuroprotective effects of THCA, THCV, CBDA, CBDV, CBC, CBCA, CBCV, CBG, CBGA, CBGV, CBGVA, CBCVA, CBDVA, and CBN."

The scientists explained that the cannabinoids investigated were selected based on a number of factors, including their abundance in the plant, the ease by which they could be synthesized, and their medicinal efficacy for other disease states and conditions, including cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. The study examined the ways in which these cannabinoids are similar to and vary from CBD and delta-9 THC.

"There were no studies found regarding the potential neuroprotective effects of other cannabinoid varins or their acidic precursors, including CBCV and CBCVA."

The design of the study was that of a literature review that analyzed all prior studies that qualified for an inclusion criteria that strategically limited the scope of the previous investigations considered. Prior studies were located by keyword searches of online databases, including PubMed and Embase, from their inception to June 2019.

There were no studies found by the current investigation that explored the potential neuroprotective effects of cannabinoid varins or their acidic precursors, including CBGV, CBGVA, CBDVA, CBCV, and CBCVA.

The study's authors explained that this "may be due to the lack of commercial availability of these compounds due to their low concentrations in the plant, costly synthetic production, or that these compounds are not very stable."

View the original study.

Like many other minor cannabinoids, CBCV is not readily available in commercial volumes or products in which it is a primary ingredient. In loose-leaf cannabis flower, it is most likely to appear in samples of the plant that are richest in CBC.

Some companies have begun to breed hemp cultivars featuring varin cannabinoids, including CBCV, CBDV, and CBGV.