Cannabis produces more than 100 known cannabinoids, and most reviews cite at least 113 identified in Cannabis sativa. The complete list includes acidic precursors such as THCA and CBDA, neutral forms such as THC, CBD, CBG and CBC, varin cannabinoids, and dozens of rare minor compounds. Researchers keep adding to it as detection methods improve.
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How many cannabinoids are in cannabis?
Cannabis makes over 100 cannabinoids, a family of compounds with a shared terpenophenolic backbone. Most flower expresses only a handful at meaningful levels, while the rest appear in trace amounts. The total count is a moving number because minor cannabinoids are still being isolated and named.
The Most Common Cannabinoids in Hemp
Complete list of cannabinoids in cannabis
The list below groups cannabinoids by type: acidic precursors in raw plant material, neutral forms created by heat or aging, varin cannabinoids with a shortened side chain, and rare minor cannabinoids reported in recent research.
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Acidic cannabinoid precursors (raw cannabis)
- CBGA, cannabigerolic acid
- THCA, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid
- CBDA, cannabidiolic acid
- CBCA, cannabichromenic acid
- CBGVA, cannabigerovarinic acid
- THCVA, tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid
- CBDVA, cannabidivarinic acid
- CBCVA, cannabichromevarinic acid
Major neutral cannabinoids
- THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
- CBD, cannabidiol
- CBG, cannabigerol
- CBC, cannabichromene
- CBN, cannabinol
- THCV, tetrahydrocannabivarin
- CBDV, cannabidivarin
Minor, rare and varin cannabinoids
- CBL, cannabicyclol
- CBE, cannabielsoin
- CBT, cannabitriol
- CBND, cannabinodiol
- CBCV, cannabichromevarin
- CBGV, cannabigerovarin
- Delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC
- THCP, tetrahydrocannabiphorol
- CBDP, cannabidiphorol
- CBDH and THCH, hexyl chain forms
- CBNO, cannabinol oxide
- CBDA and THCA methyl esters and other trace artifacts
What is the difference between acidic and neutral cannabinoids?
Raw cannabis stores cannabinoids as acids such as THCA and CBDA. Heat, light or time remove a carboxyl group in a reaction called decarboxylation, converting THCA into THC and CBDA into CBD. That is why smoking, vaping and baking change how a flower affects you.
Which cannabinoids appear in the highest amounts?
THCA and CBDA dominate most modern cultivars, with total THC or CBD often above 20% of dry flower weight. CBGA is the parent molecule that plant enzymes convert into THCA, CBDA or CBCA. Everything else usually shows up below 1%.
Do minor cannabinoids do anything?
Early research links CBG to antibacterial activity, CBC to pain pathway interaction, and CBN to sedation claims that human studies have not confirmed. Most minor cannabinoid evidence comes from cells and animals rather than people. Effects in humans remain uncertain.
Are all cannabinoids psychoactive?
Only THC and a few close relatives such as delta-8 THC and THCP bind CB1 receptors strongly enough to produce a clear high. CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN and the acidic precursors do not intoxicate most users. Some minor cannabinoids may still shift mood or alertness at high doses.
Does the cannabinoid list keep growing?
Yes. Advances in mass spectrometry let researchers detect cannabinoids at concentrations once considered undetectable. Recent work has added phorol, hexyl and oxidized forms to the list. Expect the count to rise.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most abundant cannabinoid in cannabis?
In THC-dominant cannabis, THCA is typically the most abundant. In hemp, CBDA and CBGA usually lead. Abundance depends on genetics and growing conditions.
How many cannabinoids are in hemp?
Hemp is the same species and produces the same cannabinoid families. It is bred to keep THC low, generally under 0.3% by dry weight in the United States.
Are synthetic cannabinoids on this list?
No. Compounds such as JWH-018 and HU-210 are lab-made and structurally different from plant cannabinoids. They are not found in cannabis flower and have caused serious harm.
How many cannabinoids have been studied in humans?
Only a few: THC, CBD, CBN, THCV and CBDV among them. THC and CBD account for the vast majority of clinical research.