Cannabinoid reference entry
CBC
CBC in the cannabinoid family
CBC is cannabichromene, a phytocannabinoid found in Cannabis sativa. It is chemically separate from THC, CBD and CBG. On a certificate of analysis, CBC means that the laboratory reported the compound in that sample. It does not describe what the medicine will feel like for one patient. The wider MCPH cannabinoid reference gives the neighbouring terms.
The human study measured exposure, not treatment
A 2021 pharmacokinetic analysis of a medical cannabis oil containing CBC, CBD and THC is the clearest human study cited here. Researchers measured CBC in blood and described its concentrations after the combined product was given. That tells us about exposure to CBC in that formulation. It cannot separate a CBC effect from the other cannabinoids or be treated as a trial of isolated CBC.
What the laboratory work adds
A 2019 receptor experiment used engineered cells expressing human CB1 and CB2 receptors and measured CBC activity at CB2. This is receptor pharmacology in a controlled cell system. A separate metabolism experiment compared CBC metabolites in liver microsomes from seven laboratory-animal species. The species differences are relevant to how researchers design later work, but they do not provide human metabolism or safety results.
Reading a CBC result in context
A CBC percentage or detected/not-detected entry belongs with the product identity, batch information and the rest of the cannabinoid profile. The Home Office describes UK status at the level of the preparation and its controlled constituents, so the word CBC cannot settle the status of a product by itself. For a prescribed medicine, use the dispensing information and pharmacist or prescriber record when the product details matter.
Related conditions
Sources
- Cannabichromene is a cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist (cell/laboratory research, 2019).
- Pharmacokinetics of cannabichromene in a medical cannabis product (human pharmacokinetic study, 2021).
- In vitro metabolism of cannabichromene in seven common laboratory animals (animal laboratory research, 1990).
For broader terminology, browse the UK Medical Cannabis Glossary.