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Thanks to federal legalization of hemp in 2018, the hemp and CBD industries are booming. As more people educate themselves about CBD and the effects of cannabinoids, we’ve noticed that people are becoming more curious about other, more minor cannabinoids that can be found in hemp flower.
If you’d like to know more about CBDV, then keep reading as we’ve reviewed the research available on CBDV to see how it contributes to the overall health benefits of hemp flower and hemp flower extracts.
- What is CBDV?
- Smokable CBDV flower
- Potential therapeutic properties
- Usage areas
- CBDV side effects and safety
What is CBDV?
CBDV, or cannabidivarin, is one of over 113 known cannabinoids that can be found in cannabis and hemp plants. CBDV, like many of the plant’s major and minor cannabinoids, was actually discovered over 50 years ago, but due to the widespread prohibition of cannabis and hemp, it was difficult for scientists to get access to these compounds for research purposes.
In the last few years, however, there has been a flurry of studies and research published on the therapeutic potential of CBDV, some of which is backed by pharmaceuticals giants, as well as the US government.
CBDV is a raw cannabinoid that is directly under the “grandfather cannabinoid” CBGA. More about CBGA here.
CBDV flower strains
In 2021 the legendary Crawford Brothers of Oregon CBD Seeds came out with new and improved hemp flower genetics. In this new line up of genetics they included two CBDV strains called Forbidden V (aka Forbidden Fruit) and Pine Walker.
These smokable strains also made way for potent CBDV oils and other cannabidivarin products.
Forbidden V CBDV
Forbidden V is a hot new addition made by the Crawford Brothers (Oregon CBD genetics). This is a CBDV strain with fruity and fresh flavors that bounce off your pallet.
The buds are slightly smaller than the average CBD strain with long, skinny buds.
Forbidden V (also known as Forbidden Fruit) was grown in a controlled environment in a greenhouse. It is a late bloomer that will be ready for harvest in November so be patient!
Forbidden V has a CBD to CBDV ratio of 1:1 meaning that the CBD percentage may look low at first glance. However, you need to double the CBD percentage in order to get the actual number of CBD + CBDV.
Strain featured in LA Weekly’s best CBDV products
Pine Walker CBDV
Pine Walker is another new and exciting strain that we get from greenhouses in Southern Oregon. It is a loud, stinky and gassy strain that will have your nose buzzing with joy.
Pine Walker is rich in CBDV and offers you a fresh flavor of pine needles and lemons. Expect a heavy body feeling from this strain as the effects are Indica dominant.
Just like with Forbidden V, the buds are smaller than you traditional CBD strain. The Crawford Brothers have not released any exact lineage of this strain. Instead it is the product of splicing cannabinoids in the hunt for a truly remarkable and stable strain.
Potential therapeutic properties of CBDV
A lot of the research into CBDV is so new that it hasn’t yet made it to clinical trial stage, so the studies presented here are mostly preclinical research, conducted in labs and on animal models. But, perhaps unsurprisingly (to those that already have some knowledge of cannabinoids), the research supporting the massive potential of CBDV is already compelling.
Pharmaceutical studies on CBDV
You may have heard of the British company, GW Pharmaceuticals, which developed and released the one and only FDA-approved CBD medicine, called Epidiolex.
Epidiolex is prescribed to people with certain severe forms of epilepsy and is incredibly successful in reducing seizure frequency and severity.
With this information in mind, you may not be so surprised to learn that GW Pharmaceuticals has been funding a lot of the research, thus far, into CBDV.
CBDV and nausea
Scientists also hope that, like many other cannabinoids, CBDV will prove to have anti-emetic properties.
One study on rats, that was published in 2013, found that CBDV may indeed possess the potential to support feelings of wellbeing in patients with nausea.
CBDV side effects and safety
Like CBD, CBDV is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid (unlike THC, D8 THC and THC-O) that seems to have a great safety profile, with only a few mild side effects.
During clinical trials, GW Pharmaceuticals showed that CBDV demonstrated no signs of toxicity or safety concerns and that it was well tolerated, even at the highest testing dose. There were no significant side effects, no serious or severe adverse effects, and no withdrawals.
A pattern emerges…
Looking back at the list of potential uses for CBDV, we see a pattern emerge. With preclinical research showing great promise.
The more we find out about other minor cannabinoids, the case for choosing broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD products (over CBD isolates) becomes even stronger. All of the cannabinoids within the hemp plant seem to be working together towards the same aims, despite exerting their influence in a variety of ways.
This stacking of effects is known as the entourage effect.
Research into CBDV is still in its infancy, but we think you’ll agree that we have grounds for optimism. If big pharma and the US government are interested, then you know the future looks bright!
