What is CBE? [An Introduction to a Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoid]

Having the option to pick and choose between different types of cannabinoids is now the norm among cannabis users.

Even frequent consumers can get a little confused by the sheer amount of new cannabis-derived products in the market today. With more than 113+ cannabinoids discovered to date, it’s increasingly difficult to know what you’re purchasing.

One of those new cannabinoids hitting stores today generating a tremendous amount of curiosity is Cannabielsoin (CBE). 

What is CBE?

Cannabielsoin (CBE) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant and formed from Cannabidiol (CBD). 

CBE was first mentioned in scientific literature during the early 1970s. After isolating the molecule, scientists continued to develop research and knowledge on CBE throughout the 70s and 80s.

They are finally concluding close to 15 years later.

According to a 1989 paper on the compound's natural formation, CBE forms from CBD. The study concluded that CBE could be created out of CBD through a hepatic process in the body.

CBE is a metabolite of CBD in mammals, as was determined later on in a 1991 paper.

Potential Benefits of CBE

Literature that would give us further insight into the benefits of CBE is unfortunately scarce and mostly lacking. A significant part of cannabis prohibition laws has prevented knowledge and comprehensive research. 

Although researchers know little about the therapeutic properties of CBE, its relationship to CBD and early results from limited animal studies indicate that CBE is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, which among the scarce research on benefits of CBE is probably the most prominent.

Due to the little research available, knowledge is currently limited to relating CBE to CBD in terms of the component’s origins. But their effects on the body cannot be compared without further experimentation.

Logic also allows us to add another item to the list of potential benefits of CBE.

As knowledge on cannabis-derived products continues to grow, anecdotal evidence shows that cannabinoids taken together could enhance and modify each other’s effects on the body. This reaction has been coined with the term “entourage effect.”

The entourage effect has not been clinically proven to date, but if it were, it would mean that CBE plays a role in it.

Even though CBE benefits are not evident because it has been proven that CBE is created from CBD, more knowledge on the component could open doors into CBD consumption itself.

What Is the Objective of CBE Usage?

The real purpose of CBE on the body or in the cannabis plant is not clear, as are the benefits of CBE. We can say that if you wanted to extract CBE for direct consumption, you would have to start with CBD first. 

CBD is transformed into CBE when consumed by the body. But CBE may also be found in small amounts within the plant after CBD has undergone natural degradation. This process makes CBE extremely rare as a product to consume on its own.

Is CBE Legal?

Any UN convention doesn't ban CBE, nor is it scheduled under the USA's Controlled Substances Act. 

As long as CBE comes from hemp sources and does not exceed more than 0.3% THC content, it is considered federally legal.