THCV

Cannabinoids – THCV

THCV or tetrahydrocannabivarin is, as the name suggests, closely related to the most famous cannabinoid: THC. However, despite its nearly identical chemical structure, THCV starts from a completely different process and ends up with three carbon “tails” instead of THC’s five.

Where to Look for It

Tetrahydrocannabivarin was originally found predominantly in African landrace sativas such as Durban Poison, but the average content was usually not higher than 0.5 percent.

During recent years, however, some new strains have been introduced: one called Pineapple Purps with about 4 percent of THCV, and one with THC:THCV ratio 6:7 called Doug’s Varin, which is supposed to be one the few strains in the world to contain more THCV than THC.

Effects

THCV has similar properties to its “cousin” THC in some aspects, e.g. it is also psychoactive (more psychedelic and energetic than psychoactive effects of THC, but not lasting that long), has anti-inflammatory and antiemetic effects.

Nonetheless, researches seem to be more interested in properties different from THC: One of the most studied at the moment is the ability of low doses of THCV to suppress appetite through blocking CB1 receptors.