Cannabidiol, or CBD, and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, are two of many different cannabinoids present in marijuana. When in the body, CBD and THC interact with cannabinoid receptors to help treat or limit the effects of various conditions.

There are hundreds of cannabinoid receptors throughout the human body that cause specific physiological effects. Potential uses of these cannabinoids include treating the following:

pain
nausea
cancer
appetite loss and eating disorders
Alzheimer’s disease
glaucoma
multiple sclerosis
muscle spasms
The most notable difference between CBD and THC is the lack of psychoactive effects for CBD, which does not typically cause the characteristic marijuana high of THC.

In this article, we explain more about the differences between CBD and THC.

The differences
Though CBD and THC are both found in marijuana and interact with the endocannabinoid system, there are some important differences a person should be aware of:

Getting high
THC may cause a person to experience a high.
Despite both being cannabinoids, CBD and THC interact with slightly different receptors in a person’s brain.

As a result, CBD is unlikely to get an individual high. On the other hand, THC produces the high people associate with using marijuana recreationally.

Medical marijuana that is CBD dominant has minimal THC. As a result, a person will not feel high when taking the medication.

Medical marijuana that contains THC will cause the person to experience a high when taking the medicine.

Where do they come from
Both CBD and THC are present in marijuana.

However, when a person takes a CBD dominant version of medical marijuana, they are using CBD from hemp, which is closely related to marijuana.

THC originates in the marijuana plant, and people extract it from that source.

For more information and resources on CBD and CBD products, please visit our dedicated hub.

Benefits
CBD and THC have similar effects for treating medical conditions. However, there is some variation in the uses of each substance.

People typically use CBD to help treat the following:

inflammatory bowel disease
seizures
depression
inflammation
psychosis or mental disorders
migraines
THC has potential uses in treating some of the following:

glaucoma
muscle spasticity
low appetite
insomnia
People may use either to help treat:

pain
anxiety
nausea