CBD, cannabidiol, is the neutral cannabinoid formed when CBDA loses its carboxyl group. It does not produce the intoxication associated with THC. Like THC, it barely exists in the living plant; the plant makes CBDA through the enzyme CBDA synthase, and the conversion to CBD happens with heat and time.
In practice
Growers classify plants by their THC:CBD balance: THC-dominant, balanced (roughly 1:1) or CBD-dominant. A CBD-dominant flower COA might show CBDA at 12% w/w, CBD at 0.5% w/w and total THC under 0.5% w/w. That ratio is set mainly by genetics at the synthase locus, so it is fixed for a given plant and reliable across clones.
GenetixBay makes no health or therapeutic claims about CBD. Effects are reported, not promised.
Total CBD = CBD + 0.877 × CBDA, in % w/w.
Don't confuse with
- CBDA: the acid form the plant actually makes.
- CBN: an oxidation product of THC, not related to CBD despite the similar name.
- Hemp: a legal category based on THC, not a chemical definition of "CBD plant".
A cannabinoid is any compound that binds the body's cannabinoid receptors or shares the typical cannabis terpenophenolic structure; the plant-made ones are phytocannabinoids such as THCA and CBDA.CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) is the acid cannabinoid made by CBDA synthase from CBGA; it dominates hemp-type and CBD-type cannabis and decarboxylates to CBD.THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the neutral, decarboxylated cannabinoid mainly responsible for cannabis's reported intoxicating effects; the living plant makes it almost entirely as THCA.CBDA synthase is the trichome enzyme that converts CBGA into CBDA; it competes with THCA synthase, and its alleles largely decide whether a plant is CBD-dominant.A COA (certificate of analysis) is a lab's signed report of what it measured in a specific sample, such as cannabinoids, terpenes, moisture and contaminants, with methods and limits.Total CBD is a calculated figure, CBD plus 0.877 × CBDA, estimating the maximum CBD a sample could yield after full decarboxylation.Total THC is a calculated figure, Δ9-THC plus 0.877 × THCA, estimating the maximum THC a sample could yield after full decarboxylation.CBN (cannabinol) is a cannabinoid formed mainly when THC or THCA oxidises after harvest, so high CBN readings usually signal age, heat, light or air exposure, not plant ripeness.The chemotype ratio is the balance of a plant's main cannabinoids, usually THC to CBD, classing plants as type I (THC-dominant), II (mixed), III (CBD-dominant), IV (CBG) or V (near-zero).
