# CBD

> CBD (cannabidiol) is a non-intoxicating neutral cannabinoid formed when CBDA decarboxylates; hemp-type and CBD-dominant cannabis make it mainly as CBDA in their trichomes.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbd.html
- Also written: cannabidiol, C.B.D., neutral CBD
- Glossary category: Cannabinoids and terpenes · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

CBD, cannabidiol, is the neutral [cannabinoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) formed when [CBDA](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbda.md) loses its carboxyl group. It does not produce the intoxication associated with [THC](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/thc.md). Like THC, it barely exists in the living plant; the plant makes CBDA through the enzyme [CBDA synthase](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbda-synthase.md), 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](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/coa.md) 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.

## Units and formula

[Total CBD](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/total-cbd.md) = CBD + [0.877](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/total-thc.md) × 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".

## Related terms

[CBDA](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbda.md), [CBDA synthase](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbda-synthase.md), [Chemotype ratio](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemotype-ratio.md), [Total CBD](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/total-cbd.md), [THC](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/thc.md)

## Read more

- [Chemotype inheritance: how THC and CBD synthase alleles pass on](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/chemotype-inheritance.md)

## Sources

1. Taura F, Sirikantaramas S, Shoyama Y, et al. 2007. Cannabidiolic-acid synthase, the chemotype-determining enzyme in the fiber-type Cannabis sativa. FEBS Letters 581(16):2929-2934.
2. Hanuš LO, Meyer SM, Muñoz E, Taglialatela-Scafati O, Appendino G. 2016. Phytocannabinoids: a unified critical inventory. Natural Product Reports 33(12):1357-1392.