Also known as the skinny pot, THCV is becoming popular day by day due to its appetite suppressing and stimulating effects. People with the help of their medical cannabis card are getting THCV to avail its benefits. But is it actually effective in curbing the munchies or for weight loss?
Scientific studies have shown promising results, especially for pure THCV and THCV in combination with CBD. And if you also want to THCV for your munchies, then read on further.
Short form of tetrahydrocannabivarin, THCV is a rare cannabinoid of the cannabis plant. This means that this compound naturally exists in very small quantities in the cannabis plant. And THC is known for bringing on munchies, researchers have found that THCV has the opposite effect.
Studies done on rodents show that THCV increases satiety, decreases appetite, and stimulates energy metabolism. Thus making THCV a clinically useful solution for managing obesity, weight loss, and regulating type 2 diabetes.
Just like all other cannabinoids, THCV also interacts with the endocannabinoid system of our body. ECS is a composite cell-signaling system, which comprises receptors, endocannabinoids, and enzymes, all of which are competent in interacting with cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBG, CBN, or THCV. Experts are still figuring out how ECS works, but it plays a vital role in maintaining various physical and mental functions of our body like mood, appetite, and sleep.
The ECS contains two major receptors, CB1 and CB2 that interact with the cannabinoids of the cannabis plant. THC triggers the CB1receptors, which in turn causes the release of hunger-inducing hormones in our body. Whereas THCV does exactly the opposite. It blocks the CB1 receptor and thus decreases hunger.
The appetite suppressing effect of THCV by blocking the CB1 receptor is being known for quite a while now. However, there are even prescription drugs that are specifically designed for this purpose but accompany negative side-effects as well. Thankfully, THCV has none with it. And the following studies clearly justify this phenomenon.
Human Studies on THCV vs. Anti-obesity Drugs
Back in 2006, an anti-obesity pharmaceutical drug named Rimonabant got approved. It blocked the CB1 receptor and worked in the same manner as THCV. And was very effective in decreasing weight and blood sugar levels in patients with obesity. However, this drug caused depression and this is why it got banned in 2008. Certain experiments done on human volunteers clearly showed the differences between THCV and Rimonabant. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was done in two different studies to examine the neural responses of people taking THCV and Rimonabant.
The experiment done on volunteers who took Rimonabant showed that the drug diminished their response towards rewarding stimuli such as tasty chocolate and increased their negative responses towards aversive tastes and sights such as moldy strawberries. And scientists believe that this action was likely the cause of depression in patients. It damaged their ability to perceiving pleasure, which is a key factor of depression.
In contrast to that, the experiment done on volunteers with THCV showed that it did not damage the reward function. It without even impacting people’s mood, only reinforced the aversive stimuli, that only stopped people from eating much. And this is why THCV is a safer form of appetite regulation.
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