Moving onto the next “pathfinder mission,” as CBDistillery is calling their intensive research campaign spanning various hemp products and functional targets, the newest study from the CBD industry leader will focus on the efficacy of a cannabinoid called THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) for fatigue.

Here is the paraphrased version of the details CBDistllery shared with us regarding the purpose and design of the upcoming THCV study:

• CBDistillery has formulated 300 samples of a THCV tincture that they are considering offering in the near future.
• The point of the study is to gather data regarding the compound’s effects on human participants, particularly as it relates to “focus without intoxication.”
• Qualified participants who sign up and are admitted to the study will receive the THCV product free of charge.
• Participants will be asked questions before and after their use of the THCV product, with the first set of post-use questions starting on day 12 of the trial period.
• The questions will relate to several aspects of the user experience, including the compound’s effects on energy levels, focus, and more.

Qualified participants who complete the entirety of the study, which entails a total of 23 consecutive days of answering questions about the THCV product (not including the initial 7 days of questions that precede the sampling period), will receive a promo code for 40% off their next CBDistillery purchase in addition to the free THCV product they used for the trial.

This will be the 4th pathfinder mission that CBDistillery has conducted as part of the #CBDMOVEMENT, a campaign dedicated to sharing data-driven insights related to the effects of various hemp products on sleep, focus, mood, and more.

You can learn more about CBDistillery’s past pathfinder missions here (the anxiety study) or here (testing their CBD/CBDA synergistic tincture). 

If you’re interested in signing up for the THCV study, which is in the recruitment phase as of this writing, here’s the short questionnaire.

More About THCV

The irony is in the heading—we sure wish we knew “more about THCV.” That’s not to say, however, that we know nothing. 

THCV is a naturally occurring cannabinoid native to the hemp plant, just like CBD, THC, and the 200+ others scientists have discovered. 

While its intoxicating status still leaves room for debate, most agree that the molecularly similar cousin of delta-9 THC is markedly less potent in its euphoric effects.

In fact, it appears that tetrahydrocannabivarin acts as a “neutral antagonist at CB1,” according to this academic article from Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy in Florida, which comes with a few important implications.

First, like CBD, compounds that act as antagonists at this cannabinoid receptor (CB1) have the ability to at least partially offset the intoxicating effects of CB1 agonists like delta-9 THC. Technically, delta-9 THC is a partial agonist, but the effect still holds.

Again, this doesn’t mean that THCV can’t produce a euphoric effect, but it is convincingly argued in this study that it can counteract the intoxicating effects of delta-9 THC to an extent.

Also of note, and seemingly contradictory to most cannabinoids, is the appetite-suppressing (yes, suppressing) action of THCV, which is among its most reliably documented effects.

The same study referenced above claimed that THCV “Up-regulates energy metabolism, making it a clinically useful remedy for weight loss and management of obesity and type 2 diabetic patients.”

Granted, the study on which this claim is based involved rodent subjects, but it’s certainly an area worth exploring more, given the potential for weight loss, improvements in energy, and more.

To summarize, THCV is less intoxicating than delta-9 THC, but still psychoactive, and is thought to have appetite-suppressing, metabolism-boosting, and delta-9-THC-counteracting effects.

And now to spin our favorite broken record yet another time: more research is needed. Hence, CBDistillery.

More About CBDistillery

As we detail in much greater depth in our review of the brand, CBDistillery has been a strong voice in the CBD industry since their founding in 2016.

The subsidiary of Balanced Health Botanicals has indeed been very vocal about decrying the flood of gimmicks and CBD-related misinformation that came very soon after (pretty much during) their inception.

But they don’t just snap off a pithy tweet now and again; their anti-BS movement has had legs since the beginning, materializing in the form of the #CBDMOVEMENT that they created, including a grandiose ad campaign that reached seven billboard displays in Times Square.

They’ve kept this pro-consumer messaging to this day, while steadily growing their catalog of innovative hemp products. 

To learn more, check out our CBDistillery review.