Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)

Tetrahydrocannabivarin, or THCV, is a minor cannabinoid that is a shorter-chain, propyl analog of THC found in some cannabis chemovars.

THC carries a five-carbon side chain and THCV a three-carbon chain, a small structural change that alters how it interacts with the CB1 receptor. In laboratory studies THCV behaves as a receptor blocker at low concentrations and as an activator at higher ones, so descriptions of it as intoxicating or non-intoxicating both appear in the literature. It is most abundant in certain African landrace varieties and is present only in trace amounts in most hemp.

THCV has been studied in preclinical models and in a small number of early human trials, and there is no approved medical use. It is distinct from CBD and from CBDV, its non-intoxicating counterpart, and findings about any of these should not be transferred to the others. On a certificate of analysis it appears, when present, as a separate line in the cannabinoid profile.