Today, we look at one of the unusual terms that come up when we talk about both nutrition and the many components that dictate how CBD, and CBD products, works — flavonoids.
If you’re of a certain age, the word “flavonoid” might conjure images of a certain 1980s pizza advertising mascot (er, not for me of course). However, the term has nothing to do with pizza marketing and, surprisingly, nothing to do with flavor. In fact, “flavonoid” comes from the Latin word for yellow, flavus.
So, what are flavonoids, what is their relationship with cannabis and CBD, what do these compounds do, and why should we care?
Flavonoids and Cannabis: An Introduction
Flavonoids are the compounds in plants that give them their color.
The dark green of cannabis, the red of an apple, and the bright colors of flowers are all created by flavonoids. Flavonoids use color to send messages, attracting pollinators and signaling when a fruit is ripe.
But, flavonoids do a lot more than just providing pigment. They filter ultraviolet light, remove toxins, and protect plants from microbes.
Flavonoids are compounds known as phytonutrients, or chemicals produced by plants to protect them from bacteria, parasites, and outside threats. It turns out that these phytonutrients have many potential health benefits for humans.**
There are around 6,000 known flavonoids, and aside from being available as a naturally occurring phytonutrient in our diets, they are also regularly used in supplements, pharmaceuticals, skin-care products, and more.
Don’t worry, we’re not going to go over all 6,000 flavonoids. But we will look at some of the 20 flavonoids that are found in the cannabis plant, focusing on the most common ones that provide the most widely known beneficial effects.**
Types of Flavonoids
First, let’s look at the six main types of flavonoid and what they do. These flavonoids are abundant in the fruits, vegetables, and grains we eat as part of a healthy diet.
- Anthocyanidins are the flavonoids that provide red, blue, and purple colors to flowers and berries. They’re commonly found in grapes, blackberries, and blueberries (to name a few).
- Flavonols are found in cannabis, peaches, kale, tomatoes, and broccoli.
- Flavones protect plants from pests while also providing white and blue pigment in flowers. These flavonoids also appear in cannabis, as well as parsley, red peppers, and chamomile.
- Flavanones are flavonoids known for a multitude of health-boosting benefits for overall mind-body wellness.**
- Flavan-3-ols are absolutely packed with nutrients and health benefits.** They’re found in white, green, and black tea, as well as cocoa and chocolate.
- Isoflavones show up in soy and some beans.
CBD Flavonoids
Of the 20 flavonoids found in cannabis, there are a few major ones, most of them falling in the flavone and flavonol family.
Anthocyanin is responsible for the purple color found in some cannabis plants.
Apigenin is a type of flavone. It has a multitude of uses and case studies dedicated to its relaxing properties.**
Cannflavin is, as you may have guessed, a flavonoid unique to the cannabis plant. There are three cannflavins (A, B, and C), and they give cannabis its green color.
Kaempferol is a kind of flavonol known for boosting wellness and promoting a total-body sense of calm.**
Luteolin is known to help fortify the brain and the heart.**
Orientin is also studied as a safeguard against many different health-related issues.**
Quercetin shows up in plants like watercress.
Silymarin is a flavonoid you may have already benefited from without realizing it. It’s most commonly found in milk thistle.
What Do CBD Flavonoids Do?
Aside from delivering their already stunning health benefits, flavonoids work in concert with two other types of compounds found in cannabis: cannabinoids and terpenes.
Cannabinoids are molecular compounds, including CBD, THC, CBG, and CBN, that impart their own therapeutic effects when they interact with our endocannabinoid system.** This system is integrated with our central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as systems that control digestion, mood, sleep, immune function, and more.
CBD, CBG, and CBN are not psychoactive cannabinoids, meaning they won’t get you high, unlike their sibling cannabinoid, THC. CBD products are produced from a form of cannabis called hemp, which is extremely low in THC (less than 0.3%). So, to be clear, the CBD molecule will not get you high.
Terpenes are the compounds that give plants their scent. They’re responsible for the distinct scent of cannabis, and are also abundant in tea, sage, and citrus fruits.
When flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids are all present in a CBD product, they create and enhance a process known as the Entourage Effect.
The Entourage Effect is a synergistic process through which all the cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids in a CBD product interact with one another, boosting each other’s properties while also dramatically increasing the overall effect.**
With flavonoids, that means that their beneficial effects are enhanced and reinforced by the beneficial effects of other compounds present in the cannabis product. For instance, if CBD, the terpene limonene and the flavonoid quercetin all have anti-inflammatory properties, and they are all in the same product, then they would work together to provide even greater relief.
CBD Oil and Flavonoids
There are three types of CBD oil, which differ based on the amount of filtering done to the oil derived from the cannabis hemp plant.
Full spectrum CBD oil (and thus, full spectrum products) feature all the terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant, including legally allowed (0.3%) trace amounts of THC.
Broad spectrum CBD products filter out the trace amounts of THC to undetectable levels, and also lose some terpenes and flavonoids in the process. However, there are still flavonoids and terpenes present for the Entourage Effect to work.
CBD isolate removes everything from the oil except for the CBD. Isolate is 99% pure CBD, meaning no other cannabinoids, terpenes or flavonoids.
The Final Word on Flavonoids
We hope this little guide clears up some of the mystery around flavonoids, and shows how we can incorporate them into our diet and our CBD regimen to provide a host of healthy, therapeutic benefits.**
With flavonoids present in CBD topicals to soothe sore muscles and joints, CBD gummies with Turmeric & Spirulina to promote overall wellness, and in CBD tinctures designed for rest, calm, and health, there’s no shortage of ways to take advantage of flavonoids and the Entourage Effect in your daily dose of CBD!**
Want to feel the Entourage Effect for yourself? Try our full spectrum CBD Soft Gel Capsules!
