If you already rely on Papa & Barkley’s award-winning Releaf Balm or our other proven cannabis and hemp products, it’s a safe bet you’re familiar with THC and CBD, the two major cannabinoids in cannabis. While they both provide pain relief, among other beneficial effects, they’re not the only “active ingredients” in the cannabis plant.

Meet CBN, a “new” cannabinoid with a long backstory. As a growing number of us are finding out, CBN for sleep may promise a whole new way of accessing the benefits of cannabis. If you’re wondering “what is CBN oil and how can it help me sleep,” this post is for you!

What Is CBN Oil

What Is CBN Oil? An Introduction

Needless to say, CBN isn’t really “new.” When it was first identified in 1896, CBN was believed to be the cannabinoid responsible for the cannabis plant’s distinctive psychoactivity. It would be several decades before Israeli researcher Raphael Mechoulam identified THC, though we now know that it’s not the only not the only cannabinoid responsible for cannabis’ psychoactive effects. It turns out that CBN is mildly psychoactive, too. Because CBN is created by the breakdown of THC in the presence of oxygen, you could think of CBN as THC’s “cousin.” And that leads directly to the purported connection between CBD and sleep.

In the past, some cannabis aficionados claimed that aged cannabis was prone to imparting sedative effects. Remembering that CBN is formed by the breakdown of THC, suggests that it’s this factor that makes us feel sleepy. But what does the science say?