Skip to content
Search the site

CBD (cannabidiol)

From the cannabis plant.

From the cannabis plant. The 3D structure of the molecule, how it was discovered, and how it relates to the cannabinoid receptors; at three levels for Everyone, Students and Experts, with sources.

MoleculePubChem 644019Last updated:

What's on this page?

Interactive 3D · real anatomy and real data

Where in your body are the cannabinoid receptors?

About 1.4 MB to download.

Level
Reproductive organs

Regions

How to read it Choose a region, or tap a glowing point on the map.

  • Solid light is the CB1 receptor, a ring is CB2. Each region has its own color; the color only tells regions apart.
  • The strength of the light is the receptor gene level measured in human tissue (Human Protein Atlas). That is why the liver’s point is dim: a healthy liver has few receptors.
  • With the layer selector above you can also see other receptors, the enzymes that make and break down endocannabinoids, and the liver enzymes that break down CBD and THC.
  • Every piece of information shows its source and the type of evidence (human, animal, cell). You can change the reading level above.
  • Drag to rotate. Use the + and − buttons to zoom; on a computer, Ctrl or ⌘ with the scroll wheel, on a phone, two fingers.

C21H30O2 · 314.5 g/mol · PubChem 644019

CBD is a molecule found in cannabis whose chemical structure was described in 1963 by Raphael Mechoulam and Yuval Shvo. It is made of the same atoms as THC, but because one of its rings is open, its shape is different. It does not switch on the CB1 and CB2 receptors the way THC does; it binds to these receptors much more weakly. Mechoulam and Shvo 1963Chemistry labPubChemComputer modelPertwee 2008ReviewQueiroz 2025ReviewThomas 2007Cell / labLaprairie 2015Cell / labBisogno 2001Cell / lab

Student level

CBD and THC are isomers (both are C₂₁H₃₀O₂); in CBD the third, oxygen-containing ring has not closed, leaving a freely rotating bond between the two parts of the molecule. According to a review, it binds to CB1 and CB2 10 to 100 times more weakly than THC. Even so, in cell and tissue experiments it behaved like an unexpectedly potent antagonist of substances that activate these receptors; at CB1 it has also been described as a "negative allosteric modulator" that binds to a different site on the receptor and reduces the signal. Mechoulam and Shvo 1963Chemistry labPubChemComputer modelPertwee 2008ReviewQueiroz 2025ReviewThomas 2007Cell / labLaprairie 2015Cell / labBisogno 2001Cell / lab

Expert level: method notes and numbers

CBD and THC are isomers (both are C₂₁H₃₀O₂); in CBD the third, oxygen-containing ring has not closed, leaving a freely rotating bond between the two parts of the molecule. According to a review, it binds to CB1 and CB2 10 to 100 times more weakly than THC. Even so, in cell and tissue experiments it behaved like an unexpectedly potent antagonist of substances that activate these receptors; at CB1 it has also been described as a "negative allosteric modulator" that binds to a different site on the receptor and reduces the signal. Mechoulam and Shvo 1963Chemistry labPubChemComputer modelPertwee 2008ReviewQueiroz 2025ReviewThomas 2007Cell / labLaprairie 2015Cell / labBisogno 2001Cell / labMechoulam and Shvo 1963 has no abstract in its PubMed record. Stereochemistry (1R,6R) from the PubChem record. In the lab, CBD weakly affects the cellular uptake and breakdown of anandamide (Bisogno 2001). Targets other than CB1/CB2 and the CBD-bound TRPV2 structure are in the "CBD's other targets" section.

The 3D shape on the map is the structure computed by PubChem (not measured). PubChemComputer modelKim 2013Computer model

Identifiers and citation

IUPAC name
2-[(1R,6R)-3-methyl-6-prop-1-en-2-ylcyclohex-2-en-1-yl]-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol
InChIKey
QHMBSVQNZZTUGM-ZWKOTPCHSA-N
Formula and weight
C21H30O2 · 314.5 g/mol

How to cite: cbd.school editorial team. CBD (cannabidiol). Endocannabinoid system 3D map, cbd.school. Last updated October 24, 2026. https://cbd.school/learn/endocannabinoid-system-map/molekuller/cbd/

Molecule identifiers from the PubChem (NCBI) record; 3D shape is the conformer computed by PubChem. The map, text and downloaded images are CC BY-SA 4.0. An independent expert review has not been done yet. All licenses

Other pages of the map

Overview: what the endocannabinoid system is, the feedback brake at the synapse, CBD's targets, lesson mode, data and licenses.

Sources

Show 8 references
  1. National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound database: anandamide (CID 5281969), 2-AG (CID 5282280), Δ9-THC (CID 16078), cannabidiol (CID 644019), cannabinol (CID 2543). Formula, molecular weight, IUPAC name and InChIKey are values computed by PubChem. A 3D conformer exists only for THC, CBD and CBN; it is not experimental but a model computed by PubChem. PubChem does not generate conformers for anandamide and 2-AG, which have more than 15 rotatable bonds. Accessed October 24, 2026. Source Computer model
  2. Kim S, Bolton EE, Bryant SH. PubChem3D: conformer ensemble accuracy. J Cheminform. 2013;5(1):1. PMID 23289532 · doi:10.1186/1758-2946-5-1 Computer model
  3. Mechoulam R, Shvo Y. Hashish. I. The structure of cannabidiol. Tetrahedron. 1963;19(12):2073-8. PMID 5879214 · doi:10.1016/0040-4020(63)85022-x Chemistry lab
  4. Pertwee RG. The diverse CB1 and CB2 receptor pharmacology of three plant cannabinoids: delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and delta9-tetrahydrocannabivarin. Br J Pharmacol. 2008;153(2):199-215. PMID 17828291 · doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707442 Review
  5. Queiroz CM, de Oliveira Koren L, da Silva CRP et al. Chemical diversity, receptor binding affinity, and pharmacology of phytocannabinoids: Insights into neuronal mechanisms. Prog Brain Res. 2025;296:1-28. PMID 40967679 · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2025.07.006 Review
  6. Thomas A, Baillie GL, Phillips AM et al. Cannabidiol displays unexpectedly high potency as an antagonist of CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists in vitro. Br J Pharmacol. 2007;150(5):613-23. PMID 17245363 · doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707133 Cell / lab
  7. Laprairie RB, Bagher AM, Kelly ME, Denovan-Wright EM. Cannabidiol is a negative allosteric modulator of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(20):4790-805. PMID 26218440 · doi:10.1111/bph.13250 Cell / lab
  8. Bisogno T, Hanus L, De Petrocellis L et al. Molecular targets for cannabidiol and its synthetic analogues: effect on vanilloid VR1 receptors and on the cellular uptake and enzymatic hydrolysis of anandamide. Br J Pharmacol. 2001;134(4):845-52. PMID 11606325 · doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704327 Cell / lab