THC, HHC-P, H4CBD, 10-OH-HHC, COA: the label is speaking in code. Here is the plain-English dictionary, with a short, hedged note on the rules where we could check them.
You pick up a pack and the label reads like a pharmacist sneezed on it: full spectrum, <0.2% Δ9-THC, terpene profile, COA available, plus three letters you have never seen before and one with a number in it.
You nod slowly, as if you understood every word. The pack does not believe you.
Cannabinoid shorthand is everywhere now: on hemp buds, oils, vape blends. Half of it is plant chemistry, a quarter is lab chemistry and the rest is shop vocabulary that nobody bothered to explain.
This glossary decodes the lot in plain words: what each abbreviation stands for, where it comes from and, where we could check them, a short, hedged note on how the rules stand as of October 2026. It is written for adults 18+ who like knowing what is in the thing they are buying. If you want to browse, our THC alternatives and the CBD range are one click away.
One promise before we start: this is a dictionary, not a “which is legal” list. Laws differ between countries and change faster than packaging does, so wherever we could not confirm a status, we say so.
Decode a label in ten seconds
| On the label | In plain words | Good to know (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| THC | Tetrahydrocannabinol, the best-known cannabinoid in cannabis | Germany: cannabis under the KCanG since April 2024; elsewhere it varies |
| CBD | Cannabidiol, the other famous one | As a food ingredient, EU novel-food rules apply |
| CBN | Cannabinol, forms as THC ages | Rules vary and change; not settled by one official source as of October 2026 |
| CBG | Cannabigerol, the plant’s starting block | Unsettled; check locally |
| HHC | Hexahydrocannabinol, usually made from CBD in a lab | Germany: NpSG ban from June 2024, a BtMG narcotic since May 2026; UN Schedule II since December 2025 |
| HHC-P | HHC with a longer side chain | Germany: covered by the June 2024 NpSG amendment (named in its official explanation) |
| THC-P | THC with a longer side chain | Rules vary and change; not settled by one official source as of October 2026 |
| H4CBD | Hydrogenated CBD | Varies by country; check locally |
| 10-OH-HHC | HHC with a hydroxy group added | Germany: NpSG group widened to hydroxylated derivatives, December 2025; check current law |
| Full / broad spectrum | The whole mix, or the mix with THC removed or cut to non-detectable levels | Describes the extract, not the legal status |
| Distillate | A refined, concentrated extract | Describes the process, not the legal status |
| Terpenes | The aroma compounds | Not a cannabinoid at all |
| COA | Certificate of analysis, the lab report | Your best friend when a label is vague |
First, what is a cannabinoid anyway?
Cannabinoids are a family of compounds. The hemp plant makes more than a hundred of them, and chemists have learned to make plenty more. The ones that come from the plant are often called phytocannabinoids; the ones built or modified in a lab are called semi-synthetic or synthetic.
That split matters for this glossary. The first few entries below are plain plant chemistry. The middle section is lab chemistry, which is exactly where most of the recent law changes landed.
A quick reading tip: when a letter or number sits in front, like Δ9 or 10-OH, it is pointing at a position on the molecule. Think of it as a street address, not a strength rating.
THC and CBD: the two everyone has heard of
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)
When people say THC they usually mean Δ9-THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. The “Δ9” (delta-9) tells you where a particular double bond sits in the molecule. Its cousin Δ8-THC has that bond one spot over, which is the whole difference on paper.
You will also see THCA on lab reports. That is the acid form the living plant actually makes; heat turns it into THC, which is why raw and heated numbers can look so different.
Legal note: in Germany, cannabis has been regulated by the Cannabis Act (KCanG) since 1 April 2024, and its section 3 lets adults 18+ possess up to 25 g in public and up to 50 g at home (KCanG §3). Other countries have very different rules, so this is a German snapshot, not a passport. When hemp products quote “<0.2% THC”, they usually mean THC (often Δ9-THC, sometimes total THC including THCA) as a share of the product’s weight; the lab report says which.
CBD (cannabidiol)
CBD is the plant’s other headline act and is common in hemp. Chemically it is a close relative of THC, but people generally describe it as not producing THC’s effects. You will find it in oils, buds, hash and plenty of things that have no business containing it.
Legal note: in the EU, CBD as a food or food supplement falls under the novel-food rules. In February 2026 the European Food Safety Authority set a provisional safe intake level for highly purified CBD in food supplements and said it keeps assessing each application (EFSA). Rules for CBD buds and oils that are not sold as food are set nationally, differ by country and change often.
CBN and CBG: the quieter natural cousins
CBN (cannabinol)
CBN is what THC slowly turns into as cannabis ages and meets air and light. If THC is a fresh loaf, CBN is the same loaf a week later: still bread, different texture. It turns up in small amounts in older plant material and as an added ingredient in some products.
CBG (cannabigerol)
CBG is sometimes called the “mother” cannabinoid, because its acid form, CBGA, is the starting block the plant converts into THCA, CBDA and friends. Mature plants usually contain only a little, so higher CBG levels tend to come from specially bred varieties.
Legal note for both: rules vary and change, and the status of CBN and CBG is not settled by one official source as of October 2026, so check current law where you live.
HHC, HHC-P, THC-P and H4CBD: the lab-made crowd
This is the part of the dictionary that rewrites itself every year. Keep a pencil handy. These compounds are close relatives of THC or CBD, but products containing them are made in a lab: HHC and H4CBD are usually made by chemically converting hemp-derived CBD, while the longer-chain THC-P and HHC-P need further synthesis steps.
HHC (hexahydrocannabinol)
HHC is THC with its double bond “filled in” with hydrogen, which is what hydrogenation means. Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment explains that it is not produced in meaningful amounts by the plant and is probably made at scale from CBD (BfR).
Legal note: in Germany, HHC was banned under the New Psychoactive Substances Act (NpSG) in June 2024, and since 23 May 2026 it has been a controlled narcotic listed in Annex II of the Narcotics Act (BtMG). Internationally, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs added HHC to Schedule II of the 1971 Convention; that decision entered into force on 6 December 2025 (UNODC).
If you are keeping score, that is one molecule, two German laws and a UN treaty. Busy little thing.
HHC-P (hexahydrocannabiphorol)
The “P” stands for the -phorol ending, which chemists use for a longer, seven-carbon side chain in place of the usual five. Same family, longer tail. The official explanation of Germany’s June 2024 NpSG amendment names HHC-P, alongside HHC-acetate (HHC-AC, often sold as HHC-O) and HHC-H, among the HHC derivatives the new group covers.
THC-P (tetrahydrocannabiphorol)
Also written THCP. It is THC with that same longer side chain. Tiny amounts have been reported in cannabis, but products sold with it are typically lab-made. The EU drugs agency (then the EMCDDA) discussed THC-P in its 2023 report on HHC and related semi-synthetic cannabinoids appearing on the European market. As for its legal status, rules vary and change, and its status is not settled by one official source as of October 2026, so check current law.
H4CBD (hexahydrocannabidiol)
H4CBD is CBD with four hydrogen atoms added, the “H4” in its name. Picture CBD after a very thorough ironing. It is made in a lab, not found in the plant in useful amounts, and its legal status differs by country.
10-OH-HHC and the hydroxy family
Here the shorthand gets almost poetic. “OH” stands for a hydroxy group, an oxygen bonded to a hydrogen and stuck onto the molecule, and the number is that street address from earlier: where on the molecule the group lives. So 10-OH-HHC is marketed as HHC with a hydroxy group added; the “10” refers to where it sits on the molecule, though chemists’ numbering systems differ. Several related hydroxylated HHCs exist, including 9-OH-HHC and 11-OH-HHC.
Legal note: Germany replaced the whole NpSG annex with its sixth amendment, in force since 2 December 2025 (Federal Ministry of Health). Its official explanation says the group covering HHC and related cannabinoids was widened to halogenated and hydroxylated derivatives. Whether a specific hydroxy variant such as 10-OH-HHC falls within it is not settled by one official source as of October 2026, so check current law. Our 10-OH-HHC post in the reading list below has the longer story.
The pattern worth remembering: the NpSG works mostly on chemical families (plus a short list of named substances), while the BtMG lists individual substances. Rules vary and change, so a new abbreviation on a pack is a reason to check current law.
Full spectrum, broad spectrum, isolate and distillate
These are not cannabinoids at all. They describe how much of the plant’s chemistry made it into the product, a bit like the difference between orange juice with bits, without bits and a vitamin tablet.
- Full spectrum: the extract keeps the plant’s mix of cannabinoids and terpenes, which can include a small amount of THC.
- Broad spectrum: a similar mix, with the THC removed or reduced to non-detectable levels.
- Isolate: a single cannabinoid, usually a near-pure (around 99%) powder or crystal.
- Distillate: an extract refined by distillation into a very concentrated cannabinoid oil. The process usually strips out much of the plant’s terpenes, so flavour is sometimes added back afterwards.
These are industry terms, not legal definitions, and none of them tells you the legal status. A full-spectrum oil and a distillate are both only as compliant as what is actually inside them, which is why the COA section below matters.
Terpenes: the smell department
Terpenes are the aroma compounds behind the smell of cannabis, and of lemons, pine trees and black pepper too. They are not cannabinoids, and they are why two products with the same cannabinoids can smell completely different.
- Myrcene: earthy and musky, also found in hops and mango.
- Limonene: citrus peel, the clue is in the name.
- Pinene: pine needles, as advertised.
- Terpinolene: fresh, herbal and slightly floral.
- Caryophyllene: the peppery one, also in black pepper and cloves.
When a label says “terpene profile”, it is describing taste and aroma. Treat any bigger claims attached to terpenes with a raised eyebrow.
COA: the label’s receipt
COA stands for certificate of analysis, the lab report for a specific batch. If the label is the menu, the COA is the receipt. It is the one document that turns all the abbreviations above into numbers.
When you read one, check these:
- The product name and batch number match the pack in your hand.
- The lab is named and the date is reasonably recent.
- The cannabinoid table lists what the label promises, with the THC figure clearly shown.
- “ND” means not detected. “LOQ” is the limit of quantification, the smallest amount the lab can measure reliably; a result below the LOQ means any trace was too small to measure precisely, not that it is proven to be zero.
It is the least glamorous document in the whole hobby, and the most useful one.
Our FAQ says every batch is tested by an independent laboratory, and product pages such as CBD Drops say results are available on request. Asking is completely normal, and a good seller will not be offended.
A few more you will meet in the wild
- CBDA, THCA, CBGA: the raw acid forms the living plant makes. Heat converts them into CBD, THC and CBG.
- mg and %: milligrams are an amount; a percentage is a share of the product. Shops usually count oil percentages per volume, so a 10 ml bottle at 40% holds about 4,000 mg (4 g), and “40%” and “4,000 mg” can describe the same oil. Check which basis a label uses before comparing.
- NPS: new psychoactive substances, the official umbrella term in EU and German law for psychoactive compounds that the UN drug conventions do not cover; many of them are made in a lab.
- NpSG and BtMG: Germany’s New Psychoactive Substances Act and its Narcotics Act, both covered in the lab-made section above.
And if a pack uses an abbreviation that appears in none of these lists, or on any lab report, that is a reason to ask questions, not a reason to be impressed.
The glossary shelf
Next time a pack reads like a pharmacist sneezed on it, you can nod slowly and actually mean it. The pack may even believe you.
If you would like to practise your new vocabulary on real labels, start here:
- Amnesia Haze Broad Spectrum (Small Buds): a broad-spectrum bud that keeps key cannabinoids and terpenes without THC, according to its page, with citrus and earthy notes, sold by the gram.
- Super Silver Haze Broad Spectrum: a broad-spectrum bud with citrus zest and herbal pine on the nose, under 0.2% THC according to its page.
Each product page lists what is inside. We strive to offer only products that are 100% legal throughout the EU, but rules differ between countries, so please check yours before ordering.
Abbreviations, answered
What is the difference between full spectrum and broad spectrum?
Full spectrum keeps the plant’s mix of cannabinoids and terpenes, which can include a small amount of THC. Broad spectrum keeps a similar mix, with the THC removed or reduced to non-detectable levels. These are industry terms, not legal definitions, so the product page and the lab report tell you which one you are holding.
Is THC-P the same as THC?
No. THC-P (also written THCP) is a close chemical relative of THC with a longer side chain. Products sold with it are usually made in a lab rather than pressed straight from the plant. Rules vary and change, and its status is not settled by one official source as of October 2026, so check current law where you live.
What does the OH in 10-OH-HHC mean?
OH is chemistry shorthand for a hydroxy group, an oxygen and a hydrogen attached to the molecule. 10-OH-HHC is marketed as HHC with that group added; the 10 refers to where it sits, though chemists’ numbering systems differ. Germany’s NpSG amendment that took effect on 2 December 2025 widened the group covering HHC and related cannabinoids to hydroxylated derivatives; whether that takes in 10-OH-HHC is not settled by one official source as of October 2026, so check current law.
What should I look for on a certificate of analysis?
Check that the product name and batch number match your pack, that the lab is named, that the date is recent and that the cannabinoid table lists the compounds the label names, including the THC figure. If any of that is missing, ask the seller.
More reading for label detectives
- CBD vs THC Effects: What Each One Actually Does
- Is HHC Legal in Germany? The 2026 Legal Status Explained
- Full Spectrum vs. Broad Spectrum Buds: Which One Should You Choose?
- 10-OH-HHC Ban (December 2025): What’s Actually Changed
Legal notes reflect the German KCanG, NpSG (including the sixth annex amendment in force since 2 December 2025) and BtMG as of October 2026, plus the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs decision on HHC and EFSA’s February 2026 CBD statement. This is not legal advice, and rules in other countries differ, so check the current rules in yours.
