If you’ve ever experienced the effects of edibles, you’ve probably had 11-hydroxy-THC in your system. This powerful cannabinoid is likely responsible for many of the medicinal and psychoactive effects in cannabis edibles — but it isn’t actually in cannabis or even part of your cannabis edible. Interestingly, this chemical is created in your own body when one of cannabis’ main ingredients, THC, is metabolized.

When I first began using cannabis almost a decade ago, I found it worked wonders for my anxiety. Back then, it didn’t really matter which strain I was smoking—cannabis almost always helped regardless of set, setting, dose, or strain.

But as I got older, things got more complicated. I began to notice that certain strains made me more anxious than others. High doses made me paranoid. Using cannabis with unfamiliar people or in unfamiliar places almost always made me hypervigilant, self-conscious, and on edge.