The invention relates to acidic cannabinoids as defined in the specification for use in increasing the natural resistance of an animal, for use in enhancing cellular resistance, for use in therapy of diabetes, for use in therapy of atherosclerosis, reduce the decline in stress response found in ageing or for use in decreasing the necessity for antibiotic treatment. Preferably said acidic cannabinoid is selected from the group consisting of ?9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid or THC acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinolic acid (CBN-A) and cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromenic acid (CBC-A) and cannabichromene (CBC).