What is CBDa? What are the benefits of CBDa?
I talk about CBD quite a lot in my blog but there are many Cannabinoids (Cannabis compounds) that have beneficial qualities. Over the next few weeks I will take the time to introduce a few of them.
If you would like to read more about CBD and the benefits associated with it, please read the following posts:
A comprehensive beginner’s guide to buying CBD products.
As my recent competition featured a product with high levels of CBDa, I thought I would spend a few minutes focusing on the benefits of CBDa first.
Let’s start with the basics…
What is CBDa (Cannabidiolic acid)?
Cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) is a chemical compound found in the resin glands (trichomes) of raw cannabis plants. In this case, raw means unheated and uncured.
Early research suggests that compounds in raw cannabis and hemp have some serious health benefits. One of those compounds is cannabidiolic acid (CBDa). Like drinking a mug of peppermint tea, raw cannabis has shown anti-nausea potential in tests, as well as promise in cancer and pain research.
Juicing raw cannabis or hemp has become quite popular recently but not everyone has access to the plant in its raw form to juice, so taking a Raw CBD/CBDa oil is a good alternative.
The relationship between CBDa and CBD
It is important to understand what both of these cannabinoids are in relation to each other. CBDa is the acidic precursor to CBD. When cannabis grows, its produces THCa and CBDa, not THC and CBD. These cannabinoids in their acidic form are often seen as being ‘inactive’. When cannabis is heated, such as through smoking, cooking, or vaporization, a process known as decarboxylation occurs. Decarboxylation turns both THCa and CBDa into THC and CBD respectively. Both CBDa and CBD are non-psychoactive, meaning they won’t get you high.
In general, CBD is considered the active compound and CBDa is thought to be inactive. However, research conducted in the past five years suggests that CBDa might not be as useless as was expected.
What are the potential therapeutic benefits of CBDa?
CBDa is thought to be:
*Anti-inflammatory
*Anti-nausea
*Antioxidant
*Painkiller
*Anti-proliferative (Helps to limit the growth of cancer cells)
*Antibacterial/antimicrobial
*Anti-anxiety
I have seen first hand the anti inflammatory properties of CBDa. It’s particularly effective for treating inflammatory conditions like arthritis and also chronic pain conditions like Fibromyalgia. Although it needs to be noted that cannabis compounds work best when taken together, not in isolation. The ‘whole plant’ is more beneficial than its individual components. This is commonly referred to as the ‘Entourage Effect’ but I will discuss this further in a later post.
As with almost all cannabis research, high quality studies on are sorely needed. However, one biopharmaceutical company already has a patent on CBDa for the potential treatment of psychotic disorders.
If you would like to find out more about some of the main cannabinoids found in cannabis, please read my article: The main cannabinoids and their beneficial properties
Have you tried a CBD product with high levels of CBDa? What is your experience with CBDa?
For more news, reviews, personal stories, inspirational quotes and in-depth discussion, please head over to my Facebook page.
