CBD and hemp cannabis products are big business, and there is a huge number of people who have begun to enjoy and experience these products for the first time. However, along with millions of new customers in an industry that is still very young, there is bound to be some confusion and gaps in knowledge.
One of the more confusing things about hemp cannabis products that many people have a hard time coming to terms with is the extremely large number of active compounds within the plant itself. While not every element of the hemp plant has a dramatic effect, it is worth noting that there are over a hundred cannabinoids like THC, CBG, and CBD found in hemp cannabis (technically Cannabis sativa), as well as terpenes, flavonoids, and more.
CBD is perhaps the most popular of these hemp-derived products and has attracted an incredibly loyal following. Something many people who take CBD products will do is check the lab reports to ensure their product is of high quality and made correctly. For those who use CBD, they have likely seen CBDA on these lab reports.
In this article, we will go over the basics of CBDA, why it is often found in CBD products, and how it may affect you.
CBD vs CBDA and Other Cannabinoids
Before we dive into CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), we should first go over some basics regarding cannabinoids. As we said before, there are over a hundred cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant in its raw form. Raw cannabis is generally broken down into two types of plants. Those with very low levels of THC (a psychotropic cannabinoid) are referred to as hemp plants, while those with high levels of THC are referred to as marijuana plants. Regardless of classification, the plant material of all cannabis plants contains some trace amounts of each cannabinoid.
Industrial raw hemp has a high CBD content and low THC content and is used for commercial CBD products, amongst other things. These plants are what CBD oil and hemp oil are derived from, which are then used to make various topical creams, tinctures, or other options. There are even gummies and other edibles available with high levels of CBD. In the UK, these are considered common health supplements.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid found in relatively high amounts in the hemp plant and is used in a large number of products.
The Effects of CBD and the Endocannabinoid System
The way that CBD and other cannabinoids interact with our bodies is primarily through the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS runs throughout the body and is based around a large series of receptors (such as the 5-ht1a serotonin receptors) found in key areas of the nervous system.
The side effects of these interactions are not yet well understood though the NHS has begun to look heavily into CBD to verify claims of any health benefits.
There is also a unique phenomenon called the entourage effect that is important to understand when you are talking about CBD. In most of the recent research conducted around CBD so far, it has been found that any potential benefits are much more pronounced when CBD is taken with all the other terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids found in the hemp plant.
Basically, the entourage effect is a synergistic effect that makes CBD more potent when taken with other naturally occurring compounds found in hemp.
The entourage effect is why so many people prefer full-spectrum CBD products. Full-spectrum products, though they have less CBD per volume, are considered to be much more potent. Broad-spectrum CBD products contain many of the same naturally occurring elements of the plant, though they have the THC removed.
Broad-spectrum is preferred by those who are seeking to take advantage of the entourage effect but want to avoid any possibility of the psychotropic feelings that THC may cause. There is not a lot of science that has gone into whether or not broad-spectrum is much less effective than full-spectrum or if they are comparable, though many assume that full-spectrum is likely the more potent of the two.
There have been very few studies done on the details of the entourage effect, though many studies have shown that CBD and THC taken together tend to have more positive results.
What is CBDA?
Cannabinoids all begin life as CBGA, a compound many call the “mother of all cannabinoids”. As the hemp plant grows and matures, the CBGA will break down into cannabinoid acids. Cannabinoid acids (also acidic cannabinoids) are the precursor compounds to cannabinoids and include THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), CBCA (cannabichromenic acid), and CBDA (cannabidiolic acid). Depending on what enzymes get turned on, these cannabinoid acids will transform into compounds like CBD.
The acidic form is the early, formative stage of a cannabinoid. If you look at a fresh plant that is still growing you are more likely to find CBDA than CBD. CBDA is an acid precursor of CBD.
For general consumer purposes, CBDA is a non-psychoactive compound that is able to be used to create CBD. When CBDA runs into oxygen and sunlight, a process called decarboxylation occurs and CBD is created. This process can take time and will be slow enough that some CBDA will likely be left over in your CBD product.
Luckily, CBDA is not psychoactive, and research is ongoing to see what health benefits if any, it may provide. Early on, it was thought that CBDA might not do anything in the endocannabinoid system due to its structure, though that has already been disproven. In some animal studies, CBDA has been shown to be more potent than CBD, and there is currently research on a CBDA-based anti-nausea drug.
Comparing CBDA vs CBD
So does CBDA benefit you like CBD is thought to? The truth is, for as little as we know about CBD, the effects of CBDA are even less well understood. All we know at this point is that both compounds share enough similarities that they might cause the same wellness side effects, and they are different enough that they may be able to have their own distinct qualities.
For now, CBD is much better understood, and we have a much better idea of how it interacts with the body. There are even NHS-approved medical products that use CBD as their primary active ingredient. In the United States, the FDA regulatory agency has also approved Epidiolex, which helps to treat symptoms of epilepsy using primarily CBD.
Ongoing research is being conducted on claims that CBD is able to bind with cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body, which in turn may be able to reduce inflammation and numb pain. CBDA doesn’t actually bind to cannabinoid receptors but instead will interact within your ECS in a slightly different way.
So what are the possible benefits of CBDA? CBDA may be able to increase your natural serotonin production and may act as a COX-2 inhibitor (which may reduce pain and inflammation).
It is interesting to see that although these are different compounds that interact with the body differently, they both do go through the ECS in order to provide very similar effects.
CBD May Be Better for General Use
Right now, with the current production methods and without further research being completed, CBD seems to be a better choice for general use. While CBDA is different enough that some may seek it out for its more unique properties, CBD is easier to extract in abundance and is much more stable. In many cases, a CBDA product you buy will begin to turn into CBD at some point unless especially prepared.
Many people who enjoy CBD do so through devices like vape pens. This is another thing that CBDA cannot work with. If you were to vape CBDA, you would turn it into CBD by the time you took it into the bloodstream. There are similar issues when trying to cook and make certain edibles with CBDA; you will inevitably end up making CBD.
CBDA is best taken through raw hemp leaves (like a smoothie) or through sublingual tinctures and oils.
Can You Buy CBDA Oil in the UK?
Right now, the best way for you to experience CBDA is through high-quality full-spectrum CBD oil. CBDA isolate products are not understood well, stable, or common. Make sure that any CBD oil you choose is lab-tested, as this will provide you with the double benefit of letting you see whether the product is pure and safe and how much CBDA it contains.
Both CBD and CBDA are very different compounds that each offer unique benefits. Luckily, they are found tied together. If you are interested in CBDA make sure to carefully follow the studies around this compound and the many other cannabinoids and acids being looked into. There is something new and exciting being discovered almost each and every week.
