How is CBDA different from CBD?

It seems as though we learn more about cannabinoids with every day that passes.  Looking back 5 years, the only two cannabinoids most of us could name are CBD and THC.  However, in the more recent history, we now hear about the powers of CBG, CBN, THCVA, THCV, and many more – which we can credit to increased mainstream acceptance that cannabis is in fact, medicine.  Contextually, if we think about THCA, which is the acid form of THC, activated by decarboxylation, becomes THC.  In the same sense, CBDA is the acid form of CBD and like CBD, CBDA is not psychoactive, so don’t expect it to provide a “high.”  With a friendly reminder that we are not clinicians, you should always seek a qualified physician’s counsel when determining the effectiveness of CBDA for your conditions.

Thus far, research has suggested that CBDA could be useful in treating anxiety and depression, both of which are typically treated with pharmaceuticals.  The body metabolizes CBDA faster and with more efficiency than CBD, and CBDA apparently clings to our serotonin receptors – which are the responsible parts of our bodies that make us feel content, comfortable, and emotionally stable.  Like CBD, research also indicates that inflammation and chronic pain are also receptive to CBDA in terms of pain reduction but also prevent nerve and tissue damage.  GW Pharmaceuticals, most well known for being the first cannabis based prescription medication for epilepsy, are studying CBDA as an anti-nausea treatment, and potentially as another anti-seizure treatment.

If you’re looking for CBDA on product labels, don’t waste your time.  With research in its infancy for CBDA’s benefits, it’s not yet an ingredient touted openly.  But you can find it in cannabis flower that’s listed “high CBD” or “CBD-rich” – consider Charlotte’s Web or Harlequin.  If you smoke these flowers, you’ll turn the CBDA into CBD, which is not a bad thing, but in order to enjoy CBDA itself, you can consider consuming it raw in a smoothie or juiced.  If you’re really adventurous and a whiz with cold extraction, you could also extract it as a concentrate.

We’ll look forward to the next advancements in research about CBDA as well as other cannabinoids as we continue to learn more with sanctioned research into the magical plant medicine we call cannabis.