Recently, there have been a few CBD and CBDA blends being advertised on the market. CBDA has generally attracted very little attention but because of these new blends being created from raw juicing, many questions are not being asked about CBDA, with many people wanting to know the differences between the two compounds.
What Is CBD?
Cannabinoid or CBD for short, is a chemical compound found in the hemp plant. While THC is the main active ingredient derived from marijuana, CBD which is derived from hemp has very little THC which means it is non-psychoactive.
As a result of the Farm Bill that passed in 2018, CBD containing less than 0.3% THC is legal in the United States and have since been used to make various oils and edibles. CBD is known to be used in the treatment of epilepsy, which has been irrefutably backed by scientific evidence. Other known uses are for the treatment of anxiety and Parkinson’s disease, but there is not sufficient scientific evidence to support CBD’s use in the treatment of either.
What Is CBDA?
Cannabidiolic acid otherwise known as CBDA is derived from cannabigerolic acid or CBGA and is a precursor for CBD. CBDA is converted to CBD via decarboxylation which can be done instantly by smoking or vaporizing. CBD can also be derived from CBDA over time by leaving the hemp plant to sit at room temperature. Because of the volatility of CBDA, many people rarely come in contact with it. However, CBDA is now rising in popularity because of raw juicing as well as CBD and CBDA blends, some of the ways in which people can engage in the use of CBDA.
Like CBD, CBDA is legal in the United States providing it has less than 0.3% THC and is non-psychoactive.
What Does the Research Say?
Until recently, much research was not done on the effects of CBDA or any of the acidic forms of cannabinoids, particularly because they were believed to have little to no effect on endocannabinoid system.
In 2008 however, a research conducted by Takeda et al, found that there was a potential for CBDA to act as an anti-inflammatory, and behaved similarly to COX-2 inhibitors which were responsible for the success with NSAIDs. Additionally, a 2013 study by Rock and Parker, indicated that CBDA might be useful in the treatment of nausea. In the study, CBDA was paired with ondansetron or OND, a drug used to treat nausea and it resulted in enhanced anti-nausea effects of OND, even at very low doses, which suggested that combining both CBDA and OND will be more effective in treating nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
It is important to note that just about all research regarding CBDA is at a pre-clinical stage, meaning it has not been tested on humans. Human trails are needed in order to confirm or deny the suspected outcomes noted in the studies above.
What Are the Medical Benefits of CBDA?
As mentioned above, CBDA has not undergone any human trials. Additionally, the compound is unstable and very volatile. As a result, it is not generally seen as viable for use in clinical scenarios. Recently however, at the 2019 CannMed conference held in California, CBD pioneer and researcher, Dr Mechoulam spoke on his research about the possibility of making CBDA more stable.
His team has since tested the more stable compound in pre-clinical trials which has shown that it still retains its therapeutic properties while being a much more stable compound to be considered for clinical use.
The research was a collaborative effort and one of the partners in the study, EPM has made the compound available for licensing within the healthcare community. Use of the compound however is pending FDA clinical trials.
Conclusion
CBDA has the potential to be of great use among CBD enthusiasts and shows strong promise of being a viable medical aid. We have to wait however, to see what the ongoing research reveals.
As always, if you are considering using CBD, be sure to consult with your physician to determine that CBD is right for you, and that it poses no serious risk to your health.