You’re right to guess that CBDA is somehow connected to CBD — it’s CBD’s precursor. Unfortunately, CBDA has lived in CBD’s shadow since the 1960s, when cannabinoids were first discovered.

However, scientists are now coming to realize they should’ve paid more attention to this novel cannabis compound. In this article, we’re going to explain exactly why.

Here’s a look at why CBDA is becoming so popular and where to find get ahold of some yourself.

What is CBDA?

Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) turns into CBD given enough heat, light, or time (a process called decarboxylation).

Rafael Mechoulam first isolated CBDA in 1965, but not much was done with it because of its instability. It wasn’t so much that no one saw its potential — CBD was just easier to work with and could be produced in large amounts.

In fact, Mechoulam said this about CBDA:

“It turns out that cannabidiol acid in the studies we have undertaken so far is more potent than cannabidiol itself. The chances are that slowly, and to a certain extent, cannabidiol acid will prove to be parallel to cannabidiol oil in its activity because, in many aspects, it’s much more active.”

Still, why bother with CBDA when CBD was right there, ready and willing? It’s like the genius yet inconsistent employee. They could go far but take too much time and energy to reign in, so you stick with the less intelligent employee that shows up (not that CBD isn’t great; it’s just an analogy). Scientists didn’t want to bother with it. So, what changed?

Technology and research: We can stabilize CBDA and have more reasons to try.

New technology — discovered by a team led by Mechoulan himself — allows the cannabinoid acids like CBDA to be stabilized through esterification (a chemical process), transforming them into something consistent and patentable.

Side note: It’s also possible to synthesize CBDA from CBGA.

This is excellent news for pharmaceutical companies. Now they can manufacture these acids then charge an arm and a leg for something we should be able to access naturally. Fantastic.

How Do You Get CBDA?

No need to wait for big pharma to get its claws into it — raw cannabis can do the trick. Eat the flowers (about 0.25 g) in a salad, juice them, or make tea. Just keep the temps low. You want it like you want your relationships: hot, but not too hot.

Just remember, the minute you smoke or dry the plant, most of the CBDA converts to CBD.

Fun fact: Optimal conversion happens at 230℉ for 40 minutes in your oven; or, speed up the process and do 290℉ for 10 minutes. But right now, we’re talking about preserving CBDA, so don’t do that.

Maybe you want to avoid the hassle or already have enough salad in your life, and that’s fine. There are plenty of products out there. As CBDA becomes more popular, you can find a good variety of tinctures, lotions, and capsules. Just be careful where you shop for them. The last thing you need is fake CBDA.

Whatever route you take, start with 5-10 mg daily, and give it about a month of consistent use before deciding if you see a difference or not. Some things take time.

How Does CBDA Work?

CBDA is a cannabinoid, so it’s easy to assume it acts as an agonist or antagonist to cannabinoid receptors. Scientists once thought the same thing. We’re finding out that it’s not that simple. After all, we still aren’t 100% certain how CBD works.

It seems CBDA interacts with CB1 and CB2, but it’s complicated, so we’ll stick with what we do know.

1. Studies show CBDA can activate transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channels TRPV1 and TRPA1 and antagonizes TRPM8.
2. CBDA may interact with cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes 1 and 2, with a 9-fold higher selectivity than COX-1 inhibition.
3. CBDA may interact with the 5-HT1A receptors.
4. CBDA shows a strong dependence on some sesquiterpenes, particularly guiaolstol, γ-eudesmolstol, trans-α- bergamotenest, γ-elemenest, α-bisabololstol, and α-farnesenest.

We need more research before we can know the implications of this information, but we discuss some of the possibilities below.

How Does CBDA Make You Feel?

CBDA is not psychoactive and will not make you high. Its effects seem to primarily be on the therapeutic level instead of anything you feel.

Many other cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, interact with the cannabinoid receptors, causing more pronounced physical effects (THC causes the high, CBD is relaxing). CBDA doesn’t seem to impact the endocannabinoid system in a profound way, but you can expect some pain relief and relaxation from it. 

Is CBDA Legal?

Laws vary by state, but like CBD, it is federally legal as long as it’s from hemp and has less than 0.3% THC. 

Federally, anything derived from marijuana is illegal, as is anything with too much THC. States have different laws; most are far more relaxed, but a few are stricter.

If marijuana is legal in your state, you can buy marijuana-derived CBDA and products with a higher THC content.

Check out your local laws to be sure.

How is CBDA Different from CBD?

We know far more about CBD than CBDA, but that’s not CBDA’s fault. It’s ours for not taking the plant and its compounds seriously. Research on this unique cannabinoid is sparse and primarily centers around in vitro and animal testing — neither of which offers enough data to draw any conclusions on its effects on human health.

Still, no reason to dwell on the past. What’s done is done — time to move forward.

We already discussed how CBD is more stable than CBDA. It’s more abundant and interacts with both cannabinoid receptors, while CBDA doesn’t, at least not in any meaningful way.

Here are a few other points of interest:

• CBDA doesn’t seem to diminish THC’s effects like CBD does
• CBDA might absorb better than CBD when taken orally
• CBDA could offer similar effects to CBD — but targets other areas and is more effective in some cases

We’ll look at what CBDA does next.

There are Three Medical-Use Patents Filed For CBDA

GW Pharma has filed three patents for medical products that contain CBDA and other cannabinoids.

1. The first patent (35 USC § 371) is an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that contains CBD and one other cannabinoid, either CBG, CBGA, CBDA, or THCV. It would be used to treat various cancers, including breast, liver, lung, pancreatic, ovarian, gastric, renal, bladder, and melanoma.
2. Another patent (Ser. No. 16/417,860) is for cosmetic skin treatments for inflammatory skin diseases containing one or more of the following: CBD, CBDA, CBDV, CBG, CBGV, and THCV.
3. Patent WO-2017025712-A1 is for a high-CBDA product (at least 60% but ideally 95-98%) for the treatment of epilepsy.

Conclusion: Plenty of Possibilities With CBDA

CBDA is just one of the many cannabinoids waiting to be researched. Hopefully, their time has come, and we’ll finally be able to utilize these amazing compounds.

While we know very little about CBDA, the potential is there. It might feel like there’s nothing going on — after all, we’re used to the high from THC and delta 8 and the relaxing effects of CBD.

Hopefully, this gives some insight into what goes on far below the surface. CBDA is quietly working away offering us benefits we don’t fully understand yet. 

Intriguing, isn’t it?

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