Edibles are becoming the most popular way to consume all the great cannabinoids from hemp plants. Whether its gummies, cookies, brownies, or candy, they taste great and you can pack all the CBD and CBDA oil you need in one snack.
With the rise of new technology and research into cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), many people are looking towards acidic cannabinoinds as the next evolution in hemp based medicines.
Here we discuss what to expect and how to find CBDA edibles.
Article Highlights
- CBDA, as well as other acidic cannabinoids, has much greater absorption than its neutral form (CBD), leading to superior medicinal benefits.
- Edibles are a flavorful way to enhance your CBDA experience, and travel easily!
- Make sure to check the testing results before buying since CBDA can be destroyed during some heating exposure.
What are the benefits of CBDA oil over other cannabinoids?
Hemp plants, which reside within the cannabis sativa species, are known for producing high amounts of CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) in their flower. Most people may be familiar with CBD (cannabidiol), but dont know that it comes from the mother cannabinoid CBDA.
All cannabinoids in hemp plants and marijuana plants are in the acidic form, and only convert (decarboxylate) into their neutral forms (e.g. CBD) when exposed to heat.
It used to be thought that only the neutral forms had health benefits, but new research is finding that the natural compound found in the plant material may have superior therapeutic potential.
CBD vs CBDA oil - the story of absorption
A number of animal models and now human studies show that CBDA has better absorption than CBD, by around 450-1000% more.
The importance of absorption is a critical point that is often missed when assessing potential benefits of CBD.
Many clinical studies utilize hundreds of mgs of CBD to reach clinically significant outcomes, but with enhanced absorption of CBDA, a 50 mg CBDA dose would be approximate to at least 250mg of CBD.
Recent research on CBDA oil
CBDA is a non psychoactive compound, and will not get you high like THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) from marijuana plants. The potential health benefits of CBDA are still being investigated, but many preclinical studies are showing amazing outcomes.
CBDA and the endocannabinoid system
CBDA is able to bind and regulate both cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, although it has a preference for CB2. While most people think of these two specific receptors as the only endocannabinoid system receptors, there are many others that drive important differences between how multiple cannabinoids work.
Anxiety and depression
The CBDA cannabinoid can activate the 5HT1A receptor, a classical serotonin receptor found in the brain. This recent preclinical study showed it was able to reduce anxiety under high stress conditions. The 5HT1A receptor is a critical target for SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), a class of drugs commonly used to treat patients with depression.
Nausea and vomiting
Multiple animal studies have found that CBDA decreases symptoms of nausea and vomiting. This is not entirely unexpected, as CBD oil has been previously shown to have similar anti nausea effects.
Pain relief
There are a number of cell receptors and channels that CBDA interacts with that studies are showing can reduce symptoms of pain. The most recent finding is that CBDA inhibits TRPV1 channel (transient receptor potential vanilloid 1), which underlie pain signaling propagation in the nervous system.While not an exhaustive list, see our article on the many benefits of CBDA oil.
Best way to use CBDA
There are three main ways to use CBDA products:- Oral consumption: This is the most common method and includes CBDA tinctures and CBDA edibles.
- Smoking: This is also a common method of consuming the cannabis plant, but you will not get the benefits of CBDA oil. This is because CBDA converts to CBD when exposed to heat, like in a vape or smoking flower from hemp plants.
- Skin creams: Creams are good for targeting inflammation and joint pain at a direct site, and can often be combined with systemic consumption of CBDA like tinctures or CBDA gummies.
We typically recommend CBDA gummies or CBDA tinctures, unless there is a specific skin condition, in which case a cream would work best. For many inflammatory conditions, CBDA oil is best used by systemic administration.
When should I take my CBDA edible?
The timing and consistency of when you take your CBDA product is important depending on what your are trying to get out of it. CBDA works over the course of a couple hours, but can have lasting beneficial effects when taken daily.- For sleep, we recommend taking an 1-2 hours before bedtime, this give the CBDA oil enough time to be absorbed.
- For chronic pain relief, customers report using taking a dose 2-3 times a day as needed. It may take a day or up to a week to see significant differences depending on the person.
- For topical creams, apply to the area of discomfort one to two times a day.
What you need to know about CBDA edible products
There are number of differences between CBD and CBDA products, such as decarboxylation and kinds of full spectrum CBDA or CBD oils.
CBDA, edibles, and decarboxylation
Because heating CBDA oil can create CBD, consumers need to be aware that some products will have a little CBD oil in them. However, that does not mean there should be less CBDA in the product than what is listed on the label.
For example, at Natural Dos, when we create our Vegan CBDA gummies, we know there is about 5% decarboxylation of the CBDA, so we add a little extra to each batch to make up for that.
CBDA edible dose
Most of the CBDA products will list the total amount of CBDA cannabinoid on their label. But check the nutrition section to see how much CBDA is in each dose since this is how you will calculate whats best for your body's endocannabinoid system.- We recommend starting with 25mg per dose and working your way up or down from there.
- Some products have a mixture of CBDA and other cannabinoids, sometimes with CBGA (cannabigerolic acid) so you may have to check what the ratio is calculate how much CBDA is in each dose.
- Natural Dos lists the amount of CBDA in total on the front label, and the amount of CBDA in each dose on the back.
Identifying different CBDA products
Although CBDA is the natural cannabinoid found in the raw cannabis plant, it is still new to the market. Because of this, it can come under a couple different names and types:- Raw CBDA oil: these products are typically derived from raw cannabis juice after pressing the cannabis compounds out of the flower using heated pressure plates.
- Raw form CBDA: These are typically extracted tinctures that are not purified, and often contain other cannabinoids and plant material like chlorophyll. These are usually bitter due to the impurities, but some people like them.
- Natural Spectrum CBDA oil: This is a unique acidic cannabinoid blend pioneered by Natural Dos, and contains all the acidic cannabinoids from the hemp plant. This is a purified CBDA oil and does not contain any impurities.
- CBDA isolate: Some manufacturers now make single cannabinoid powders, and mix them with their edible ingredients.
Where to find the best CBDA edibles
We are a bit biased, so we think Natural Dos has the best CBDA edible products!Before you buy any CBDA edibles, be sure to check out the Certificate of Analysis (CoA). This is a testing report from a third party that analyzes the final product. The CoA should test for these 5 main items:
- Potency - the amount of cannabinoids listed on the label should reflect what the testing found.
- Heavy Metals - the cannabis plant is known to absorb heavy metals from the earth, so make sure none show up on the test.
- Pesticides - while its illegal to use conventional pesticides on hemp plants, sometimes they are found in the ground from previous crops, and can be soaked up by the hemp roots.
- Solvents - while this is typically not a problem anymore, always check for potential chemicals left over from the extraction process.
- Microbials - growth of some microorganisms can cause stomach issues, and this may be a critical point for some edibles like chocolates.