Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) is the original and most abundant cannabinoid in the hemp plant. A CBDA distillate should contain all the acidic cannabinoids from the hemp plant at a high purity. All cannabinoids naturally found in the hemp flower are in the acidic form. These are considered the acidic precursor for most of the common cannabinoid distillates found in the store, such as CBD, CBG and THC.
Acidic cannabinoids like cannabidiolic acid have recently been gaining traction due to new studies showing their improved benefits over other decarboxylated forms (e.g. CBD). CBDA has typically been associated with the raw form of hemp oil, but with new technologies developed at Natural Dos, distillate level qualities are slowly becoming available.
Natural Dos produces a unique Natural Spectrum CBDA distillate that goes into all of our finished CBDA products.
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What is a distillate?
When hemp flower is first extracted, it is typically a dark colored viscous liquid that contains many other plant materials, such as wax, lipids, chlorophyll, and cannabinoids. This is termed a crude extract, and is then processed to remove most of the waxes and lipids, termed winterization. The next step is to purify the winterized crude into a high purity cannabinoid distillate.
Conventional purification commonly uses a process call short path distillation, where the crude extract is heated under a vacuum and the cannabinoids are boiled off into a separate container. However, because heat is used, the cannabinoids become decarboxylated, and convert from CBDA to CBD. This distillation is typically performed a couple times to produce a high purity CBD oil
CBD distillate got its name from the distillation process that is used to purify the crude extract.
What is CBDA distillate?
To create a high purity CBDA oil, you need a technology to purify the crude in a way that does not use heat. Ideally, you want to capture all the acidic precursor cannabinoids to get a full spectrum oil. The scientists at Natural Dos developed a new technology to create a high purity acidic cannabinoid oil that has all the cannabinoids from the hemp plant.
What should be in a CBDA distillate:
- CBDA (cannabidiolic acid)
- CBGA (cannabigerolic acid)
- THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)
- CBCA (Cannabichromenic acid)
- THCVA (tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid)
While this is not an exhaustive list, they represent some of the most common cannabinoids found in the hemp plant, and are what we typically see in our Natural Spectrum CBDA oil. The ratio of the different minor cannabinoids will depend on the hemp strain of the raw material.
Entourage effect
A full spectrum oil, an oil that contains all the cannabinoids, is considered a superior starting material since all the benefits of the different cannabinoids can be obtained. When all the cannabinoids from the cannabis plant are present, they create a synergistic potency, and this is typically termed by the community the "entourage effect". The entourage effect boosts the effects of CBD or CBDA on the body by having all the other compounds present.
How to find the best CBDA distillate
Any product with good full spectrum CBDA will have a complete CoA that lists its potency. Check the CoA of the CBDA product to make sure the testing results confirm that the amount of cannabidiolic acid listed on the label is matched by what the laboratory reports.
To understand how to interpret a CoA, check out our CBDA CoA guide post.
Natural Spectrum CBDA contains all the acidic cannabinoids found in a CBDA distillate, and has no impurities that are sometimes associated with poor manufacturing.
CBDA isolate
You will often see CBD products that are isolates, this means CBD was specifically isolated from the other cannabinoids to produce a pure, powder form of the cannabinoid. This makes it easier to control the dose, quality, and the most significantly the formulating process for making a product. It is easier to mass produce a CBD product if its in an isolate form.
Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) isolate is similar to CBD in that it was separated from the other cannabinoids to yield a high purity powder or crystal. In a similar fashion to CBD isolate, CBDA isolate is easier for formulating products in scale, but does not contain the entourage effect of the distillate.
Benefits of CBDA
Research into CBDA is only starting to get noticed for its significant benefits to help treat a number of conditions. While CBDA does not have the scientific history as CBD due to the technical hurdles to purify it, it has started to gain traction as the technology to isolate it is coming on the market.
There are a wide variety of conditions that customers and researchers have been using and testing CBDA for:
Enhanced absorption
A significant hurdle in the cannabis space is the poor absorption of decarboxylated CBD and other minor cannabinoids. It turns out that acidic cannabinoids, such as CBDA, have over 450% greater absorption than CBD. This means you can take significantly less CBDA than CBD and get a better result!
Nausea
Multiple studies have evaluated the affect that CBDA has on nausea symptoms, and found that it had a positive effects in their tests to treat nausea. CBDA is a potent target of the 5HT1A endocannabinoid receptor, which has been implicated in symptoms of nausea. Multiple studies have now found in preclinical trials that CBDA treats nausea symptoms.
Inflammation
Plant based medicines to target inflammation, CBDA being one, are becoming more popular with consumers. Inflammation is a cellular response that is helpful for short term infections, but is extremely damaging to the body when it occurs over long periods of time. Most modern diseases are caused or associated with chronic inflammation, such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, many cancers, and dementia.
Recently, CBDA anti inflammatory properties have been reported by multiple studies, specifically with its ability to decrease the expression of COX-2 (cyclooxygenase 2), a critical inflammatory enzyme. In studies of breast cancer cells, CBDA was able to decrease the amount of COX-2, which prevented production of pro-inflammatory compounds.
Anxiety and stress
Chronic anxiety and stress can drain your energy, cause sleep disruptions, and put strain on your relationships. While everyone deals with stress and anxiety, for some people it can become a debilitating condition, and a medical professional should be consulted to diagnose the condition.
Hemp plant products are being used by many people as an alternative support for their anxiety and stress. Because CBDA from cannabis is new to the market, not as many people are familiar with its ability to support mental wellness. However, many people who try it are advocating for it since its benefits may be significantly improved compared to CBD.
CBDA activates 5HT1A receptors, which is a known regulator of serotonin, and a target of the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) class of drugs. Additionally, because CBDA has such high absorption, it becomes much more cost affordable since a lower dose is needed.
What CBDA dosage is right for me?
We recommend 30mg to 50mg per serving to start, and go with the same dose for at least 3-4 days before deciding if more or less is necessary. Because CBDA is so new, we have to use studies on CBD to get a range for dosing amounts. Other studies have that taking CBDA on an empty stomach can improve absorption, so that may be an option for taking it when you wake up in the morning. For more information on the right dosing strategies, check out our CBDA dosage guide.
Summary
CBDA distillate is the new evolution of cannabis plant medicine, and with minimal side effects, is a potent boost to your health. However, the FDA has not approved CBDA to treat cure or prevent any conditions. It has approved CBD for a limited number of medical conditions, such as epilepsy, under the brand name Epidiolex. We recommend that anyone taking CBDA should consult with their physician if they are on medications that may have drug-drug interactions with cannabinoids.
FAQ- CBDA Distillate
Yes, CBDA has much higher absorption than CBD, giving a superior bioavailability with directly influences its potency.
In fact, CBDA has between 450% and over 1000% better absorption than CBD depending on the study and formulation.
A recent study in mice found that when CBDA was taken in a full spectrum formulation with plenty of other cannabinoids, its absorption increased over 14-times compared to taking CBDA molecule by itself.
CBDA has much higher absorption compared to CBD, which means it bioavailability is superior. This confers significant improvements in its biological function.
Also, CBDA has some unique targets, such as inhibition of COX2 (cyclooxygenase 2), a proinflammatory enzyme that is the target of both aspirin and ibuprofen. CBDA has activates the 5HT1A serotonin receptor, which is also the target for many SSRIs, and has implications for its ability to improve mood.
CBDA benefits are widely distributed and has been used for a number of purposes due to its variety of targets inside the body. This can include stress and anxiety, joint pain, and sleep.
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