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CBDa?
What is CBDa?
We have all heard
about CBD (Cannabidiol), and it's tremendous therapeutic properties. Studies have shown that this cannabinoid can
have a significant positive impact on many functions of the human body,
including metabolism, mood, appetite, sleep, pain tolerance, inflammation and
more. Very little is known about CBDa,
even though it was first isolated in the 1950's. Like most other minor cannabinoids, not a
whole lot happened with it for several decades.
Even as CBD research started to take off in the 1990's and 2000's, CBDa
lagged behind.
In the last few
years, research on CBDa has started to pick up.
CBDa works in the same way as CBD, but has several important
advantages. No human clinical trials
have started yet, but I'm sure there will be some in the very near future.
What Is CBDa?
CBDa (Cannabidiolic
Acid) is the precursor to CBD. It is a
chemical compound found in raw cannabis plants.
In this case, raw means unheated
and uncured. Raw cannabis is the flower
and the leaves that come from the plant.
When the cannabis plant is aged and heated, the cannabidiolic acid
breaks down into CBD. The process of
converting CBDa to CBD is called decarboxylation. With heat and time, the acid group of the
molecule degrades and what is left is referred to as "activated"
CBD. This is the same way that THC is
processed. THCa is converted to THC.
Differences Between CBDa and CBD
The
chemical formulas for CBD and CBDa are C21H30O2 and C22H30O4, respectively.
CBD has a more simple chemical composition because of the absence of a
carboxylic acid group that is removed during decarboxylation. The removal of the carboxyl group turns the
inactive components in CBDa into active ones, unlocking additional therapeutic
properties.
CBD and CBDa both
have a positive impact on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). While they do not interact directly with the
main receptors of the ECS, they can both activate and inhibit other receptors
to keep the body healthy. The main
difference between CBD and CBDa is the way they influence the types of
receptors.
- CBD reacts with adenosine,
serotonin and vanilloid receptors to help control pain, inflammation,
depression, sleep, appetite and other conditions.
- CBD also hinders the CPR55
receptor to improve bone density, blood pressure and cancer-fighting
abilities.
- CBDa works by blocking the
activities of receptors that cause inflammation, such as COX-1 and
COX-2. By doing this, CBDa can
reduce seizures, inflammation and symptoms of disease.
Research shows that
CBD and CBDa delivers the best results when they work together. This holds true if a health disorder results
from the improper regulation of different systems in the body. Furthermore, studies have shown that CBDa can
enhance the potency of CBD, which allows user to take smaller doses while
retaining the same levels of effectiveness.
Health Benefits of CBDa
Unfortunately, there
is a lack of research on CBDa. However,
preliminary laboratory research suggests that CBDa may help in four therapeutic
areas.
Inflammation
Laboratory research
done on cell cultures has discovered that CBDa has possible anti-inflammatory
properties.
An
experiment
performed in 2008 had found that CBDa is a COX-2 inhibitor.
COX-2 is an enzyme that plays a role in the
development of inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins.
NSAIDS, like aspirin and ibuprofen, were
created to target this enzyme in order to reduce inflammation.
Inflammation is a natural reaction to injury,
stress and illness.
However, chronic
inflammation can be harmful to our health and way of life.
A good example of chronic inflammation is
arthritis.
Scientists found that CBDa
not only blocks this enzyme from helping to produce inflammatory compounds, but
it does it better than THC.
Nausea and Vomiting
Kind
of feeling sick to your stomach? A 2012 study
examined the anti-nausea and vomiting effect of CBDa in rats and shrews. CBDa appeared to activate a special type of
receptor in the rodent's brainstem. The
receptor is called the 5-HT1A receptor. This
is a serotonin receptor that is found in humans and animals. Along with its role in depression, serotonin
may have a key part in nausea and
vomiting. The research showed an
increase in activity of this cell receptor when CBDa was given to the
rodents. This may be the reason why CBDa
was effective at stopping nausea and vomiting in the shrews and rats. In fact, the study found that CBDa was more
effective than activated CBD for easing these symptoms.
Anti-Cancer
In 2012, a study found that CBDa was effective at inhibiting the growth of an aggressive
form of breast cancer.
Even though
experiments were conducted in a petri dish, CBDa showed some positive effects
on this highly invasive cancer.
Repeated
experiments in animals and cell lines, found this acid prevented the migration
of cancer cells.
In theory, a therapy
that stops cancer cell migration would prevent the disease from spreading to
the rest of the body.
Another cell line
study in 2014 showed
similar anti-cancer potential.
CBDa
seemed to repress genes associated with metastasis.
Metastasis or cell migration is responsible
for 90% of breast cancer deaths.
Besides
breast cancer, CBDa has shown anti-inflammatory effects toward other types of
cancer.
A
Swedish study in 2011
evaluated six different cannabinoids along with their acid forms.
All six of these components together provided
a strong effect on the inflammatory processes in laboratory colon cancer cell
lines.
Through the interference of the
inflammatory process, the cannabinoids were able to inhibit cancer cell
proliferation.
These are good signs that
more research is greatly needed.
Anxiety and Psychotic Disorders
Research
has shown that CBD to be a promising treatment for anxiety and depression, but
what about CBDa? Like CBD, CBDa triggers
the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor, which controls the feelings of anxiety and
depression. In a study
conducted on rats, research showed that CBDa produced antidepressant effects at
doses 10 to 100 times smaller than CBD.
Though there has not been any high quality studies on CBDa for the
treatment of anxiety and psychotic disorders, GW Pharmaceuticals does have a
patent on CBDa, along with other cannabinoids, as an adjunct treatment for
psychotic disorders. What this means is
that there is a enough preclinical evidence to warrant more research on CBDa
and other cannabinoids.
The existing
research on the medical benefits of CBDa, especially when it comes to
inflammation and cancer, leaves great hope for this cannabinoid along with the
many other cannabinoids. Hopefully, with
more research on the whole cannabis plant, a better understanding of all
cannabinoids will shape our use for medical cannabis in the future.
