CBD has gained in popularity in recent years due to its potential health benefits, but you might have recently heard of a similar compound known as CBDa. This could leave you with an array of questions.
What is CBDa and how does it differ from CBD? Are the benefits it provides different or better, and should you be taking the two together? We’ll answer all of these questions and more in this post.
What Is CBDa & How Does It Differ to CBD?
CBDa, or cannabidiolic acid, is a chemical compound known as a cannabinoid which is found within the hemp and cannabis plants. It is similar to CBD but within acid form.
Usually cannabinoids either have an acid form or an active form and over time or if heated they decarboxylate to become the active form. In the case of CBD and CBDa, when CBDa is heated it becomes CBD. The compound CBD is actually quite scarce within the cannabis plant and so most CBD products are made by heating the raw plant material to convert CBDa into CBD. Some CBDa is often leftover which is why you may often see CBDa listed on the lab report of many CBD products.
The effects that the two compounds have on the body are different which begs the question, is CBDa better than CBD?
Is CBDa Better Than CBD?
If how you decide which compound is better is based on which is more potent then various scientific studies on animals have found that CBDa is more potent than CBD. However, there is very little research into the benefits that CBDa has on humans and much of the evidence is based on animal studies. Of the research on animals, it has been found that CBDa can reduce inflammation, reduce tumours, and reduce nausea and vomiting. Whether these benefits are applicable to humans is unknown and more research will need to be undertaken on humans in the future.
Can You Take CBDa & CBD Together?
Yes, many CBD oil products on the market already contain both CBD and CBDa so they can be taken together. The effects that the two cannabinoids have on the body are distinctively different and so you can take both at once to experience the variety of benefits. There are three ways in which you can take CBD and CBDa together:
- Raw hemp oil – these oils do not use heat within the production process and so naturally they contain more CBDa and less CBD because no decarboxylation occurs.
- Broad spectrum CBD products – these type of CBD products contain all of the natural cannabinoids found within the hemp and cannabis plants apart from THC. This means they contain both CBD and CBDa.
- Full spectrum CBD products – these type of CBD products contain all of the natural cannabinoids within the cannabis and hemp plants, including THC, CBD and CBDa
As CBDa turns into CBD once heated, if you want to take both cannabinoids at once you should not use a method of consumption which involves heating such as vaping.
Final Thoughts
The effects of CBD have been far more thoroughly researched so it remains a more popular product for consumption, however CBDa still has some potential effects which you may want to take advantage of. CBDa can work well when used alongside CBD and thankfully many CBD products available on the market already contain a mixture of both CBD and CBDa if you want to get the benefits of the two cannabinoids from the same product.
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