Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THCA) is one of the active components of cannabis in which causes marijuana’s effects. Cannabis has consisted of many cannabinoids, and each cannabinoid works with different receptors in the brain and body to do things, including stimulate hunger, drowsiness, create dry mouth, and even alleviating anxiety.
What Is THCA?
The cannabis compound, THCA, is the pioneer of THC. Even both THCA and THC are almost the same in terms of chemical formation, they still have some different molecular distinction. It is the reason for the total changes in the way it affects the brain.
Here are the quick facts about THCA:
- Compare to THC, THCA does not produce any psychoactive effects, which is the reason why even you eat a bunch of cannabis buds, you still not feel any high at all.
- Though THCA is inactive from providing effects to humans, they still develop high that contains therapeutic health benefits.
- THCA is found in fresh and live cannabis.
- As the cannabis plant dries, THCA slowly turns into THC.
- The heat advance the conversion process, which is called the process of decarboxylation. This process describes what happens once you smoke the cannabis flower.
How the THCA Develops?
Like other cannabinoids, THCA started to exist as CBGA or Cannabigerolic Acid. As the plant reaches its maturity, the enzymes take place inside the trichomes that turns a bigger part of CBGA becomes THCA, CBCA, and CBD.
The process has gained CBGA, the nickname known as the mother of all cannabinoids. Other cannabinoids, such as THCA and CBDA, are found with a higher percentage compared to other fellow cannabinoids.
The reason why THC makes intoxication effects is that it fits in the body’s CB1 receptors. When the THCA gets into extreme heat temperatures, it becomes THC. It happens when you smoke o vaporize the cannabis buds.
What are the Benefits and Effects of THCA?
As the THCA does not provides high effects making it certainly undistinguished. Based on some scientific research, the THCA has many potential benefits when it comes to medicinal conditions. THCA plays a very important role in cannabis medicine as the cannabis industry moves forward.
The following are some potential health benefits of THCA in terms of medicinal needs:
- Neuroprotective properties to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s Diseases.
- Anti-inflammatory effects of treating lupus and arthritis
- Anti-proliferative effects for cancer conditions
- Analgesic effects to relieve muscle spasms and common pain
- Anti-emetic effects which are ideal for boosting your appetite and treating nausea and vomiting which is caused by undergoing through chemotherapy
- Anti-convulsant effects for epileptic patients
Those mentioned effects need to have further studies to provide evidence in all benefits in order to understand what THCA means for future cannabis THCA medicines completely.
Different Ways to Consume THCA
Maybe you are wondering how to consume THCA without making it turns into THC. Some people consume it by trimming raw cannabis buds and makes juice with the plant matter, while others are smoking it. Since heating cannabis will decarboxylate the THCA, it will quickly turn into THC, making it not the ideal way to take advantage to get medicinal effects of THCA.
Another common method to consume THCA is by topical, orally, and extracts. Depending on your consumption need, you can heat THCA without using the heat.
The following are some tips to consume THCA most effectively.
- Smoking THCA
Once you heat the THCA, it will probably turn into an extreme form of THC. Smoking THCA means you can dab it, sprinkle it through a joint with your preferred cannabis flower to work up the potency of THCA. Smoking THCA provides a very clean hit like you just smoke cannabis.
Since smoking THCA has a very strong effect, it is highly recommended to consume it under caution until you reach your tolerance.
- Topicals
Many people tend to consume THCA through the use of topicals, which is made with cannabinoids. Creams and balms permeate with THCA. They are known for providing a calming effect through CB2 receptors, which are located all over the body. Even the THCA will not attach to CB2 receptors. It can still act on other non-cannabinoid receptors that help to lessen common pains.
- THCA Edibles
Since curing cannabis will quickly turn THCA into THC, the best method to get the whole amount of THCA is through raw, uncured cannabis leaves. Many people grow their own cannabis plants, in order to get uncured cannabis buds.
You can consume THCA through edibles by trimming the flowers and leaves from the cannabis plant. Fresh cannabis leaves should store in the refrigerator to retain its freshness. Other consumers consume fresh cannabis by steaming the leaves and directly eats it, juicing the cannabis leaves, adding the leaves with fresh salad, and treating it and add as a food garnish.
- Other non-heat methods to consume THCA
For those who don’t want to experience psychoactive high, must try these methods to get the THCA’s medicinal effects. There are available tinctures and drops in which they use fresh cannabis leaves to dose THCA.
This tincture contains high levels of THCA, which is ideal for anti-inflammatory effects. You can also use THCA Transdermal patches to work like nicotine patches. Just simply attach the patch in the veinous part of your skin to feel the THCA effects.
THCA usage and consumption tips:
- Keep in mind that by cooking or smoking THCA will apply heat in cannabis. It will immediately turn THCA into THC, making the usual dose becomes high.
- To get the best experience, you need to be more aware of the dosage that you can easier to tolerate.
- Consuming THCA is not ideal for patients that are looking for a clear-headed way to relieves stress.
- Even the THCA will not get you high, applying heat will be decarboxylated the cannabis leaves makes it into THC.
Conclusion
Many recreational and medicinal users of cannabis believe that THCA becomes useful and beneficial once it was cured and decarboxylated. Like mentioned, THCA provides different effects on the body and brain as it has different molecular compounds. Though THCA will not make you high, it still ideal to relieves different conditions that are ideal for patients that don’t want the idea of getting high and cured.
