CBD and CBDa: You’ve just about got your head around CBD oil, when suddenly you keep reading about CBDA as well. It probably seems a bit confusing, right? Is CBDA suddenly better than CBD? Should you be choosing a CBD oil that contains both CBD and CBDA? What’s the difference between CBD and CBDA?

What is CBDA?

CBDA (Cannabidiolic acid) is a type of compound found in hemp called a cannabinoid. CBD (cannabidiol) is also a type of cannabinoid, but if you examined fresh hemp, you would find very little CBD. Instead, there would be abundant amounts of CBDA. That’s because CBDA is the acid precursor of CBD and only comes into being when raw hemp containing CBDA is heated, causing what’s known as decarboxylation. Decarboxylation in scientific terms is a type of chemical reaction removing a carboxyl group.

In the past, it was thought that CBDA needed to be heated, transforming it into CBD, in order to be activated. Indeed, it is true to say that far more scientific research has been performed on CBD compared to CBDA.
However, CBDA is now becoming a cannabinoid of interest in its own right, that’s why at Spirit of Hemp, our whole plant CBD oils contain both CBD and CBDA.

How Does CBDA Affect The Body?

Research into how cannabinoids affect our bodies is very much in its infancy. But it seems that both CBD and CBDA share a few commonalities. Neither create a high or stoned effect because they do not directly interact with receptors in our endocannabinoid system – the complex network of cell receptors and cannabis-like chemicals that brings balance to our bodies and minds.

They both share similar mechanisms that may contribute to their supportive role in maintaining overall wellbeing.

As with most research into the cannabis plant, right now there are no human trials examining the effects of CBDA. However, there have been several interesting studies at a preclinical level, meaning they were carried out on cell cultures or animal models. The results? CBDA is actually more effective. It’s more than a thousand times more effective than CBD in supporting a serotonin receptor that reduces nausea and anxiety. It must be noted though, that until this research happens in humans, no real conclusions about CBDA’s benefits to our health can be reached.

CBD and CBDA – Better Together

At Spirit of Hemp we are committed advocates of full spectrum hemp extracts containing both CBD and CBDA. That’s why we use organic raw hemp grown to make our Orginal oil. Using the solvent-free, CO2 supercritical extraction method, we maintain the full cannabinoid profile in our CBD oils, with each 10ml bottle containing 300mg of CBD and CBDA in a 50:50 ratio, as well as other minor cannabinoids such as THCV, CBG, CBN, and THCA.

Not only that, we maintain the fullest terpene profile of CBD oils on the market, mixing in distilled terpenes from raw hemp, after the extraction process.

So, if you’re interested adding CBDA to your wellbeing routine, why not stop by our webshop, or talk to one of our customer service team who can tell your more about our unique CBD + CBDA range.