The heating process transforms THCA, the inactive psychoactive compounds, into THC, producing intoxicating effects. In addition, it takes inactive cannabidiol acid (CBDA) and converts it into CBD, which has milder effects than THC. When a flame is used to smoke dry, cured buds, the high degree of heat applied over a short period of time quickly converts THCA to THC. However, not all THCA converts, and while smoking is the most common way to enjoy the effects of THC, it's not the most efficient.
It's easy to assume that these are two of the few cannabinoids with potential benefits. However, in reality, the little research that has been done with respect to other compounds shows a different picture. It seems that the compounds in cannabis and hemp work better together than in isolation. This phenomenon is called the “entourage effect”.
There are dozens of non-intoxicating cannabinoids in marijuana, and many that could cause a high. Of course, THC aside, there isn't enough intoxicating cannabinoid available to cause this effect on its own. People with some knowledge of cannabis are likely familiar with THC. It's the molecule known for producing the famous intoxicating high that so many people love.
Today's breeders are deliberately cultivating plants with the highest possible THC content. What many people don't know is that the compound is only available in minuscule amounts in raw marijuana. You can decarboxylate the herb by exposing it to heat. The process of vaporizing or smoking cannabis performs this task automatically.
You can also “unload” them by drying and curing the buds. However, this process takes a relatively long time. THCA is the “parent acid” of THC. While THC and THCA are nearly identical in terms of chemical structure, they have some molecular differences.
This explains the radical changes in the way they affect the brain. In other words, THCA does not produce any psychoactive effects that alter the mind. This is why you could hypothetically eat a lot of raw marijuana buds and hardly get high. However, THCA is far from being inactive in terms of its effect on humans.
Rather than producing an intoxicating effect, for example, it has potentially dozens of therapeutic health benefits. These include analgesic (pain-relieving), anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. THC and THCA are similar molecules. However, the 3D shape of THCA means that it is too large to fit the cannabinoid receptors, especially the CB1 receptors.
The reason THC causes poisoning is that it attaches to the body's CB1 receptors. When THCA is heated to extreme temperatures (i.e. It produces a high at this stage. First of all, it is necessary to issue a kind of disclaimer.
There isn't enough research on THCA to say for sure what it's capable of. That said, studies that have looked at the cannabinoid show positive results overall. One suggestion is that THCA stimulates appetite like THC. It acts as a cannabinoid receptor in its own right and has potential neuroprotective benefits.
How do you use THCA and take advantage of its medical capabilities without smoking it and converting it into THC? One method is to cut out raw cannabis buds and “squeeze” the plant matter. We have a great recipe for raw cannabis shakes on this very site. It's a quick and easy way to get the most out of THCA. Another option is to soak it in hot water and call it THCA tea.
This process exposes the compound to a relatively low temperature, meaning that it doesn't convert to THC. Other options include using it as a side dish or creating salad dressings. Keep in mind that you shouldn't expose cannabis to a temperature higher than 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do, you'll ensure that it breaks down into THC.
Because THCA breaks down into THC when exposed to heat, the answer is a resounding “no”. If you smoke or vape raw cannabis, you'll lose THCA. Have you ever noticed the label on your dispensary that indicates how much THCA a strain contains instead of THC? Therefore, you should take this into account when calculating the potency of a strain. One of the most popular techniques for measuring the potency of marijuana is gas chromatography.
This method involves applying heat to the plant matter you are analyzing. This process decarbonizes cannabis and converts its THCA into THC. Power is measured in percentage terms, which gives us a clear and orderly figure. For some, the above formula provides them with a “maximum” level of THC.
However, when you smoke marijuana, not all of your THCA is converted to THC. It's too simplistic to suggest that 30% THCA means 30% THC. In reality, 30 to 70% of the THCA in a given strain doesn't convert to THC when you smoke it. Ultimately, the cannabis you consume contains significant amounts of THCA when raw.
Once you decarboxylate it, this compound turns into THC, the cannabinoid that provides an intoxicating effect. There isn't a big difference between the two in molecular terms. However, they produce substantially different effects on the human body and the brain. Is this the most powerful cannabinoid of all? The full story behind this marijuana milestone Everything you need to know about this popular concentrate.
While THC is available in all methods of cannabis administration, THCA is available in topical products, tinctures, capsules, and raw cannabis juice. I will also explain how the percentages of THCa and THC that appear on the labels of cannabis products are derived. THCa or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is the non-psychotropic cannabinoid found in raw and live cannabis. Although the most common decarboxylation process involves roasting cannabis in the oven to convert THCA to THC, there are many ways to decarboxylate or unload marijuana.
THCA is the raw, non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis and is converted to THC when dried and heated (that's why it's necessary to decarboxylate or heat the herb to make edibles). Continuing to increase the heat will ensure that the maximum amount of THCA is converted to THC, but only up to a certain point. Over time, cannabis stored at room temperature with a little exposure to light will convert 20% of its THCA to THC. When heated, isolated THCA converts to THC and produces a (very) powerful effect with a potency of 95 to 100%.
When submerged in olive oil, 22% of the THCA is converted in 10 days at 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius). However, there is a large amount of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), an inactive compound found in the trichomes of living cannabis plants. I hope this will allow you to better understand how the THCa and THC percentages that appear on product labels were determined. .
