It doesn't get better than acid, according to Dr. Mechoulam

“Originally, there are only acids that appear in the plant, and those acids are a mysterious world of compounds that are much more powerful than cannabinoids.” According to the world's most famous cannabis researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, who died in Israel in March this year at the age of 92. This statement formed the basis of his research. 

The acid forms were prepared by Dr. Mechoulam is considered the most powerful cannabinoid. The big problem is that they are very unstable . CBDa, for example, largely decarboxylates into CBD before it can be used therapeutically. 

CBDa (cannabidiolic acid) and THCa (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) are usually the main cannabinoids of the cannabis plant and these are the precursors of the stable and decarboxylated CBD and THC. Except of course the CBG strains, which mainly contain only CBGa (cannabigerolic acid). 

The instability of cannabinoid acids such as CBDa is still an obstacle to developing it as a medicine .

CBDa, a cannabinoid acid with therapeutic promise

The cannabis plant has more than 140 cannabinoids, as well as many hundreds of terpenes, flavonoids and other components. The effect of most of these is unknown and no research has yet been done.

CBDa is one of the most common cannabinoids currently being researched and has shown great potential in terms of possible therapeutic benefits.

What you need to know is that only CBGa (cannabigerolic acid) can be formed by the plant itself. It is therefore also called 'the mother of all cannabinoids' .

The CBDa, CBCa and THCa are then formed by an enzymatic conversion of the CBGa during flowering in the cannabis plant.

Previously, the acid forms of cannabinoids such as CBDa, CBGa, CBCa and THCa were thought to be pharmacologically inactive and unable to affect the body's endocannabinoid system like their decarboxylated counterparts CBD, THC, CBG and CBC. Partly for this reason, they were not investigated for their possible pharmacological effect, unlike the decarboxylated forms. 

Cannabinoids are the engine and terpenes/flavonoids are the steering wheel and accelerator

What we should certainly not forget is that the terpenes and flavonoids in the plant are essential for the “medicinal” effect and are partly responsible for the so-called entourage effect of the cannabis.                       

“Whole plant extracts consisting of all these components and are superior to isolates and distillates”

I sometimes explain it as follows: the cannabinoids are the engine and the terpenes & flavonoids are the steering wheel and accelerator pedal with which we can give the car direction and speed. That is why it is such a shame to decarboxylate (heat) the cannabinoids. This largely destroys the terpenes and flavonoids present at that moment and makes the car undriveable.

The pure, fresh cannabinoids have a completely different “medicinal” effect than the decarboxylated form. But the decarboxylation process cannot be stopped and takes place not only by heating the product, but also by LIGHT and TIME. 

In other words, if we leave the extract as it was produced in the plant, some portion will ALWAYS be decarboxylated naturally. This means that the final extract will contain both forms, including the other hundreds of unique components from the cannabis plant that make the “ medicinal ” effect superior.

“ If you look at a field of cannabis, none of these plants actually contain THC and CBD, but THCa and CBDa. THC and CBD only appear in the plant after the plant has died.”

What can the cannabis consumer actually do with CBDa?

Recent scientific studies and research indicate that full -spectrum CBDa has enormous potential. Let's take a closer look at some of those promises.                                                   

Anti-inflammatory effect of CBDa

Due to its properties as specific Cox-2 inhibitor CBDa has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties and can be very effective in reducing inflammation and pain.

Ibuprofen and aspirin are examples of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that inhibit the action of these Cox enzymes.

CBDa is a selective Cox-2 inhibitor that inhibits the Cox enzymes  blocks without the risk of seriously damaging the stomach wall and intestines. In other words: “CBDa works in the same way as medications, but without the adverse effects and risk of overdose.”

Nausea

Studies indicate that CBDa full-spectrum extracts – together with other cannabinoids – can help reduce vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients.

CBDa is up to 1,000 times more effective than CBD!

CBD and CBDA both affect serotonin receptors , but CBDa does so at a much higher rate.

Antiepileptic effects of CBDa 

Epidiolex , a CBD-based drug , is the first prescription drug approved by the US FDA for the treatment of epilepsy.

Epidiolex – manufacturer GW Pharmaceuticals has conducted tests that compare the effects of CBDa and CBD. Their research showed that smaller doses of CBDa were required for effectiveness and in several cases CBDa performed significantly better than CBD in terms of reducing seizure frequency.

Julian S. Gangolli is the former boss of GW Pharmaceuticals. “We had children who were having 40 or 50 seizures per week, but this product ( Epdiolex) could only improve that very little,” said Gangolli , describing Epidiolex's Phase 3 clinical trials. 

He said the increased potency of cannabis acid synthesis makes it possible to use the treatments derived from it to treat a “huge range of inflammatory conditions,” especially compared to his previous experience with Epidiolex .

CBDa has shown great potential by exhibiting anti-epileptic activity, as supported in thispublication .

Cancer

Although they say that cannabinoid acids cannot cure cancer, few molecules are as effective at inhibiting and spreading cancer. According to a recent publication in the journal Toxicology Letters , some cannabinoids such as CBDa hinder the spread of breast cancer cells .

This means that there are opportunities to provide therapeutic benefits, especially if this is done at the same time as the naturally occurring terpenes and flavonoids from the plant, which in my view are crucial.

Despite these encouraging reports, we are still unable - due to legal provisions - to obtain concrete results. 

Antiviral activity of CBDa & CBGa against SARS-CoV-2

In this current study (28-07-2023), the antiviral activity of various cannabinoids was assessed in vitro against all SARS-CoV-2 variants and other viruses. It indicates that CBDa and CBGa are active.

CBDa and other cannabinoid acids ALWAYS decarboxylate gradually through HEAT, LIGHT and TIME.

This unstoppable decarboxylation has prevented sufficient attention from being devoted to its use as a viable clinical treatment.

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, however, announced at the 2019 CannMed conference that he and a group of other scientists had found a way to stabilize CBDa so that it would retain its therapeutic potential.

To solve the instability problem of CBDa, a CBDa methyl ester was tested for its antiviral effect for the first time. This CBDa methyl ester showed a neutralizing effect on all SARS-CoV-2 variants tested.

In vitro stability was confirmed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) analysis combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS).

Furthermore, the ability of both CBDa and its derivative to interact with the virus spike protein was assessed. These results showed that CBDa methyl ester can be considered as a lead compound that can be further developed as a new effective drug against (all) viruses. 

These developments are certainly positive. But if they were to be registered as an official “medicine”, they would immediately become outrageously expensive compared to the real full-spectrum cannabis extracts, which often work much better as a “food supplement”. 

The costs for reimbursement for Epidiolex , for example , vary per patient from €30,000 to €50,000 per year. 

Is CBDa psychoactive?

CBDa can give a feeling of peace and relaxation, but certainly does not provide the "high" and psychoactivity that THC cannabis does provide.

How to best consume CBDa?

CBDa cannot be smoked or vaporized in its natural form as this will convert the CBDa into CBD. However, you can very well use the fresh (CBD) buds and leaves raw in a salad, or a smoothie made from freshly squeezed cannabis juice. to make.

You can also make tea from fresh cannabis buds with a high CBDa content. Simply put, you need to put them in a cup and let it steep.

And nowadays there are also full-spectrum extracts with a high CBDa percentage for sale. This doesn't seem to be a problem when we see the many advertisements  may believe, but unfortunately that is usually not really the case and it is almost always a regular CBD product containing traces of CBDa. 

A major exception are the CBDa dominant full-spectrum extracts CBD Spain Medicinal Food developed an extraction method in 2016 in which the unstable cannabis acids remain unprecedentedly stable. And this for many years, whereby almost all natural terpenes and flavonoids present in the plant are simultaneously extracted and preserved.

In other words: “All cannabinoid acids, terpenes and flavonoids as they are present in the cannabis plant are extracted from the plant simultaneously and in one go during CBD Spain's unique extraction process without the  these change their composition, whereby the unwanted chlorophyll and waxes are NOT included” . 

Extracts linked to specific cannabis strain (strain)

These extracts are therefore always 'strain bound', because each strain has its own unique composition of terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids - which therefore also have a unique "medicinal" effect. 

Having said this, it is therefore very important that the strains used should be as uniform as possible in terms of composition of terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids, otherwise the “medicinal” effect will always be different. 

Partly because of this statement, the use of seeds is strongly discouraged, as each seed has its own unique components and composition. 

To solve this problem, it is best to work with clones of a “mother plant” so that you can reproduce a cannabis extract with the same composition year after year. 

A good example of this is the “Charlottes' Web”, a CBD Strain from the Stanley Brothers, which uses their “mother plant” from 2014 years, and now make millions of clones from the same mother plant every year.

Cannaflavins as an extra

What makes CBD Spain extracts even more potent is the fact that even the cannaflavins A, B and C are extracted from the cannabis plant using their extraction method and are abundantly present in all our extracts. 

These cannaflavins are unique to the cannabis plant and have an unprecedented pharmacological effect. They are, among other things, 30 times stronger than aspirin and are even used as medication for pancreatic cancer .

Pancreatic cancer is a particularly deadly form of cancer, claiming more than 90% of its victims within five years of diagnosis. It is resistant to most standard therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, and metastasizes early, often before diagnosis. Only very localized tumors can be cured.

Now, however, a new cannabis derivative called FBL-03G is showing promise in killing cancer cells in a treated tumor and in other remote parts of the body. FBL-03G is a unique cannabis flavonoid, a synthetic derivative of cannaflavin B.

“May 17, 2023 – Flavocare Biotech, Inc. (“Flavocure”) announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application (FDA) will initiate a Phase I, first-in-human clinical trial of caflanon (FBL- 03G) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.”

Almost the same story applies to the cannabinoid acids CBGa, THCa and CBCa, but that is for next time.

Peter Vermeul