Understanding THCA: What it is and How it Works?

What is THCA?

You are probably almost done learning about THC and CBD and how they affect your high. Moreover, you may already know how these cannabinoids work together with other chemicals found in cannabis called terpenes. And you may have even looked into the much-debated entourage effect. But now, let’s make things even more exciting by adding a cannabinoid called THC-A.

What does THCA stand for?

There are about 100 different kinds of cannabinoids that cannabis plants can make. All these cannabinoids have something to do with how you’ll feel after smoking, vaping, eating, or applying cannabis products.

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) is the acidic version of THC. When a cannabis plant reaches full maturity, and its buds grow, it makes more terpenes and cannabinoids. The first cannabinoid that the plant will make is CBGA, which is often called the “mother of all cannabinoids.” CBGA will eventually break down into big cannabinoids like THCA and CBDA.

When THCA is heated, either by smoking, vaping, dabbing, or cooking, it goes through a change that turns it into the popular and highly addictive cannabinoid THC. If it weren’t for THCA, we wouldn’t have THC or any of the other many health benefits that come with it.

If you consume THCA, you won’t get high. This is because, chemically speaking, it has an extra carboxyl ring at the molecular level. This keeps it from binding to the receptors in the brain responsible for the euphoric feeling.

What happens to the body when THCA is consumed?

The Endocannabinoid System comprises a group of receptors only found in human bodies. Raphael Mechoulam is usually credited for finding this system not too long ago. The ECS is an integral part of keeping the body’s homeostasis, a process that affects the nervous, immune, and other systems.

THCA does not make you feel high like THC does. The reason for this is that the THCA molecule is pretty big. Large chemical compounds like this one are too big to interact with the major cannabinoid receptors in the ECS. According to recent studies, THCA does not bind strongly to the CB1 or CB2 receptors, the two major cannabinoid receptors in the body.

Even though this is the case, THCA could still affect your body somehow. Several studies have indicated that marijuana extracts primarily composed of THCA may have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects on certain people. Some studies have also shown that it can make you feel less sick and less likely to throw up.

THC vs. THCA

The biggest difference between THCA and THC is that THCA doesn’t make you feel high like THC does. This is because before you can get THC, you have to heat THCA. You can do this by smoking, vaping, dabbing, or making edibles in the kitchen. As a result of this conversion, a carboxyl ring is taken out of the THCA molecule, which changes its chemical structure. This makes it easier for THC to connect to the CB1 receptors in our bodies.

Some of the effects of THCA and THC are the same or similar. For example, both can make you feel better if you are nauseous, but THCA shows much more promise for reducing inflammation. On the other hand, since THCA is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, some people may find it less helpful for sleep than activated THC.

Is THCA better than THC?

Before cannabis products can be sold to the general public in any state with a recreational or medical cannabis program, they must be tested at an independent lab to ensure they are safe and follow the rules. The amount of THCA and THC in a product could give you an idea of its strength and what you can expect.

THCA shows the full potency potential of what you are about to smoke, dab, or vape because it will turn into THC. If you want edibles, you should instead look for high THC numbers. Check the THCA number when shopping for flowers, vape cartridges, or concentrates.

Are Delta 8 THC, Delta 9 THC, and THCA the same?

Delta 8 and Delta 9 THC has the same number of atoms, but these atoms are arranged differently. Businesses can legally make Delta 8 products from hemp plants, which are only allowed to have less than 0.3% Delta 9 THC by law. However, Delta 8 THC and Delta 9 THC do not have an acidic structure like THCA. Moreover, very little research has been done to determine how Delta 8 compares to THCA.

Check out examples of Delta 9 and Delta 8 products here on Indacloud.

What are the effects and benefits of THCA?

Raw cannabis won’t make you feel high if you take it without first having it decarboxylated. Eating raw cannabis plants to get their THCA content gives some of the same benefits as activated THC without making you high. Even though some anecdotal evidence suggests that this non-psychoactive compound may have some effect, its chemical structure keeps it from connecting with CB receptors in the ECS.

Even though it has a minor effect on cannabinoid receptors, there isn’t enough evidence to show that THCA helps people with pain as much as THC does. Even so, THCA does affect the receptors. Research has shown that it may also have neuroprotective properties that could help prevent or slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s. It may also help with colitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In addition, initial research suggests that treating seizure disorders with THCA may be helpful.

How to use THCA

Many cannabis consumers and patients turn THCA into THC daily by smoking, dabbing, vaping, or eating some cannabis product. This is how they get high or find relief from their medical problems. In these situations, THCA is more of a way for people to get the health benefits of THC.

Consumption of raw cannabis plants is a common way to get THCA. You can eat it straight up, but many find that juicing makes it taste and work better than just eating it. Many companies also sell THCA tinctures and topicals.

How to activate THCA

The good news is that activating THCA is as easy as packing, lighting, and inhaling. Patients and occasional users activate THCA by smoking pot, taking dabs, hitting a vape pen, or using cannabis that involves heat.

When you decarb raw cannabis, it can also be used in foods, tinctures, and on the skin. There are a few ways to do this. But in the end, you only have to heat the cannabis flower in a regular oven for 30 to 40 minutes at temperatures between 200 and 245 degrees Fahrenheit. Cannabinoids are destroyed by cooking for a long time or at temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dosing THCA

THCA has been shown to have essential health benefits at lower doses than other cannabinoids. This means you can use less of the product and still feel relieved. Some sources say that the right amount of THCA should be between 10 and 100 times less than the amount of THC. In addition, preclinical research has shown that full-spectrum extracts of THCA are ten times stronger than their isolated versions.

Since research on THCA and how much of it should be taken is still in its early stages, we don’t know how much. When taking THCA, it’s best to follow the same general rule as other cannabinoids. Start with the lowest dose possible and work your way up until you find one that works for you.

If you buy something with THCA, you will probably get instructions on how to use it. Make sure to follow the instructions on the product’s packaging for how much to take, or even better, start with a little less than what is suggested. Cannabinoid dosage is not always accurate because it depends on weight, age, metabolism, and tolerance. Only you can decide what dosage is right for you.

Which is the best way to use THCA: smoking, dabbing, or gummies?

There are factors to think about consuming THCA. First, THCA acts differently depending on how it is taken compared to other chemicals. This means that your experience can either make you feel intoxicating effects or not.

If you smoke, dab, or boil THCA, it changes into THC. So even if you smoke, dab, or eat THCA, your body will absorb THC instead of THCA. If you want a strong high, you can heat it. But if you are only interested in THCA for its non-psychoactive characteristics, here are some ways to ingest it:

• Juicing: Raw cannabis leaves can be juiced or mixed into a drink or smoothie in the same way that other fruits and vegetables can be. If you follow these steps, you can get the most THCA out of the plant. It is also possible to make a lot of the recipe and freeze it so you can take out portions as needed.
• Tinctures: Tinctures have a lot of THCA in them because they are made from raw cannabis. In addition to being easier to make, these tinctures are also easier to figure out how much to use.
• Transdermal patches: Transdermal THCA patches are made to stick to any part of the skin with veins and stay in place for 8 to 12 hours. With this easy and comfortable method, the effects of THCA can be felt for a long time.
• Pre-made edibles: When cannabis is added to edibles, it is usually decarboxylated. However, it would be best to ensure that THCA treats are not heated in any way, shape, or form. We advise researching, purchasing from a reputable brand, and confirming that a third party has tested each product before consuming them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can THCA be smoked or dabbed?

Yes, but THCA will not stay as it is for very long. You can only get high from THCA-containing cannabis products if you heat them. When THCA comes in contact with heat, like from a lighter, a vape pen battery, or a quartz dab nail, it immediately changes into THC. If you don’t heat them, you won’t get high. As a result, you potentially won’t get any of the other benefits of cannabis, like pain relief, increased appetite, and less nausea.

Is it possible for a drug test to detect THCA?

You will be positive on a drug test if you have any THC or THCA. This is because you can’t fully convert THCA in the weed you smoke or the dabs you take into THC. This means that you are probably also absorbing some THCA. Due to the lack of cannabinoid isolation, the same is true for some gummies made from rosin or hash. Most drug tests look for THC-COOH as a sign that someone has used cannabis. However, these tests can’t tell the difference between THCA and THC use. Because of this, there is a chance that THCA will cause you to fail a drug test that looks for signs of using cannabis.

Is THCA legal?

Even though THCA doesn’t make you feel high on its own, it is still considered a part of the cannabis plant and will change into THC if it is heated for a long time. It can also break down into a chemical called CBN, which comes from cannabis and makes you feel a little high. Some stores in the US have started selling THCA products without requiring a medical card, but this depends on the laws of the state where the store is located and shouldn’t be taken as a guarantee. Also, even though THCA is not on the list of scheduled substances, it is still against the law to have an illegal amount of things high in THCA.

Where can I get some THCA?

THCA has a lot of benefits, but until recently, not many products used them. THCA is the main ingredient in many products that can be taken topically or orally. THCA-based or THCA-infused products can be sold in recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries. Still, you’re more likely to find them in a business focusing more on cannabis medicine.

Why does THC get you high and THCA doesn’t?

Even though the cannabis plant makes hundreds of different cannabinoids, the psychoactive effects of cannabis are caused by only a few chemical molecules. However, these chemicals are what make cannabis make people feel high. Most of the time, the euphoric effects of marijuana come from the interaction between THC molecules and cannabinoid receptors in the brain. THC molecules are just the right size to fit into the CB1 cannabinoid receptors, but THCA molecules are too big.

Is it possible to get high on THCa?

Because it doesn’t bind strongly to CB1 and CB2 receptors, THCA doesn’t make you feel high. But, on the other hand, it can quickly change into a potent form of THC, a cannabinoid that makes you feel high.

Conclusion

So, what is THCA? Although it is best recognized for its role as a precursor to THC, the chemical in and of itself has a great deal more to offer. THCA has shown promise in several scientific areas.

Before you take THCA, you must know that any heat will turn it into THC. This will get you high even though THCA itself is not psychoactive. So keep the non-psychoactive cannabinoid away from any heat sources.

You can buy THCA products here on IndaCloud. Take a peek at the available THCA products here.