Research Suggests Ingesting Acidic Cannabinoids vs. Inhaling

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The recent research study conducted by scientists at Oregon State University and Oregon Health and Science University has caught the world by surprise. They were screening for chemicals found in plants that could in theory bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in order to gain inhibition of its ability to enter and infect our cells.

The team identified two potential compounds from the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa): cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA. They ran further tests in the lab and found that both cannabinoids exerted energy that could prevent the coronavirus from infecting human cells normally vulnerable to it. What’s more, the compounds appeared to work equally well against the Alpha and Beta variants of the coronavirus which gave researchers even more hope. But, what many didn’t do is gain access to the entire research article and if they did – most wouldn’t understand it.

Finding a way to inhibit the coronavirus, even for a short time, is a valuable goal, and one that plenty of other scientists are working on. These treatments, for instance, could be used to protect immunocompromised people in high-risk situations, such as during an active outbreak. So this research should absolutely be pursued further.

These experiments are only the very start of the research process that eventually will look for results in animal or human testing. Many experimental drugs and concoctions created to help stop the spread have failed, this doesn’t mean that CBGA and CBDA will but it gives reason for us to temper our expectations as we would with any experimental drug. The only difference is we know this plant’s extracts have capabilities that haven’t been expounded on and have already been proven to stop other infectious diseases.

If there’s hope, there’s hope in Cannabis. But, if these compounds do work against covid-19 in humans as anticipated due to this new research by OSU, there’s no chance you would get their benefits from smoking or vaping.

Both CBGA and CBDA are precursor molecules but what’s interesting is its CBGa that creates CBDA. They are both acidic which means vapor or smoke would cause the loss of the ‘acidic chain’ leaving CBG and CBD which were not the two within this interesting new study.

The research team did identify another cannabinoid that might bind to the virus – THCA or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA-A). This is another cannabinoid created by CBGA, and add to that THCa is a precursor to THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Because THCA-A is a controlled substance, though, the team didn’t have enough of it to test how well it could inhibit the virus. Again, this is the acidic non-decarboxylated versions of THC – not the type that is smoked. We do not know how much of it would need to be ingested or how well it would work – yet.

What we do know is a peer-reviewed study from a major U.S. University has identified two cannabinoids as having this potential – and one of them (CBGA) makes both THCa and CBDa – in one swift move this unifies the Cannabis THC and Hemp THC movements and mergest them into one. Without CBGa neither of the two cannabinoids would exist – as CBGa is ultimately responsible for the creation of THC and CBD.

The Power of Ingestion

Over the last two decades, state after state as well as multiple countries legalized the use of medicinal cannabis. As time went by quickly those that researched and helped people use the plant medicine realized that ingestion of it was the key. This holds true for the recent discovery as well due to the fact that acidic cannabinoids will decarboxylate when they are heated to certain temperatures which means the CBDa and CBGa turn into CBD/CBG. The critical findings in the recent study are based solely on the ingestion of these acidic cannabinoids – so smoking Cannabis or inhaling or dabbing the extracts was not what was studied.

“Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,” the authors wrote in their paper, published Tuesday in the Journal of Natural Products.

Products created for inhalation are now being ingested

Cannabinoids like CBGa come in various different forms, one of the most popular on the market that’s hard to find is CBGa Crumble. It was made for people to use much like THC crumble or a Hash – the thought was consumers would smoke and dab this creation. But, for years this is something I’ve personally ingested due to its ability to balance the endocannabinoid system which provides our body with neurotransmitters we need for other systems to properly work – or to gain Homeostasis. Once a cannabinoid like CBDa or this CBGa is heated to a high enough temperature the important acidic chain is gone, so for this reason ingestion is the key.

The Market rallies behind the news

Just about all industries have taken some type of financial blow since the onset of the pandemic, the Cannabis Hemp industry was one that got hit the hardest with plummeting wholesale prices that brought many to the point in which they had no choice but to stop production. With the news that came out this week the demand for these acidic cannabinoids rose. CBD is grown by many so the supply is still there although pricing on the wholesale market for raw ingredients dramatically increased overnight. With CBGa, there isn’t as big of a supply and this caused a much bigger change in wholesale availability along with a rush of entities suddenly wanting to formulate with a cannabinoid I’ve been personally toying with for over 5 years. It’s not easy to keep stable in creations, so this should be interesting. For the consumer, gaining an acidic cannabinoid means you’re looking for something that hasn’t been overly processed – or heated.

Patients Take the Net Looking for Supplies

It’s a nonstop flurry in which many are doing their best to gain as much information and find available products at the same time – while CBDa is more mainstream, CBGa is not. A word of caution for all is to remember two big things in all of this. We knew already that Cannabis is essential as it was put on the list at the start of all of this.

We also know that ‘knowing your source’ has always been very important so make sure you don’t go looking for products, goods, or information from a source you don’t know at all – and if you do keep your guard up as usual.

The Second is very simple…