What’s So Special About the Raw Cannabinoids
I have written about the extraordinary healing qualities of cannabis wherein most of the studies I mentioned involved THC or CBD, two cannabinoids found in the greatest amounts in cannabis plants. The plant also contains well over 100 other cannabinoids known as minor cannabinoids, minor only because they’re found in less quantity in the plant as compared to THC and CBD. Two examples of minor cannabinoids are CBG and THCV. Crone Grown’s Free the V plant has the highest amount of THCV you’re going to find in a cannabis plant (it’s definitely not minor in these plants) and many of Crone Grown’s plants are also quite high in CBG.
When the plant is growing, the cannabinoids are in their acid form, what I refer to as their raw form: THC comes from THCA, CBD comes from CBDA, CBG from CBGA and THCV from THCVA. When one heats raw cannabinoids like THCA or CBDA (by smoking, vaping, or decarbing the cannabis for tincture or baking), one activates them and they become THC or CBD. In its raw form, THCA is not psychoactive. As many of you have heard me say, you can juice an entire 10 ft plant that is high in the cannabinoid THC, but you won’t get high.
Since so many people who have found Crone Grown, wanted the healing benefits of this plant but not the psychoactive part, Crone Grown started making the Daily Dose (which is made up of all the raw cannabinoids from several whole plants in addition to some cooked cannabinoids from a plant high in CBD). With the Daily Dose you’re getting all the cannabinoids the plant grew, in their raw forms, plus CBD. The Daily Dose removes the concern about feeling high. But the more I’ve worked with these raw cannabinoids the more I appreciate there’s something exceptional about them. There is so much more to these raw cannabinoids than using them just to eliminate the elevated feeling.
I have written about some of the ways CBDA and THCA are revealing themselves to have similar antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties as well as all the other benefits of their counterparts THC and CBD, here and here. This piece is an extension of that. The studies I’ve included below, validate much of my experiences, but neither I (nor the scientists) can tell you what that is that makes the raw cannabinoids so different (aside from the fact that they’re not psychoactive). Perhaps it’s that your body is taking the cannabinoids in their most natural form - before they get heated.
Indeed, in some of the studies, CBDA was shown to have greater bioavailability than CBD, meaning it’s absorbed better by the body when taken orally. Other data suggests CBDA is stronger and more potent than CBD: more effectively addresses symptoms like nausea and vomiting, pain, inflammation and seizures. And several of the studies have noted that because CBDA seems to be more powerful than CBD, one needs to take it in much smaller doses to obtain the healing benefits.
Having gone through some of the research this time I conclude, as I did the last time I examined this, that we just don’t know enough about how this plant delivers her magic. Therefore, ingesting both forms of cannabis (raw and activated) gives you the benefits of both. This is why Crone Grown makes two different tinctures with raw cannabinoids as well as a gummy that’s just CBD and CBDA. You can find these in the PW protected brochure (PW: crone333).
In addition to the Daily Dose I make a raw tincture from the Free the V flower (FTV). Read more about THCV here. I find THCV to be the most fascinating cannabis I’ve worked with and no one is studying the raw form of THCV. That leaves it up to us to experience and learn together. One observation I have is if I take a very small amount of the FTV raw within a few hours of taking a tincture that is psychoactive, I’m going to get much higher and it’s going to last much longer than if I didn’t take the raw tincture. And if I took that raw tincture alone, I wouldn’t feel high at all. The raw cannabinoids seem to have an enhancing effect and increase the experience significantly. We may not know why these raw cannabinoids are so exceptional for us, but our bodies will know what to do with them.
Below are some of those additional studies, supplementing the work found in the blogs referenced above. Please note that I am just focusing on the raw cannabinoids in addressing issues of inflammation, cancer, Alzheimer’s, pain, nausea, seizures, etc. We already know that the non-raw cannabinoids have been shown to relieve these same symptoms or be able to heal the diseases referenced below.
Memory, Alzheimer’s Cognitive Function
In a recent study[i] seeking to determine whether CBDA and THCA ameliorate features of Alzheimer’s disease, both raw cannabinoids were found to improve cognitive function and mitigate memory loss.
Having noted that: “CBDA exhibits anti-hyperalgesia, anti-inflammatory, and anti-nausea effects [23,24]. It also reduces seizure, anxiety, and depression in a mouse model [25,26]. THCA has anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-convulsant, and anti-seizure effects [27,28,29]..... CBDA and THCA function directly in the brain because of their ability to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) [32]....... CBDA can directly affect the brain because of its ability to penetrate the BBB [32]. CBDA showed anti-convulsant, anti-hyperalgesia, anti-inflammation, anti-nausea, anti-anxiety, and anti-seizure effects in animal models [23,25,71]. In addition, THCA has BBB penetration ability; it exhibits anti-convulsant, anti-inflammation, and anti-nausea effects”, researchers concluded that CBDA and THCA have anti-Alzheimer’s Disease effects and improve both memory loss and cognitive function.[ii]
Anti-inflammatory
Most of us are just so used to popping ibuprofen (advil) or whichever is our NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) of choice. I will admit to having taken some prophylactically before an exceptionally challenging yoga class. I don’t do that anymore because now I know the more you take those NSAIDs the greater the risk of stomach or kidney problems. Turns out CBDA has been found to be, if not equal, superior to these NSAIDS in reducing pain, sore muscles, headaches, nausea, inter alia. And CBDA has none of the negative side effects associated with NSAIDs.
Apparently, NSAIDs work by inhibiting COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. COX-1 enzymes play a vital role in maintaining the normal lining of the stomach and intestines (which may be why inhibiting them increases one’s risk for gastrointestinal bleeding) while COX-2 enzymes play an essential role in controlling inflammation caused by injury and disease. Cannabis works similarly, but in one study, CBDA was specifically found to inhibit COX-2 activity to a far greater extent than CBD while not inhibiting the protective role of COX-1 enzymes.[iii]
A different study[iv] found that CBDA was more effective for pain relief than CBD:
“In comparison to CBDA, an equivalent low dose of CBD did not reduce hyperalgesia, suggesting that CBDA is more potent than CBD for this indication.” [note: hyperalgesia refers to an increased sensitivity to feeling pain and an extreme response to pain]
That study noted: “Interestingly, when ineffective doses of CBDA or THC alone were combined, this combination produced an anti-hyperalgesia effect and reduced inflammation.
Personal note: I find this last sentence so interesting. The researchers found that if the dose of THC was too low it wouldn’t reduce pain and inflammation and similarly, that if the dose of CBDA was too low it wouldn’t reduce pain and inflammation. But combining the two, resulted in the reduction of pain and inflammation. This is consistent with my experience of the raw cannabinoids as being master enhancers at very small doses.
Cancer
The exceptional promise of cannabis for preventing and killing cancer cells is well known, albeit largely ignored in the high-profit industry that is cancer treatment. Now researchers are finding similar promise with the raw cannabinoids. In these studies,[v] CBDA was able to halt the migration of highly invasive breast cancer cells cultured in Petri dishes.
Other studies[vi] have shown CBDA to be able to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. In one study, CBDA was found to decrease the size of breast cancer tumors in mice.
If CBDA can stop cancer cells from metastasizing, it follows that it should be able to prevent the disease from spreading throughout the body. Or even preventing it from starting. In the study finding cannabis reversed aging in the brain of older mice, see The Extraordinary Healing Benefits of the Cannabis Plant and the Endocannabinoid System, one of the researchers suggested we should all be taking a prophylactic daily dose of THC, indicating it was at least as important as our daily dose of vitamin C or any other vitamin one relies on regularly. So, whether it’s cancer or Alzheimer’s or any of the other diseases we may suffer, a prophylactic daily dose is what I do because, why not?
Anti-nausea
In various studies CBDA was found to be more effective at preventing nausea and vomiting than CBD.[vii] CBDA has also shown promising effects against the anticipatory nausea many patients feel before receiving chemotherapy treatments.
And in this study[viii] examining the efficacy of combining CBDA with a standard anti-nausea drug, it was found that even at very low doses, CBDA enhanced the pharmaceutical drug’s anti-nausea effect. In fact, the amount of CBDA needed to reduce nausea was a staggering 1000 times less than required by CBD to have the same effect!
Mood disorders- anxiety depression
We already know cannabis can help with some types of depression and anxiety and now there’s some early research demonstrating that CBDA not only affects the same receptors—namely, the receptors that control feelings of anxiety and well-being—but that it is effective as an antidepressant at doses 10 to 100 times less than the dosage size required of CBD. [ix]
Seizures Epilepsy
CBD is already famous for its ability to stop the seizures of epilepsy. The company that first came on the scene for this was GW Pharma and they continue to discover the benefits of cannabinoids on seizures. Comparing CBDA with CBD, GW scientists found CBDA to have superior bioavailability and faster onset than CBD and found CBDA was more effective in seizure reduction in certain circumstances. Some of this data appears in GW’s patent application[x] for the ‘Use of cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy.’
In this study,[xi] CBDA was found to have greater bioavailability; meaning it was absorbed by the body up to 11 times better than CBD when taken orally.
Anti-viral
There have been numerous studies concluding that the anti-inflammatory activity of cannabinoids may be beneficial in combating viral infection activity. This study, [xii] described CBD’s ability to reduce pulmonary inflammation and promote lung recovery after a viral infection, improve lung function and asthma, and has been shown to be of greater benefit in dealing with covid.
More recently, a study[xiii] was published focusing on CBDA’s and CBGA’s potential in blocking the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to researchers at Oregon State University, CBDA and CBGA are able to bind to the spike protein which then prevents the protein from being able to bind to sites within human cells. This inability to bind effectively prevents a key step that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to infect patients.
In conclusion, for those who just can’t tolerate any psychoactivity, raw cannabinoids are an alternative. We do, however, have far more extensive research about the healing effects of activated cannabinoids (once they’ve been heated). If I were grappling with a disease, I would use all of the cannabinoids, raw and heated. And to stay healthy, take a maintenance dose of the Daily Dose every day. It’s always best for you if your medicine was regeneratively grown: just as what you eat so impacts your health - processed food vs organically grown food vs regeneratively grown food - so goes for this master healing plant. And consuming the whole plant and nothing but the plant - nothing added/nothing subtracted, provides you with the full magic the plant has to offer. Remember what we used to know - you don’t mess with Mother Nature.
[i] The Cannabinoids, CBDA and THCA, Rescue Memory Deficits and Reduce Amyloid-Beta and Tau Pathology in an Alzheimer’s Disease-like Mouse Model, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10095267/
[ii] See, Study cited in footnote i to see all the studies mentioned in this excerpt
[iii] Cannabidiolic acid as a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory component in cannabis, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18556441
[iv] Effect of cannabidiolic acid and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol on carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia and edema in a rodent model of inflammatory pain, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-018-5034-1, also https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30225659/
[v] Cannabidiolic acid, a major cannabinoid in fiber-type cannabis, is an inhibitor of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell migration, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4009504/; Down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by cannabidiolic acid in human breast cancer cells, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25242400/} (full study at: https://www.nutra-supp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Down-regulation-of-cyclooxygenase-2-COX-2-by.pdf)
[vi] Future Aspects for Cannabinoids in Breast Cancer Therapy, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6479799/
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[vii] Down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by cannabidiolic acid in human breast cancer cells. The Journal of Toxicological Sciences. Vol.39, No.5, 711-716, 2014
Cannabidiolic acid prevents vomiting in Suncus murinus and nausea-induced behaviour in rats by enhancing 5-HT1A receptor activation, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23121618/
[viii] *Effect of low doses of cannabidiolic acid and ondansetron on LiCl-induced conditioned gaping (a model of nausea-induced behaviour) in rats, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3682714/
[ix] Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Blockade Prevents Anti-Depressive-like Effect of Cannabidiol Acid Methyl Ester in Female WKY Rats, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9958868/
Acute oral cannabidiolic acid methyl ester reduces depression-like behavior in two genetic animal models of depression, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29860002/
[x] https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2017025712A1/en.
[xi] Pharmacokinetics and tolerability of oral cannabis preparations in patients with medication overuse headache (MOH)-a pilot study, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29980818/
For both preparations, THCA-A and CBDA were the most widely absorbed cannabinoids, while THC and CBD were less absorbed.
[xii] Therapeutic Effects of Cannabinoids and Their Applications in COVID-19 Treatment, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9784976/.
Cannabinoids, especially CBD, appear to be promising in the treatment of COVID-19, as an adjuvant of current antiviral drugs, reducing lung inflammation by decreasing chemokines and cytokines secreted by the cells of the immune system or mediating in the CNS reducing morbidity as fear, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders.
CBD and other cannabinoids modulate PPARγ receptor activity, reducing pulmonary inflammation and promoting lung recovery after viral infections [121]. CBD, as a PPARγ receptor agonist, may show direct antiviral activity by regulating fibroblast/myofibroblast activation, potentially limiting the onset of late-onset pulmonary fibrosis in cured COVID-19 patients [122]. In addition, the intraperitoneal administration of CBD improved lung function and reduced inflammation in experimental acute lung injury (ALI) [123,124], pulmonary hypertension [125], hypoxic/ischemic brain injury-induced lung injury [126] and asthma [116,117]. A clinical trial demonstrated that 300 mg/day of oral-administered CBD diminished or prevented the deterioration from mild/moderate to severe/critical clinical status as determined by the COVID-19 scale or the natural course of evolution of typical clinical symptoms [127]. In humans, the use of cannabinoids prevented the induction of proinflammatory CD16 monocyte and IP-10 production, showing anti-inflammatory effects [55].
[xiii] Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants,
