What Is Decarboxylation?

Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide.

Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. The reverse process, which is the first chemical step in photosynthesis, is called carboxylation, the addition of CO2 to a compound.

Enzymes that catalyze decarboxylations are called decarboxylases or, the more formal term, carboxy-lyases.” ~ Wikipedia

Decarboxylation is the scientific term for a chemical reaction that will remove a carboxyl group and release carbon dioxide.

Doing so converts inactive components in cannabis into active components. Decarboxylation unlocks the effects many people are looking for.

The main catalysts for decarboxylation process are heat and time. Curing and drying cannabis over time will result in partial decarboxylation.

Smoking and vaporizing can instantly decarboxylate cannabinoids as a result of the extremely high temperatures that are present, and this makes them immediately available for absorption via inhalation.

Why decarboxylate hemp oil? It is important to understand the difference between CBD-A and CBD. CBD-A is known as the acidic precursor to CBD, in live & fresh cannabis, it produces CBDA and not CBD.

Regarding nausea and vomiting treatment, CBDA differs from CBD by showing that its marking CB1 receptor. Likewise in relation to decreasing breast cell proliferation, CBDA showed far less effectiveness other than CBD and is considered a less effective therapeutic agent for this matter, though it inhibits COX-2 in a more effective manner, therefore a combination of them could be effective to prevent cancer of the kind.

Raw cannabis has shown anti-nausea potential in animal tests, as well as promise in cancer and pain research. While it’s too early to tell what effects the cannabinoid has on the body, here’s what you need to know about the benefits of raw CBDA.

Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) is a chemical compound found in the resin glands (trichomes) of raw cannabis plants. In this case, raw means unheated and uncured. Basically, raw cannabis is fresh flower and leaves trimmed directly from the plant. CBDA is the precursor to the more widely known molecule, CBDA is the precursor to the more widely known molecule, cannabidiol (CBD).

In fresh cannabis, it is estimated that 95 percent of the cannabinoid exists as THCA and only 5 percent as CBD.

GW Pharmaceuticals does have a patent on CBDA as an adjunct treatment for psychotic disorders.

A patent means that there is enough preclinical evidence to warrant a further exploration of a pharmaceutical drug. The patent includes CBDA in combination with other cannabinoids, such as activated CBD, THCV, CBC, and CBG.

The patent was filed in 2011 in partnership with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.

The latest study, published in January 2017 in the Journal of Natural Medicine by researchers at Hiroshima International University, adds further light to the subject.

The researchers discovered a possible way that CBD-A inhibits the COX-2 enzyme in highly-aggressive breast cancer tumors.

Their study focused on CBD-A’s inhibition of proto oncogene c-Fos, a common precursor to proteins involved in cancer metastasis.

CBD-A along with THC-A have also been known for some time for its anti-inflammatory effects; in fact, this is a large part of what makes it a potential cancer-killer.

A 2011 Swedish study evaluated six different cannabinoids—CBD-A and THC-A as well as THC, CBD, CBDA, CBG and CBGA – for their effects on inflammatory processes, including COX-2.

They found that all six of these substances together had a profound effect on inflammatory processes in laboratory colon cancer cell lines. According to the researchers: