THCA: discover the secrets of the ‘mother’ of THC

• What is THCA and how is it formed?
• First records of THCA
• How does THCA work in the body?
• What are the effects of THCA?
• Firefighter
• Protector against degenerative predators
• Other possible effects
• Beware of the dangers of the jungle
• THCA vs. THC
• End of expedition
• FAQ

What is THCA and how is it formed?

THCA is short for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, a substance that occurs naturally in fresh cannabis 🌿. THCA is produced in trichomes, sticky resin glands found in cannabis flowers, through an enzymatic process from CBGA (cannabigerolic acid).

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid itself is not intoxicating, but it is a precursor to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is responsible for the psychoactive effects of marijuana.

THC is formed from THCA by decarboxylation, during which the carboxyl group, specifically carbon dioxide, is split off from THCA under the influence of intense or prolonged heat. This means that when THCA is smoked, vaporised, baked, or even just stored for a long time, it turns into THC, which has psychoactive effects.

First records of THCA 🗒️

While THC was first isolated in 1964 by Israeli scientists Raphael Mechoulam, Yehiel Gaoni and their team, the secret of its acidic form, THCA, began to be revealed a little later.

In 1965, German adventurer Friedhelm Korte identified tetrahydrocannabinolic acid in hashish and named it THCA.

A few years later, in 1969, Raphael Mechoulam embarked on another quest to uncover the secrets of THCA. He discovered an acid with the same chemical composition but a different structure — the second isomer of THCA. To distinguish between the two forms, he named the acid discovered by Korte THCA-A and the newly discovered isomer THCA-B.

 

Since THCA-B is very rare, the term THCA usually refers to the isomer THCA-A, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

The discovery of THCA served as a compass for the first explorers of the cannabis jungle 🧭 — it helped them understand why fresh cannabis does not have the same effect as heated cannabis.

Initially, it was not clear which substances caused the intoxication. The discovery that fresh cannabis contains inactive acids that are converted into active cannabinoids when heated opened the door to further expeditions exploring the medicinal potential of these raw forms, which had been neglected for a long time.

How does THCA work in the body?

How THCA works in the body is still unclear. Cannabinoids in the body primarily act through the endocannabinoid system. This system influences a number of key bodily processes.

Studies to date suggest that THCA probably does not act directly on the main receptors of this system, but interacts with receptors such as PPAR or TRP, which are closely linked to the endocannabinoid system and contribute to its balance.

THCA also independently of these receptors influences certain bodily processes, such as inflammation.

 

What are the effects of THCA?

Without altering consciousness, THCA can affect a number of biological processes. Scientists are just beginning to discover what THCA can do, but research to date suggests that this compound has promising potential.

Firefighter 🧯

Inflammation in the body is like a forest fire 🔥 — it causes damage and leaves destruction in its wake. Research suggests that THCA may be able to reduce inflammation.

A study in mice, for example, showed that THCA can suppress inflammatory processes associated with obesity. Other research focusing on intestinal diseases has suggested that THCA could be effective in reducing inflammation in the intestinal mucosa, which could lead to new treatment options for Crohn's disease and other conditions in the future.

Protector against degenerative predators 🐆

The brain, the main research base in the neurological jungle, is constantly under attack from degenerative processes. In tests on mice with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, THC helped reduce harmful proteins, stabilised brain chemistry and improved memory and learning ability. This could be significant in preventing and slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

Other possible effects

THCA may also have analgesic and anti-tumour potential. It may also help with nausea, epilepsy, and promote digestion and metabolism. However, these findings are preliminary and more expeditions to THCA are needed to confirm them.

Beware of the pitfalls of the jungle ⚠️

Just as every expedition into the jungle has its pitfalls, the journey to discover THCA is not without risk. Side effects of THCA include nausea and rash.

When THCA is exposed to heat, it converts to THC, which can cause:

• changes in consciousness, euphoria
• hallucinations
• memory and motor problems
• anxiety and paranoia
• increased heart rate
• red eyes
• addiction

THCA vs. THC ⚖️

Chemically speaking, the difference between THCA and THC may seem negligible: THCA has only one extra carboxyl group. However, it is precisely because of this group that it is unable to bind to CB1 receptors in the brain, and therefore has different effects and is not psychoactive.

	THCA	THC
Form	Inactive	Active
Psychoactivity	non-psychoactive	Psychoactive
The emergence of	is produced in a fresh plant from CBGA	formed by heating/aging of THCA
Effects	possible anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects	pain relief, appetite stimulation, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects
Side effects	nausea, rash, possible conversion to THC	changes in perception, hallucinations, memory and motor problems, anxiety and paranoia
Legal status	usually unregulated, unclear legal status	usually strictly regulated or completely prohibited

End of the expedition

Although we have reached the end of the article, the jungle expedition is not over — THCA still hides many unanswered questions that brave researchers are already seeking answers to 🌴.

We already know that the role of THCA may not be purely passive, and that in addition to serving as a raw material for the formation of THC, it has properties that may play an important role in the future of natural medicine. These include, for example, potential anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, analgesic and anti-tumour effects, effects on digestion and metabolism, and possible help with epilepsy.

On its own, THCA is not psychoactive, unlike THC, but it can be converted to THC when heated.

 

Sources:

• The biosynthesis of the cannabinoids - PMC
• Unheated Cannabis sativa extracts and its major compound THC-acid have potential immuno-modulating properties not mediated by CB1 and CB2 receptor coupled pathways - PubMed
• Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A) reduces adiposity and prevents metabolic disease caused by diet-induced obesity - PubMed
• Anti-Inflammatory Activity in Colon Models Is Derived from Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid That Interacts with Additional Compounds in Cannabis Extracts - PMC
• The Cannabinoids, CBDA and THCA, Rescue Memory Deficits and Reduce Amyloid-Beta and Tau Pathology in an Alzheimer's Disease-like Mouse Model - PubMed
• Dosing THCA: Less Is More - Project CBD
• What Is THCA? - WebMD
• Can You Pass the Acid Test? Critical Review and Novel Therapeutic Perspectives of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid A - PMC
• How long does THCA Stay in Your System? - The Edge Treatment Center

 

Author: Natálie Kubíčková

   

   

Photo: AI

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