Science is exploring the possibility that cannabinoid acids contain compounds that treat and prevent a variety of illnesses and diseases.
What Are We Talking About Here?
This form of cannabinoid (cannabigerolic acid or CBGA) is a compound of the cannabis flower. It’s the foundation of THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), and CBCA (cannabichromenic acid). Those are the three major resources of cannabinoid lines. Respectively, they become THC, CBD, and CBC.
Possible Medical Benefits
Scientists have reviewed CBDA for almost a decade. In 2008, a study researched the substance as an anti-inflammatory agent. They compared CBDA’s molecular structures with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The results showed the chemical structures were surprisingly similar, demonstrating CBDA as a possible anti-inflammatory agent.
Also, thanks to its bioavailability, CBDA is quite possibly an anti-convulsive, a drug prescribed to reduce or prevent symptoms of epilepsy and other convulsive conditions. CBDA is more conducive to the human body and metabolizes in less time and with less effort. They attribute the reaction to the 5-HT receptors with 100 times the affinity of CBD.
The same receptor might make CBDA an effective medication for depression. Like an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) used as an antidepressant, CBDA works on 5-HT receptors.
Other Considerations for CBGA.
Despite little medical research, early studies of CBGA imply strong application potential in a variety of conditions.
Metabolic Disorders
CBGA could help with metabolic disorders. A computer simulation in 2019 gave us a glimpse into the compound’s ability to manage activity in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs).
Should PPARs not function efficiently, diabetes and high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol increase. The introduction of CBGA showed enhanced stimulation in lipid metabolism in PPAR receptors. This resulted in reduced lip accumulation.
Cardiovascular Disease
CBGA may be able to tackle specific diabetic conditions like cardiovascular disease. Studies show the compound inhibits the aldose reductase enzyme. That’s a severe contributor to oxidative stress, leading to heart problems.
Colon Cancer
CBGA could be crucial to patients suffering the third most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of fatalities in cancer. Colorectal cancer, depending on where they start, encompasses both colon and rectal cancer.
Researchers studied cytotoxic effects of CBGA to find the CBGA has the potential to kill colon cancer cells. It hastened the cell death and arrested the cell cycle.
More research is certainly needed, but the results were encouraging. CBGA not only targeted colon cancer cells. It also prevented the proliferation of polyps.
There remains a massive amount of research to do before confirming CBGA consumption potential. There is speculation of juicing and ingesting CBGA from hemp. We strongly advise consulting with a doctor before doing any experimentation on your own.
To date, most CBDA studies consist of preclinical non-human reports.
GW Pharmaceuticals out of the U.K. is manufacturing a pharma-grade CBD oil, Epidiolex. It’s the FDA’s first approved cannabis-infused prescription drug. Among its many applications, Epidiolex may have a use as a seizure treatment.
The company also applied for two other CBDA medical patents. One is for cancer treatment. The other is for fighting inflammatory skin diseases.
