Exploring the Universe of Cannabinoids and Terpenes: Your Gateway to Understanding and Industry Insights

Welcome to GalaxyGroves.com, where we embark on an enlightening journey through the ever-expanding universe of cannabinoids and terpenes. Our Learning Center Blog is your trusted guide, illuminating the intricate world of these remarkable compounds. Here, you'll uncover the myriad benefits of different cannabinoids and terpenes, delve into their unique characteristics, and stay updated with the latest trends and news in the industry. Whether you're a curious newcomer or a seasoned connoisseur, our insights will enrich your understanding and enhance your experience in the vibrant cosmos of cannabis. Join us as we explore the depths of knowledge and bring the most exciting discoveries right to your screen!

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THCA Hemp Flower

THCA Flower or Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid hemp flower is yet another exceptional phytocannabinoid to add to your dynamite cannabis collection. These beautiful hemp buds are grown to achieve high percentages of THCA and can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways. THCA flower is for vaping or smoking, but it does not stop there. THCA hemp flower is also excellent for preparing homemade edibles, topicals and more. Experience high THCA hemp flower today and reap the benefits of its activation!

What Is THCA Flower?

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid or THCA is one phytocannabinoid out of over 100 compounds and counting that are found in the cannabis plant. It is considered to be the precursor of the more well-known cannabinoid THC.

When the cannabis plant grows it matures and its buds begin to grow. As the buds grow, it develops its cannabinoid and terpene profiles.

CBGA is known as the “mother” of all cannabinoids and it is the first compound to develop. The CBGA along with an enzyme known as THCA-synthase is what helps produce the THCA compound. Of course CBGA also breaks down into CBG and creates CBDA, as well. THCA, CBGA and CBDA are the acidic forms of the well-known THC, CBD and CBG compounds.

As the plant ages, through natural heat and exposure to oxygen, carboxyl groups are slowly removed transferring these compounds into CBD, THC and CBG. The amounts of the cannabinoids may still be quite low in some cases. The process of decarboxylation will then be necessary to completely activate the compounds. This will ensure proper attachment to CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain and body, and will elicit chill effects THC is known to offer.

Is THCA Hemp Flower Illegal?

Production of American grown hemp THCA flower is legal under the 2018 Hemp Farm Bill. It is not a federally banned substance as the Agricultural Improvement Act (Farm Bill) legally authorized the removal of hemp plants and seeds from the Drug Enforcement Administration schedule of controlled substances.

Will THCA Get Me High?

THCA does not deliver any type of euphoric effects when ingested raw. The THCA compound includes a carboxyl ring and it is this ring that prevents the THCA from binding to CB1 receptors in the brain and CB2 receptors in the body.

However, when THCA is exposed to heat during vaporization, combustion while smoking or dabbing, as well as from cooking, it will convert to THC through a process known as decarboxylation. As it is converted to THC, it will then bind to CB1 receptors and induce a type of euphoria.

What Is Considered “High Level” THCA?

Many folks new to hemp are curious what the percentages mean when it comes to high THCA hemp flower. Understanding the cannabinoid levels is helpful to understand what type of experience you will be looking forward to. Dr.Ganja consistently has 3rd party laboratories test their flower buds to ensure compliance to the 2018 Farm Bill and the safety of their customers.

Dr.Ganja makes all lab result paperwork available on the page of the product it represents. When looking at the lab results the THCA content will be what you are looking for. The percentage of THCA will be the full potency potential of the buds when you smoke it, dab it, vaporize or cook it. THCA requires decarboxylation, which is activation by heat, to convert its structure that will be received by CB1 or CB2 receptors.

Low to high levels of THCA flower are as follows:

Rating Category	THCA Percentages
Low	0-5%
Medium	5-10%
High	10-15%
Very High	15-20%
Extremely High	> 20%

What Are The Benefits Of THCA?

Many of the benefits of THCA are yet to be conclusively determined. There are more studies being conducted than ever before and THCA has shown its legitimacy as a beneficial and useful cannabinoid.

Like many other cannabinoids, THCA has shown high levels of anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a treatment for seizure prevention and anti-nausea.

Some recent studies have found THCA to have anti-neurodegenerative properties and may be quite useful for treatment of Parkinson’s diseases and more.

What Is The Difference Between THCA and THC?

A precursor is something that precedes another. The originator or parent, if you will. THCA is a precursor to THC. THCA is one of three major cannabinoids in acidic form that eventually transforms into THC through time, and exposure to heat and oxygen. This is how CBG, CBD and THC develop from their acidic forms.

Will THCA Show Up On A Drug Test?

It is common for most drug tests to analyze chemical substances or analytes. Cannabis compounds always have the potential to elicit positive results during a drug test. If you plan on being tested or are tested regularly, you should avoid THCA.

Boston Hemp Inc. releases THCa flower and generates record breaking sales at launch.

BOSTON, Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Hemp Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of THCa, the newest hemp strain to hit the cannabis market. THCa is reported to have similar effects as smoking cannabis. The major difference is, cannabis is not legal in many states and THCa is. Because it is hemp, it falls under federal law.

THCa flower is cannabis that falls under the Federal Farm Bill of 2018 signed into law by former president Donald J. Trump. In this bill, hemp is legal as long as THC 9 levels in the plant test below .3%. In order for psychoactive effects to take place the flower MUST be smoked producing a high quintessentially the same as traditional marijuana. But how? Well....these particular flowers are high in THCa (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa)) and extremely low in concentration of traditional THC (d9 below 0.3%) registering the bud farm bill compliant. Once THCa is decarboxylated (smoked) it is recognized by the body as traditional THC producing a similar psychoactive effect indistinguishable from marijuana.

Boston Hemp Inc. is the largest supplier of THCa flower in the nation giving customers in all 50 states a chance to seek benefits from the natural hemp alternative. THCa is genetically and naturally produced and not a synthetic alternative like it's counterpart Delta 8.

"All our THCa flower is grown aeroponically indoors with organic supplementation giving our customers a premier alternative to traditional marijuana" said Brandon Gadles CEO and founder of Boston Hemp Inc. "All our products are rigorously third party lab tested and insured ensuring their accuracy and compliance" he added.

What is THCA and How is it Different from CBD?

What is THCA?

THCA, short for tetrahydrocannabinol acid, is one of over 113 known Phyto cannabinoids that can be found in raw cannabis and hemp plants.

THCA is naturally produced within the glandular trichomes of cannabis and hemp flower buds and, along with CBDA, is responsible for inducing cellular death (necrosis) within the plant. Necrosis is a vital process needed to keep the plant healthy, by eliminating damaged, dead, or dying cells.

In a way, these acidic compounds act as the plant’s immune system.

THCA vs THC Delta-9

Despite sounding similar, THCA and THC delta-9 are very different compounds and the more we learn about THCA, the more it seems to have more in common with CBD than it does with THC.

This is unlike Delta-8 THC which is quite similar to Delta-9 THC.

THC delta-9, more commonly referred to as simply THC, is one of the most well-known and studied cannabinoids. It has many unique therapeutic benefits and you may know it as the compound that makes the user feel high by binding to CB1 receptors in the brain, but THC wouldn’t exist without its acidic precursor, THCA.

THC’s acid form, THCA, only transforms into THC when it’s exposed to heat, age, or light, through a process called decarboxylation, in which it loses its carboxyl group.

THCA and THC are naturally occurring cannabinoids that can be found in the hemp and cannabis plant. THC-O on the other hand, is a synthetic cannabinoid with strong psychoactive effects. Try our federally compliant Delta 9 gummies here.

Does THCA make you high?

No, THCA in and of itself is a non-intoxicating compound. It doesn’t bind itself directly to CB1 receptors in the central nervous system like Delta-9 THC does and therefore cannot make the user feel high.

However, this is only true if THCA is ingested in its raw state. If you decarboxylate it (or smoke it), the THCA will transform into Delta-9 THC and that in-turn will make you intoxicated provided that the THCA percentage is high enough.

This intoxicating effect is causing some issues in hemp legislation since we now see an increase of THCA flower (flower that is high in THCA) sold as CBD flower. More on that below.

What’s the difference between THCA and CBD?

THCA and CBDA are acidic compounds that are found abundantly in raw hemp and cannabis flowers that convert into THC and CBD respectively, when heated, cured, or aged.

Despite the fact that THCA transforms into THC, it actually has a lot in common with CBD. Early research into THCA suggests that although the way each compound exerts influence on our body is different, the resulting therapeutic benefits are remarkably similar.

Both CBD and THC start out as CBGA or CBGV in the cannabinoid cycle.

What is THCA flower?

THCA flower is a new word for “hemp flower” that is high in the cannabinoid THCA. According to interpretations of the law, THCA flower can legally be sold as CBD flower as long as the total Delta-9 THC is below the limit for hemp flower which is .3% of dry weight.

What makes things complicated is that, when you smoke THCA flower, it turns into THC which makes the smoker feel high. The high is exactly like the high one feels when smoking cannabis. In fact, regular cannabis is often times quite low in Delta-9 THC (around 0.5-1.0%) but very high in THCA (20-30%).

CBD and THCA: Shared therapeutic properties

Unlike THC, neither CBD nor THCA exerts its therapeutic potential by directly binding with cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body. Instead, both of these cannabinoids seem to work by enhancing or inhibiting the release of various neurotransmitters that are responsible for helping our bodies achieve homeostasis.

Research into THCA is more limited than CBD at this point, but early studies have already revealed that THCA may possess anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.

What early research studies say about THCA

1 – Anti-inflammatory properties

Research suggests that CBD and hemp terpenes are great for their anti-inflammatory properties. One of the ways they are able to support inflammation is by binding to TRPV1 receptors and inhibiting an enzyme called COX-2. CBD also acts as a reuptake inhibitor of adenosine, thereby boosting levels of this neurotransmitter, which helps to improve blood flow and oxygen consumption.

Published research on inflammation in colon epithelial cells showed that cannabis sativa extract effectively reduced inflammation. The results suggested that these anti-inflammatory effects were largely due to the presence of THCA and, at least partly mediated by the GPR55 cannabinoid receptors.

Interestingly, the researchers also noted that the cytotoxic activity of THCA was enhanced by the presence of other compounds, providing further evidence that supports the existence of the entourage effect.

2 – Neuroprotective Properties

CBD has also been shown to be an effective neuroprotectant and it’s thought that this is largely due to CBD’s role as a reuptake inhibitor of anandamide, one of our body’s natural endocannabinoids. CBD has a strong affinity with various fatty acid binding proteins that are responsible for breaking down anandamide, resulting in boosted levels of anandamide in the brain, which helps to protect our brain and nervous system from damage.

3 – Antiemetic Properties

A 2020 research paper showed that both THCA and CBDA were effective in reducing nausea in rat models, more effective than THC and CBD even.

THCA in Practice

The potential use and effectiveness of THCA clearly needs a lot more research, but even in these early days this acidic compound is showing great promise.

As research into these “raw” cannabinoids continues, more and more people are adding raw cannabis or hemp into their diets, recognizing it as the amazing superfood it is. You can sprinkle ground up cannabis or hemp onto your food, add a couple of nugs to your morning smoothies, or you can even juice it. Yes, cannabis juicing is now a thing.

Cannabis expert, Dr. Bonni Goldstein, recently told ProjectCBD that she’s seen for herself what daily consumption of THCA can do. She says just 10-20mg per day can effectively reduce pain in a variety of conditions, as well as improve cognitive function.

So what is THCA CBD?

There are vendors of CBD flower who offer high THCA flower with THCA levels of around 20%. When that THCA gets heated and converts to THC, you get a fairly strong buzz that is similar to that of regular cannabis. Legal changes are happening throughout the nation however, that are making these THCA rich strains regulated (and many times illegal) so ordering online should be done with caution.

The D8 THC craze that took place in 2021 made legislators revisit the 2018 farm bill that first made hemp federally legal. The wording in the farm bill was not specific regarding different variations of THC and led to conclusions that only Delta 9 THC needs be be below .3%. Now some states are enforcing a .3% total THC limit which would make THCA flower more difficult to come by.

THCA

THCA and Whats the Difference