This archived announcement introduced our CBD RAW oil range and the research questions surrounding cannabidiolic acid, commonly abbreviated to CBDA.
The launch described three CBD oils made using a process stated to achieve 60% decarboxylation, with the intention of retaining CBDA. That historical process figure is not the CBDA concentration of a finished oil. The relevant product specification and batch analysis are needed to establish how much CBDA and CBD an individual oil contains; this announcement does not provide those measurements.
The original range was offered through our online shop. The collection now shows the products currently listed, so an archived launch should not be treated as confirmation that every original variant remains available.
What is CBDA?
CBDA stands for cannabidiolic acid. It is chemically related to CBD and is its acidic precursor: decarboxylation converts CBDA into CBD. Heat can accelerate this conversion. The two compounds therefore need to be distinguished when reading a product analysis or a research paper; a finding about one cannot automatically be applied to the other.
CBDA contains a carboxyl group, written as COOH, with one carbon, one hydrogen and two oxygen atoms. During decarboxylation, carbon dioxide is released and CBD is formed; this conversion does not release hydrogen gas. Research into the mechanism and kinetics of CBDA decarboxylation describes the chemical changes involved.
The conversion can occur gradually over time and is accelerated by heating, including during smoking or vaping cannabis material. Its rate depends on temperature, time and the sample’s composition. More heat is not simply better: the chemistry study also observed CBD degradation after a certain point. These observations explain processing and storage considerations; they are not instructions to heat or inhale a finished oil.
For an overview of the published research on CBDA, see our guide What is CBDA?