*This Article is Brought to You by Our Friends at Society’s Plant. They dug deep into the research to uncover what’s true and what’s BS in the research paper that took the world by storm last week about cannabis and covid. It was so good, I wanted to share it with all of you along with a recipe for cannabis tea that is amazing for incorporating more acidic cannabinoids into a daily cannabis wellness routine. We hope you love it!
What’s the real story behind the Cannabis and Covid study?
If you didn’t hear all the hubbub about cannabis and covid last week, either you were under a rock or mercury in retrograde shut down the internet in your world.
First, it was in Forbes, and then all of social media took to making Snoop Dogg memes about how smoking weed is the answer to all things Covid-19.
Last week, a new study was released that found the potential for cannabis to block Covid-19.
My lady, High Society Mama spread the news by dancing in the Society’s Plant hemp field (which, I have decided, is my new favorite way to view all cannabis news).
She made a point to highlight the fact that:
“The headlines are a little misleading, because not ALL cannabis compounds will work for this use. The research suggests that CBDa & CBGa “Block Cellular Entry of Covid and the Emerging Variants”…
Many people commented on the @SocietysPlant Instagram page that the reason they have not contracted “the rona” is because they toke on the cannabis plant daily. But is that what’s really going on here?
Does Cannabis Cure Covid or Prevent You From Getting It?
This is not exactly what this study found. There have been studies that show that cannabis is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, and studies connecting how those properties can halt disease progression in covid patients.
But, the latest study that is causing all the hype, is specifically on the acidic forms of 2 cannabinoids; CBDA & CBGA.
The article published by Forbes with the headline: Study finds Cannabis Compounds Prevent Infection by Covid-19 Virus flooded cannabis enthusiasts with hope, but while the study looks promising, there are some signs that celebration is a bit premature.
According to research done by Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, found that a pair of cannabinoid acids bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a critical step in the process that the virus uses to infect people.
The main drawback of this study is that it was done in a petri-dish, with very high amounts of acidic cannabinoids.
It is still unknown how beneficial this will be in the human body, and in what consumable doses will have this effect. Many are hopeful that this is a positive sign of the public taking notice of the myriad of medicinal uses of the cannabis plant, but it’s definitely not conclusive.
So today, after some of the dust has settled, we are going to explore these cannabinoids and how you can get more in your system using a DIY Cannabis Tea Recipe.
What are Acidic Cannabinoids?
CBDA & CBGA are the acidic cannabinoids that were examined in this study about cannabis and covid.
CBDa & CBGa are present on the growing hemp plant and are the precursor to CBD & CBG. (The same principle would for THC-a being the pre-cursor to THC.)
Heat is the catalyst that converts these compounds from their acidic forms to their final cannabinoid state. The heat (also known as decarboxylation) can be introduced in an oven, Ardent FX machine, or other device that helps to heat the plant material and aid in the conversion process.
The conversion from CBDa to CBD also occurs when the plant is combusted through smoking or vaporizing the cannabis flower. Acidic cannabinoids have long been neglected due to little knowledge on the benefits of the cannabinoid in this state.
Research has shown CBDA may be more effective at reducing inflammation and nausea than CBD, that CBDA may reduce the growth and spread of cancer cells and that it may be more effective than THC at reducing pain.
Additionally, CBDA combined with CBD is beneficial because it more than doubles the bioavailability of the cannabinoids in your body. Similar results were shown for THCA, along with the addition of neuroprotective & antioxidant properties.
CBDa, CBGa: Acidic Cannabis and Covid
While we don’t know much about CBGa, the new research showed that along with CBDa, it has a binding affinity for the same place Covid likes to plug into our cells so it can replicate.
Again, these properties were found in a test tube, so it’s exciting, but by no means conclusive. But it’s clear that even if this isn’t the case, raw cannabinoids could be beneficial for overall health and wellness.
Now that it is clear that these acidic compounds are worth consuming, what is the best way to get them into your body?
Cannabinoids must be consumed in a “raw” state, to still be in “acidic” form.
How to use CBDa and CBGa?
Cannabinoid acids are found in all parts of the hemp plant and a great way to consume them is to juice the fresh hemp leaves or to steep the hemp flower in hot water as tea.
Since many people do not have access to fresh plant material, an easy on the go method is to take “Raw” Hemp Supplements.
This might be the most convenient way to get concentrated amounts of CBDA & CBGA. There is a significant difference between these supplements and ones that use extraction methods involving heat. Society’s Plant Raw Unfiltered Hemp Extracts are produced through a critical CO2 process that extracts the oil while still preserving the natural plant material such as waxes, chlorophylls, and lipids. This extract is available in Tinctures & Soft Gels.
Since this oil is less refined, the resulting CBD concentration is lower than a distilled extract. This raw hemp extract is not decarboxylated, thus it contains significant amounts of the beneficial cannabinoid, CBDa in addition to CBGa and of course CBD.
My next post will be on making a DIY CBDa and CBGa tincture, but in the meantime, the simplest way to consume cannabinoid acids is by steeping the raw hemp plant like tea.
There are some beautiful cannabinoid-rich tea options out there, such as the: Society’s Plant Herbal Tea Collection, which includes hemp as well as other herbs to support your health goals.
The temperature of conversion away from the acidic form of cannabinoid is over 200 degrees for an extended amount of time.
That means steeping your tea in hot water for the time it takes tea to infuse is not going to completely convert the active CBDA & CBGA, meaning you will be nourishing your body with a combination of acidic cannabinoids and some converted cannabinoids to CBD.
“Wake & Caffeinate” contains hemp stems and leaves combined with Pu-ehr tea leaves, which is a popular source of antioxidants that protect cellular health.
The most popular “Positivi-Tea”, has immune-boosting herbs such as ginger & turmeric. Turmeric also offsets inflammation and remember the goal is to keep inflammatory conditions at bay and promote cellular health overall.
DIY CBDa, CBGa or THCa Tea Recipe
At Wake + Bake, we like to arm you with all the tools and information to try your own creations, so here is the the DIY method for creating homemade CBDa or CBGa tea. I made a cup of this yesterday and if you’re okay with the flavor of cannabis (I love it!), this may be just the thing for you.
Ingredients:
- .5-1gram of CBD, CBG, or THC flower – Undecarboxylated
- 1-2 cups of water
Method:
- Boil water and pour the hot water into tea mug. Wait a few minutes to let the water cool down from boiling.
- Add in your choice of tea along with hemp flower.
- SOCIETY’s Plant DIY Infusion flower is available in a variety CBD dominant hemp strains and also CBG. It comes in 1oz quantities for just $40 and includes untrimmed flower that is perfect for all of your DIY infusion uses including CBDA tea. Use code: wakeandbake for 25% off your first order!
- Allow to steep for 10 min.
- Add honey if you would like for taste and sip to enjoy. Dr. Sulak also says to chew up the remaining plant material in your mug. This is squirrely, but it certainly felt medicinal!
This tea steeping method is a water extraction that is a chemical-free method to get CBDa, CBGa or THCa, from plants, without the use of any chemical solvents.
By soaking the hemp plant in hot water, the heat pulls some of the oil out of the flower, while it’s not hot enough to decarboxylate the cannabinoids. The liquid is then naturally cooled as the water loses heat.
Have you tried this home extraction method?
We would love to know what you think of it?
What are your favorite teas to pair with the cannabis plant flavor?
With love,
Corinne + Bianca (High Society Mama)
