CBDA and CBGA - Cannabis Ingredients Help Against Covid19?

A study published by the Journal of Nature Products is currently attracting a lot of attention: certain cannabis compounds are said to be able to treat and even prevent a coronavirus infection. We've taken a closer look at the study and want to talk more about the promising compounds CBGA and CBDA.

Researchers at Oregon State University stated in the study that two compounds commonly found in hemp - CBGA and CBDA - were identified in a chemical screening as potential agents for combating the coronavirus. The two cannabinoid acids are said to bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, thereby blocking a critical process by which the virus infects people. "These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans," explains Richard van Breemen, a researcher at Oregon State's Global Hemp Innovation Center. He also says that CBDA and CBGA have the potential to both prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.

It is important to mention, however, that the researchers only tested the effect of the compounds against alpha and beta variants of the virus. Furthermore, the preparations were not administered to humans as part of the study, and the infection rates of those using the preparations were not compared with those not using them. Therefore, the results and conclusions drawn from the study must be treated with great caution.

Nevertheless, the two compounds investigated in the study are very interesting and it is worth taking a closer look at them.

Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is one of many cannabinoids produced by the cannabis plant. Like CBD, it can interact with the receptors in our endocannabinoid system in the human body and influence various processes there. It is less well known than the two prominent active ingredients CBD and THC, but can be called the "mother cannabinoid", as it acts as a kind of precursor for many other cannabinoids and has the potential to become a variety of different cannabinoid acids such as CBDA and THCA.

CBGA could play an important role in our metabolism in the future. A study published in 2019 presents both computational research and research on cells. It suggests that CBGA could help regulate fat tissue storage and could help people with metabolic diseases. Unfortunately, CBGA is still relatively under-researched and the largely lacking human studies leave a large knowledge gap about this cannabinoid.

Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) is also a cannabinoid of the hemp plant and the precursor of CBD. Like many other cannabis compounds, it also originates from the "mother molecule" CBGA. In untreated cannabis plants, almost no CBD is present; it is only converted from CBDA to CBD when heated. For example, during the production of our CBD oils, CBDA is converted into CBD through decarboxylation during the extraction process. CBDA is therefore often only considered an inactive form of CBD that is only activated by heating. However, research results increasingly indicate that CBDA itself also has therapeutic potential.

Early-stage research suggests that CBDA may be effective in treating anxiety. It has been shown that CBDA can alleviate social anxiety in people. Another study suggested that it could help suppress inflammation. However, the lack of clinical studies makes it difficult to adequately determine the efficiency of CBDA in humans.

In addition to pure CBD, CBD extracts usually also contain the two lesser-known cannabis compounds CBDA, the "raw" version of CBD, and the "mother molecule" CBGA. A small portion of these two compounds therefore remains in Hanfgeflüster products after extraction. In summary, the study results offer good potential for future research to shed more light on the various compounds of the hemp plant and to learn more about their promising properties.