The latest article from Doctor Eric I. Mitchell. As Univec investors know, Doctor Dalton claims active clinical trials in Israel for at least the last two to two and a half years. Doctor Mitchell interviewed and then appointed Doctor Dalton to AGRiMED’s Board of Directors when that company started operations around two and a half years ago. It is unknown at this time what part (if any) Doctor Mitchell might play in the future of Univec Conglomerate.
Keeping Your Eye on the Ball Putting CBD-A in the Mix Step one, remember step one! This happens all the time! We jump past step one in our quest to find step two in pursuit to find the answer about the effects of the Cannabinoid, CBD, on our Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Well, in the case of CBD we might have stepped past one of the most important steps in the medical arena bypassing another important biological system on the way to our destination to power the ECS. The Godfather of Cannabis, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam recently warned the medical community not to go to sleep on this step one after it took 30 years for the medical community to embrace the pathology of CBD on the ECS which was the step two.
Reverse engines! The first step that we are talking about is CBD-A. CBD-A is the first step, which is the acid form and precursor for the second most frequent Cannabinoid found in the Cannabis sativa L plant, CBD. This CBD-A is normally found in the raw cannabis plant in low concentrations. CBD-A is considered to be unstable and with time and heat will convert to CBD. The CBD rage can stand on its own feet with research now unleashed after the 2018 Farm Bill. But, before we go there, let’s look closer at step one, CBD-A.
“It’s (CBD-A) an interesting molecule that potentially doesn’t have side effects,” said Dan Peer, Managing Director of the Center for Translational Medicine and head of the Cancer Biology Research Center at Tel Aviv University. Just like CBD, CBD-A is a non-psychoactive compound, so it does not cause one to get high if present in CBD products. This CBD-A compound is currently being investigated for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
CBD-A or CBD-acid is the main form in which CBD exists in the raw cannabis plant, along with THC-A (THC-acid). CBD is then obtained through a non-enzymatic decarboxylation from the acidic form CBD-A to the Cannabinoid, CBD, this reaction taking place when the compound is heated. The decarboxylation procedure is also called “activation,” and requires about 90 minutes when the cannabis infusions are heated to 212° F. The naturally occurring but unstable CBD acid (CBDA) is believed to be a thousand times more potent than CBD in binding to particular serotonin receptors thought to be responsible for alleviating nausea and anxiety.
The most interesting factor about CBD-A is when it is in its acid form and non-activated for the ECS, it’s working via another bodily pathway that we skipped over while making our way to CBD. What is that other pathway and what role does CBD-A play in our human pathology? Inflammation is the key word! “It (CBD-A) works like a steroid. If it doesn’t have adverse effects, then you have a replacement, which is great,” Peer said, discussing testing he did with cannabis acids and inflammatory bowel disease.
Heating the plant at a lower temperature or for a shorter time may lead to partial instead of full activation; until recently, it’s been considered that this is not desirable or convenient, as it reduces the final amount of CBD obtained from a plant. However, new research suggests that CBD-A may also be of great value for humans. When this compound was first discovered, it was thought to be a minor cannabinoid, and most producers preferred to decarboxylate CBD-A so as to obtain higher amounts of CBD. Yet, the existing studies are promising, as the acidic form of cannabidiol seems to have anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties (this means CBD-A has cancer fighting attributes).
Anti-inflammatory properties–The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD-acid seem to be the result of the inhibitory action of this compound on COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2), a compound involved in inflammatory processes. This mechanism is another pathway outside of the ECS. In another study, a team of scientists led by Israeli chemist, Raphael Mechoulam, identified wake-promoting effects of cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A) in rats. They studied CBD-A indirectly by using a more stable synthetic version of the cannabinoid produced in Dr. Mechoulam’s lab. Administration of CBD-A increased wakefulness by around 50% by decreasing the amount of time the rats spent in slow-wave sleep without impacting time spent in the REM sleep stage (i.e., when humans experience vivid dreams). These effects were associated with increased levels of wake-promoting brain chemicals such as acetylcholine that helps promote attention in awake animals. In plain English, this means the individual becomes more alert and more aware of what is happening around them.
Important note: The stability of CBD-A may lead to a number of clinical applications in the near future. There is research currently being done that is looking at ratios of CBD-A to CBD. Some preliminary results are showing a marked increase in clinical efficacy by using these two cannabinoids that work through two different pathological mechanisms. We must keep our “eye on the ball” as we put CBD-A into the mix in fighting inflammation through two different pathways at the same time. Doctor Mitchell has an active clinical experiment ongoing at the time of this writing to exploit step one, elevating concentrations of CBDA as we continue to relish the positive clinical applications of step two, CBD.
Eric I. Mitchell, MD MA FACPE CPE
Keeping Your Eye on the Ball Putting CBD-A in the Mix Step one, remember step one! This happens all the time! We jump past step one in our quest to find step two in pursuit to find the answer about the effects of the Cannabinoid, CBD, on our Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Well, in the case of CBD we might have stepped past one of the most important steps in the medical arena bypassing another important biological system on the way to our destination to power the ECS. The Godfather of Cannabis, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam recently warned the medical community not to go to sleep on this step one after it took 30 years for the medical community to embrace the pathology of CBD on the ECS which was the step two.
Reverse engines! The first step that we are talking about is CBD-A. CBD-A is the first step, which is the acid form and precursor for the second most frequent Cannabinoid found in the Cannabis sativa L plant, CBD. This CBD-A is normally found in the raw cannabis plant in low concentrations. CBD-A is considered to be unstable and with time and heat will convert to CBD. The CBD rage can stand on its own feet with research now unleashed after the 2018 Farm Bill. But, before we go there, let’s look closer at step one, CBD-A.
“It’s (CBD-A) an interesting molecule that potentially doesn’t have side effects,” said Dan Peer, Managing Director of the Center for Translational Medicine and head of the Cancer Biology Research Center at Tel Aviv University. Just like CBD, CBD-A is a non-psychoactive compound, so it does not cause one to get high if present in CBD products. This CBD-A compound is currently being investigated for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
CBD-A or CBD-acid is the main form in which CBD exists in the raw cannabis plant, along with THC-A (THC-acid). CBD is then obtained through a non-enzymatic decarboxylation from the acidic form CBD-A to the Cannabinoid, CBD, this reaction taking place when the compound is heated. The decarboxylation procedure is also called “activation,” and requires about 90 minutes when the cannabis infusions are heated to 212° F. The naturally occurring but unstable CBD acid (CBDA) is believed to be a thousand times more potent than CBD in binding to particular serotonin receptors thought to be responsible for alleviating nausea and anxiety.
The most interesting factor about CBD-A is when it is in its acid form and non-activated for the ECS, it’s working via another bodily pathway that we skipped over while making our way to CBD. What is that other pathway and what role does CBD-A play in our human pathology? Inflammation is the key word! “It (CBD-A) works like a steroid. If it doesn’t have adverse effects, then you have a replacement, which is great,” Peer said, discussing testing he did with cannabis acids and inflammatory bowel disease.
Heating the plant at a lower temperature or for a shorter time may lead to partial instead of full activation; until recently, it’s been considered that this is not desirable or convenient, as it reduces the final amount of CBD obtained from a plant. However, new research suggests that CBD-A may also be of great value for humans. When this compound was first discovered, it was thought to be a minor cannabinoid, and most producers preferred to decarboxylate CBD-A so as to obtain higher amounts of CBD. Yet, the existing studies are promising, as the acidic form of cannabidiol seems to have anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties (this means CBD-A has cancer fighting attributes).
Anti-inflammatory properties–The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD-acid seem to be the result of the inhibitory action of this compound on COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2), a compound involved in inflammatory processes. This mechanism is another pathway outside of the ECS. In another study, a team of scientists led by Israeli chemist, Raphael Mechoulam, identified wake-promoting effects of cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A) in rats. They studied CBD-A indirectly by using a more stable synthetic version of the cannabinoid produced in Dr. Mechoulam’s lab. Administration of CBD-A increased wakefulness by around 50% by decreasing the amount of time the rats spent in slow-wave sleep without impacting time spent in the REM sleep stage (i.e., when humans experience vivid dreams). These effects were associated with increased levels of wake-promoting brain chemicals such as acetylcholine that helps promote attention in awake animals. In plain English, this means the individual becomes more alert and more aware of what is happening around them.
Important note: The stability of CBD-A may lead to a number of clinical applications in the near future. There is research currently being done that is looking at ratios of CBD-A to CBD. Some preliminary results are showing a marked increase in clinical efficacy by using these two cannabinoids that work through two different pathological mechanisms. We must keep our “eye on the ball” as we put CBD-A into the mix in fighting inflammation through two different pathways at the same time. Doctor Mitchell has an active clinical experiment ongoing at the time of this writing to exploit step one, elevating concentrations of CBDA as we continue to relish the positive clinical applications of step two, CBD.
Eric I. Mitchell, MD MA FACPE CPE
