Have you been looking for alternative methods to treat chronic pain, relieve inflammation, or improve your overall wellness? Or are you dealing with a medical condition such as arthritis, ulcerative colitis, or cancer and want to explore methods to help treat your symptoms?
If so, you should look into the use of products that contain THC and/or THCa.
Here is what you need to know about THCa vs THC products and how each can help you reach your health and wellness goals.
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THCa vs THC Products: What’s the Difference?
THCa—or tetrahydrocannabinol acid, is a naturally occurring cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. It is a precursor to THC—tetrahydrocannabinol. When THCa is found in young, freshly harvested plants. When exposed to heat, it goes through a process called decarboxylation and turns into THC.
When young, freshly harvested plants are used to make products and not exposed to heat, the resulting products are high in THCa and have many medicinal properties but no psychoactive properties. As soon as they are exposed to heat, THC forms and the resulting products can get you “high”.
Benefits of THCa and THC Products
Because they are so closely chemically related, THCa and THC products have many of the same potential benefits. They include reduction of pain and inflammation, help with relaxation and sleeping, stimulation of appetite, reducing spasms and seizures, protecting coordination and memory, and reducing chronic muscle spasms and pain from inflammatory bowel disease.
However, preliminary studies have shown that THCa products could be more effective than THC in treating nausea and improving appetite. Some studies have also shown that THCa can aid in the regeneration and recovery of cells in the nervous system and may also be able to reduce obesity and even prevent diabetes and fatty liver disease—both obesity-related.
Types of THCa and THC Products
You can get both THCa and THC is a variety of different products. However, if you want to experience the benefits of THCa, you have to make sure you purchase products that use young, freshly harvested plants and that are not heated. The best sources are oils, green juices, and smoothies that are infused with raw, extracted THCa, raw extracts, and topicals that are infused with raw THCa.
If you want products high in THC, you can get gummies, smokable flowers, vapes, concentrates, edibles, tinctures, capsules, or topicals.
THCa vs THC Products: Which is Right for You?
Wondering whether THCa vs THC products are right for you? The biggest difference between the two is that one gets you high while the other does not. If you want to use a product to relax or alleviate pain but still need to go to work, take care of children, or drive, you will likely want to opt for THCa products.
If you plan to stay home and want the added psychoactive effects in your treatment, you may want to consider THC products. Still not sure which option is best for your goals? Reach out to the team at a reputable online or local store and ask them to guide you to the right products based on your own unique needs.