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Pure Potency:
The THCA Concentrate Craze
As the cannabis industry has continued to develop, one emerging new player has been brought to attention: THCa concentrates. For anybody with an interest in cannabis products and the experience they provide, a good understanding of THCa is essential.
What is THCa?
THCa, or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is technically a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in raw and live cannabis plants. THCa is the precursor to Delta-9 THC. Upon heating cannabis through smoking, vaping, or general cooking, known as decarboxylation, THCa converts into THC and releases the psychoactive effects that many users favor.
How is THCa Derived?
THCa is one of the most abundant compounds within raw cannabis. This is derived from the undried, fresh flower of cannabis before it experiences heat treatment of any kind. During the plant’s growth cycle, THCa accumulates in the resin glands, also known as trichomes, and slowly converts to Delta-9 THC through sunlight and nutrients from photosynthesis.
At extraction, the manufacturers use a method that will not cause the THCa to convert, therefore, cold extraction is used. This preserves the materials of the plants at such low temperatures that the THCa will not be converted into THC. Commonly employed techniques at extraction often include cold water or organic solvent-based extractions to maintain the integrity of the THCa.
How are THCa Concentrates Made?
Among the cannabinoids, concentrated forms of THCa are very potent The process that is used in the manufacturing of THCa concentrates is pretty complex and consists of a number of steps for a quality extraction process.
Cold Extraction: refers to the method by which THCa is first extracted from raw cannabis plant material. This means an extraction would be executed at extremely low temperatures; it can be performed through different methods, either by using a cold water extraction or solvent-based extraction using ethanol or butane. (Resin, Rosin, badder, shatter, etc.)
Crystallization: A purified extract is crystallized to form a THCa concentrate. A combination of both low temperatures and pressure within the extract encourages the THCa to turn into its crystalline structure. The result can be a very high-potency product, also known as “THCa diamonds” due to its crystalline appearance.
Resin is a high-quality concentrate that produces a medicinal yet potent effect. The main difference between resin and batter is the fact that resin contains noticeable amounts of CBD and other cannabinoids, whereas batter, shatter, etc, are going to have very low amounts of CBD and very high amounts of THC. Although resin is still a solvent-based process, it usually preserves all of the terpenes and other cannabinoids that were in the plant to begin with. The Resin Vapes that we offer at Nurse Wellness are considered Live Resin. The main difference is that live resin uses flash-frozen flowers, directly after the plant has been harvested. Flash-freezing the plant directly preserves all of the trichomes, terpenes, and THC potency. because the flower is instantly frozen, the concentrate should consist of all of the components of the plant right after it was harvested.
Badder is a very standard form of concentrate that’s usually a very malleable consistency. This means that it’s very easy to work around into a dab rig or onto a dab tool. Badder is extracted through a solvent-based extraction process however because manufacturers have to maintain the THCa, the extraction process still never reaches a high enough temperature to convert the THCa into Delta 9. Solvent-based extraction processes can produce many different consistencies of concentrate including shatter, budder, sauce, and even live resin.
Bubble Hash Rosin is going to be the highest quality and most expensive concentrate that we offer at Nurse Wellness. That’s mainly because of the amount of time and effort that goes into actually producing the Bubble Hash Rosin. Bubble hash rosin is made by soaking large amounts of flour in ice water. Soaking the flower in ice water and then agitating the water will separate the trichomes from the plant without bringing any plant material with it. Once the trichomes are removed from the plant it is then put through several micron-size bags which filter out any leftover plant material leaving you with pure cannabis trichomes.
THCa crystals are the purest form of THC on the market with most crystals testing at 99.99% THC! Thca crystals are made by essentially filtering out every other component of the plant and/or concentrate, leaving you with pure THC. These THCa crystals will not have terpenes, CBD, or any other leftover plant compounds. Crystals are usually a solvent-based process that also uses high temperature and pressure to create that crystallized structure.
How Is THCa Legal?
THCa concentrates are primarily considered legal by their chemical structure and how they are scheduled under the law. In many areas, laws surrounding cannabis are based solely upon the THC content of the product. Since THCa is non-psychoactive and doesn’t become THC until it’s heated, this often places it into a gray area of the law.
It is a warning to consumers that THCa is legal in many jurisdictions, but if it is decarboxylated into THC, that might be different in the future.
Being derived from raw cannabis, THCa is legal in most jurisdictions based on its non-psychoactive nature. However, it’s still important to understand how this will transform into THC under certain conditions. There are so many steps in the making of THCa concentrates to make sure that the consumer is getting a clean and potent product suitable for those needing alternative wellness options. So, if you are a medical marijuana patient or just like to keep up with innovative new products, you might want to look into the THCa concentrates here at Nurse Wellness.
