Cannabidiolic Acid, CBDA, is a cannabidiol that is produced in fresh (young) cannabis plants. It is an acid form, which is converted to CBD at a later stage by heating and/or taking oxygen. Because CBDA occurs in the fresh cannabis plant reason, it is also seen as the raw variant of CBD.

Because CBDA is an acid form of CBD, it contains different components than CBD. Because of this, CBDA contains subtle differences. Because research into the effects of CBDA is at an early stage, the information is scarce. The studies that have been done promise great potential.

An early 2008 study looked at CBDA's potential as an anti-inflammatory agent by specifically studying its COX-2 inhibitory properties. The research team compared the molecular structures of CBDA to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) commonly used to treat inflammation and found their chemical structures to be remarkably similar; both are known to inhibit COX-2 receptors. This first study showed that CBDA shows promise as a potential anti-inflammatory agent.

In the same way that it controls nausea, CBDA can also be a potent anticonvulsant. In fact, scientists have shown that CBDA has 100 times more affinity for the 5-HT receptors than CBD; one reason is that CBDA has greater bioavailability, so the body can metabolize the compound with less effort and in less time.

This same receptor affinity could also mean that CBDA might be able to effectively fight depression. After all, CBDA acts on the 5-HT receptors in much the same way as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant.

To date, most CBDA studies are preclinical non-human studies. While human trials are needed, some medical cannabis companies, such as Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals, are paving the way. GW Pharmaceuticals produces a pharmaceutical-grade CBD oil called Epidiolex, the first cannabis-derived prescription drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Interestingly, the FDA required the company to not only conduct CBD research, but also research the precursor CBDA, and GW's own research shows that CBDA is an even more effective treatment for seizures. The company has also filed two other CBDA patents for medical use: one for inflammatory skin diseases and the other for cancer treatment.

Although CBDA cancer research has so far only been conducted on isolated cells, early studies indicate that CBDA could stop the migration of a highly aggressive form of breast cancer cell known as MDA-MB-231.