Some people enjoy the psychoactive experience of THCa flower, while others dislike it.
Depending on what you are looking for, THCa flower can be consumed raw and dried.
The dried THCa flower is prepared for inhalation or edible infusion and will get you intoxicated.
The raw flower (freshly picked) won’t provide a psychoactive experience, so you can juice the leaves or blend the buds in your morning smoothie recipe.
If you are interested in using THCa flower for both its nutritional value and psychoactivity, this article is for you. It provides information on how to incorporate raw and dried THCa flower into your daily routine.
What is THCa Hemp Flower?
THCa hemp flower is the budding part of the cannabis plant with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) — a non-intoxicating cannabinoid.
THCa flower is non-activated or semi-activated cannabis rich in vitamins, antioxidants, omega fatty acids, and cannabinoids. It’s available in a raw form (freshly picked) and a dried and cured form that makes it readily available for smoking, vaping, or cooking.
Raw THCa flower has a minuscule percentage of THC and is abundant in THCa. It’s closer to CBD flower than marijuana.
Dried and cured THCa flower is semi-activated and has higher levels of THC than raw flower. This is due to the slow conversion of some of the THCa into THC during exposure to light and oxygen.
For the conversion to be faster, THCa must be exposed to heat — and even then, it doesn’t fully convert (only 70%) into THC but is absorbed as THCa [1, 2].
So, dried THCa flower is a mix of THCa and THC and will get you intoxicated. It’s also rich in CBDa, CBCa, and CBGa, the main inactive cannabinoid forms. When activated by using heat, these cannabinoids turn into active compounds like CBD, THC, CBC, and CBG.
Why Incorporate THCa Flower in Your Daily Routine?
If you are looking for a legal way to reap THCa’s benefits, this flower is the product for you.
Raw THCa flowers retain more nutrients than processed or cooked cannabis. This powerhouse of a plant is considered a superfood or one of the most nutrient-dense food sources on the planet.
Nutrients in raw THCa hemp flower:
- Omega fatty acids
- Calcium
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamins B1 and B2
- Cannabinoids CBDa, THCa, CBCa, CBGa
Incorporating THCa flower into your diet also brings a lot of benefits, including:
- Anti-inflammatory properties — preliminary research shows that THCa may reduce inflammation and pain. Bouts of anecdotal evidence also indicate that this cannabinoid helps patients experiencing inflammatory pain in knees, hips, and shoulders. Although more research is needed, this may hold ground because THCa can inhibit the production of prostaglandins, chemical compounds that cause inflammatory reactions in the system [3, 4].
- Potential Neuroprotection — cannabinoids are known for their potential neuroprotective properties, which means they can help symptoms of conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. An animal study found that THCa prevented neurodegeneration in certain regions of mice’s brains, but more research is needed [5].
- Anti-nausea effects — one of the most researched effects of THC is its anti-nausea benefits. According to a 2020 study, THCa and CBDa effectively reduced nausea from chemotherapy and regulated appetite in mice [6].
How to Use THCa Flower Daily?
In the mornings and afternoons, you can add raw cannabis to your smoothies, juices, salads, dips, and sauces.
You can use dried THCa flower for these recipes (except juicing), but you will likely experience psychoactive effects. Dried flower is best for evening use through smoking, vaping, and cooking.
Daytime Uses of THCa Flower
Incorporating raw cannabis flower into your daily routine is easier than you think — but sourcing it can be a challenge. The best way to ensure you are using fresh buds is to grow your own cannabis, but that’s not an option for everyone.
Here are several deliciously effortless ways to add THCa flower into your routine.
Smoothies & Juices
If you want to feel instantly supercharged, have a THCa green smoothie. You can make a delicious raw hemp smoothie rich in THCa, cannabinoids, and vitamins that’ll energize you throughout the day.
For juicing, you’ll need a masticating (cold-pressed) juicer to squeeze the plant material without damaging the cannabinoids. Once pressed, you can mix the fresh juice with carrot or apple juice for a better flavor.
Here’s how to incorporate THCa flower in your smoothies:
SIMPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE
This recipe requires no baking, cooking, or exposure to heat of the cannabis material. It’s vegan and packed in fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients your gut will love.
Ingredients:
- Half a cucumber
- 3 handfuls of spinach
- 3 kale leaves
- 1 apple
- 1 fresh or dried THCa hemp bud, chopped
- Hemp seeds
- 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice
Preparation:
- First, chop the THCa flower bud (or buds) into small chunks.
- Next, put the ingredients into the blender and blend until you get a regular smoothie consistency.
- Drink immediately or store in the refrigerator if consumed during the day. You can also freeze the rest of the smoothie for later days.
This recipe includes a THCa hemp bud, but you can also switch to cannabis fan leaves that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Hemp tastes bitter and unsavory, but when added to a smoothie or green juice, you won’t even notice it’s in the recipe.
Salads
Have you ever added THCa flower to your green salad? This delicious salad recipe will definitely make you want to try that now. It’s simple yet packed with delicious flavors and textures.
SIMPLE GREEN CANNABIS SALAD
This recipe requires no baking, cooking, or exposure to heat of the cannabis plant material. You can use hemp flower or fan leaves to prepare it.
Ingredients:
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 5 handfuls of arugula
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 100 g baby lettuce
- 1 fresh or dried THCa hemp flower (chopped)
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Seasoning:
- Sea salt
- Vinaigrette
- Olive oil
Preparation:
- To prepare this green salad, chop the THCa flower into small chunks. Rinse in cold water for 5 minutes (you can add a teaspoon of baking soda and salt for a better rinse), dry, and chop the cucumber and avocado.
- Next, take a large bowl and toss the lettuce leaves in it.
- Add the cucumber, arugula, and THCa flower inside. On top, add a tablespoon of olive oil and two tablespoons of vinaigrette.
- Add the avocado, cherry tomatoes, and parmesan.
- Drizzle more olive oil and season with salt, if desired.
You can pair it as a side dish with chicken or pasta or add baked bread to the recipe.
Dips & Sauces
Raw THCa hemp flower can be included in dips and sauces made without using heat. For this purpose, chop and grind the flower without turning it into a fine powder to preserve the cannabinoids.
Nighttime Uses of THCa Flower
THCa flower prepared for smoking is best suited for nighttime use — unless it’s your day off and you can savor it in the morning or afternoon.
At Mr. Hemp Flower, you can find expertly cultivated THCa flower that’s prepared for consumption through smoking, vaping, or cooking. You can put it in your smoothies and juices, but because it’s been dried, it will likely contain higher levels of THC and can get you intoxicated.
Here are a few ways to activate the THC in THCa flower:
Smoking
Heat exposure transforms 70% of THCa into THC. Some of it is lost to direct heat that burns cannabinoids, and some of it doesn’t convert into THC. So, when smoking THCa flower, you inhale smoke rich in both THC, THCa, and other cannabinoids.
Smoking dried THCa flower is one of the best solutions for fast symptom relief — but it isn’t the healthiest option.
Although not the healthiest option for your lungs, the smoke helps the cannabinoids enter your bloodstream through the lungs within seconds. The effects of smoking last anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, while the intoxicating feeling starts 10 to 15 minutes after the first inhale.
There are different methods of smoking THCa flower, including joints, pipes, and bongs. We offer ready-to-use indica, sativa, and hybrid pre-rolls with high levels of THCa — so you don’t need any equipment to use them. Just light them up, and you’re set.
When smoked, THCa flower is closer to recreational and medical marijuana than hemp flower.
Dry Herb Vaporizing
This cannabis flower can also be vaporized in a dry herb vaporizer. This method requires the possession of a vaporizer and equipment to make the vaping process successful.
The key to vaping is to buy the flower from reputable dispensaries to avoid inhaling toxins and harmful ingredients.
Vaping is considered “safer” for the lungs than smoking. Still, it involves inhaling vapor that’s gentler on the lungs and doesn’t contain hydrocarbons — harmful chemicals that are produced when smoking [7].
Edibles
Have you ever prepared edibles using THCa flower? If you have, you know that decarboxylation is necessary to activate the cannabinoids before consumption.
Here’s how to decarboxylate your THCa flower before preparing edibles:
- Preheat the oven to 200-245 ºF.
- Inspect the THCa flower for white patches (mold) and seeds. When done, use a grinder to grind the flower to a coarse consistency.
- Place the ground flower in a pan lined with parchment paper.
- Heat for 30-40 minutes or until you notice a mild color change (golden brown) and a pungent terpene scent coming out of the flower.
- Take it out of the oven and cool.
- Once cooled, add olive oil to infuse the flower. You can place the mixture in the fridge for a longer infusion for 3 to 4 days.
Avoid decarbing at a temperature above 300 ºF because you’ll burn off the cannabinoids and terpenes. Also, avoid heating it for too long for the same reasons.
Once the infusion is over, store the oil in a tight container or a glass bottle with dark walls and put it in a cool, dark spot. You can use the oil in salads, dressings, and recipes that don’t call for heat.
Topicals
You can use a topical THCa product both mornings and nights. Unless you are using transdermal patches, topical THC products don’t get you intoxicated — but can be very beneficial for symptom relief.
Topical extracts with THCa come in several forms, including lotions, balms, creams, patches, and oils. According to research, cannabinoids bind to cannabinoid receptors located in the skin area and lead to the localized reduction of pain or discomfort [8].
What is a Good THCa Level for Consumption?
There is no one-size-fits-all when dosing THCa flower. It all depends on your preferences and personal tolerance.
According to Dr. William Courtney, a leading expert in “juicing cannabis,” you can use 25 large fan leaves a day in your juice, salads, salsa, and pesto. Those who have access to fresh buds can use one raw bud a day for “general health maintenance.” For those battling chronic health conditions, he recommends several buds a day.
For smoking or vaping dried THCa flower, start with a microdose of 2.5 mg or simply take one puff and see how it makes you feel. Be careful if preparing edibles as a beginner because they are difficult to dose. They also take longer to work and exhibit a more potent effect.
Risks And Side Effects
The main risk of THCa is “decarboxylation,” or its conversion to THC if the user is not looking for a psychoactive experience. This is why getting the dosage right is key when consuming this flower.
As a cannabinoid in its raw state, THCa doesn’t cause severe side effects. It’s closer in activity to CBD than to THC. According to anecdotal evidence, THCa’s side effects are negligible and include:
- Dry mouth
- Drowsiness
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
If, in any stage of consumption of THCa flower, you start to feel increased anxiety, paranoia, and increased heart rate, it’s likely THC that’s causing it. If this is the case, it’s important to stay calm, let it wear off, and remember to be careful with your dosage next time around.
Is THCa Flower Psychoactive?
Consuming fresh THCa flower isn’t supposed to get you intoxicated because it’s similar to CBD flower.
But there’s still a chance you might experience psychoactive effects from it.
It all has to do with how aged the cannabis you use is. The fastest way to activate the THC from raw cannabis (THCa) is to apply heat to it — smoke it, vaporize it or add it to your recipes. Research shows that 70% of the THCa will convert to THC if the plant is exposed to heat [2].
But the THCa in raw flower also decarboxylates on its own.
THCa can convert into THC if exposed to room temperature (this kick starts the process of decarbing), sunlight, and UV light. The process of aging (old cannabis) and improper storage also leads to the degradation of THCa into THC.
Is THCa Flower Legal?
The hemp industry welcomes new products every year. This time, it’s the legal THCa hemp flower.
The only reason this product is legal is because of a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that requires pre-harvest hemp flower to contain less than 0.3% delta 9 THC by dry weight.
Products like THCa isolates and THCa tinctures are also legal as long as the THC concentration in them doesn’t exceed 0.3%. With that said, THCa can be considered an analog of delta 9 THC and deemed illegal by default under the federal Analogue Act.
This is an exception in states that require the final product to be tested for total THC, which includes both THCa and THC. So, be sure to check state laws before buying.
Mr. Hemp Flower: THCa Flower You Can Trust
Finding fresh, quality THCa flower can be tricky.
That’s why you need Mr. Hemp Flower.
We provide the most authentic, top-shelf THCa flower on the market. But don’t take our word for it. Each product page on our website offers a detailed, third-party lab report that shows the concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes alongside the list of ingredients and purity profile.
If you don’t know where to start on your THCa journey, let us suggest our high-potency hybrid THCa flower — Gary Payton (26%+ THCa).
This premium hybrid (indica/sativa) spreads a strong, dank smell that correlates to its rich terpene profile (limonene, myrcene, caryophyllene, humulene, nerolidol). The terpenes give this strain herbal, fruity, citrusy flavors that you will enjoy.
If you believe Gary Payton THCa to be too potent for your liking, you can go for a THCa flower with lower levels — Ice Cream Cake THCa Hemp Flower (19%+). This sativa-dominant strain is grown in a greenhouse and will perfectly match your morning green smoothies.
We collaborate with the best hemp farmers in the U.S. to bring you organically grown flower. We also offer delicious, vegan-friendly, sugar-free delta 9 THC and delta 8 THC gummies tested by a third-party lab. If purchasing THCa flower is still challenging for you, don’t hesitate to contact us.
FAQs on How to Use THCa Flower
What is the best way to use THCa?
There are several ways to use THCa flower. You can use raw THCa flower or fan leaves rich in this cannabinoid and get its therapeutic benefits without the psychoactivity. You can also smoke, vape, or cook with dried THCa flower.
Does THCa need to be heated?
No, THCa can be consumed unheated, which is a common method of consumption by people who want to avoid the psychoactive effects of cannabis. THCa provides a myriad of therapeutic properties when consumed unheated.
What happens when you heat THCa?
When heated, THCa loses a carboxylic acid group and turns into its biologically active form, delta 9 THC.
What is THCa and how does it work?
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) is a non-intoxicating hemp cannabinoid and precursor to delta 9 THC. Although it doesn’t give you a psychoactive experience, THCa offers a plethora of potential therapeutic effects, including pain relief and anti-inflammation.