Decarboxylation is a chemical process in raw cannabis. Non-decarboxylated acidic cannabinoids (THCA, CBDA) lose their structural bond and convert to their neutral decarboxylated forms (THC, CBD). In simple terms, decarboxylation refers to the “thermal activation” of crude cannabinoids (such as THCA, CBDA, CBGA, or CBCA). Among cannabis researchers and experts, there is a debate about the exact decarboxylation temperature of CBD.
If you can access the laboratory results of the cannabis you're decarboxylating, you can make an informed guess about the cannabinoid content of the final product. The low efficiency of the decarboxylation of CBGA to CBG is one of the reasons why this cannabinoid is much more expensive than other cannabinoids. CBDa required the most input energy for the decarboxylation of the three, but the efficiency was significantly higher than that of the CBGA, resulting in a loss of approximately 15% during the decarboxylation process. If you don't decarboxylate the herb to infuse butter, you'll mostly end up with a weaker or more inactive product, as described in the previous section.
In addition, decarboxylation at lower temperatures allows THCA to be converted to THC, unlike CBN, the sleepy cannabinoid. If you're looking for recreational marijuana products, you'll probably want to avoid THCA and opt for the decarboxylated version (or just make sure to heat your marijuana by smoking, vaping, or baking it first). Edibles are generally made by infusing a decarboxylated form of cannabis (which can be an extract, oil, or alcohol) into a consumable food. They were looking for the ideal time and temperature to decarboxylate several different acidic cannabinoids, focusing mainly on CBDA and THCA.
For CBD to provide its full health benefits, it needs to be decarboxylated before using it in any specific way or product. Decarboxylation of cannabis may seem intimidating, but it's simply the process of applying the right heat to the raw cannabis flower to activate cannabinoids. However, each cannabinoid has a different decarboxylation temperature and a much more unique boiling point. And if acidic cannabinoids are left at room temperature long enough, they will slowly decarboxylate into their neutral forms.
