THCA Dosage For Pain and Anxiety: How Much Should I Take?

THCA has arrived, and you’ve likely noticed that it’s the new cannabinoid that everyone is talking about.  THCA, short for “tetrahydrocannabinolic acid”, is simply the raw precursor to delta 9 THC, abundant in raw cannabis flower.  THCA doesn’t turn into delta 9 THC until the proper amount of heat is applied to it, through a process known as decarboxylation.

Right now, THCA products fall into two categories:

• Category 1: Products that keep THCA as it is, so to speak, like gummies, tinctures, and capsules, allowing you to consume THCA distillate, which’s rich in its own distinctive benefits, as raw cannabinoids have properties unique from their post-decarboxylated counterparts.
• Category 2: THCA products that’re intended to be heated to the point of turning THCA into delta 9 THC, so that you’re actually consuming delta 9 and getting high.  Those products include vapes, dabs, and flower.

A question that we often get asked is, “how much THCA should I take?”  We’re going to answer that question, applying it to both products that keep THCA as is, and products that convert THCA into delta 9 THC.

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THCA Dosage vs. THCA Strength

Before we talk about the best dosage for THCA products, let’s talk about strength vs dosage, as both of these factors are equally important.

Dosage: Dosage reflects the amount of product that we take, such as 4 puffs off of a vape cartridge, or 1 gummy.

Strength: Strength reflects the number of milligrams of THCA in the product, which tells us how potent the product is.  A dropper of a THCA tincture can contain any number of milligrams of THCA, and so the same amount of a specific type of product can vary a lot in terms of how much of the cannabinoid you’re actually consuming.

Factors That Influence How Much THCA You Might Want to Take

Before getting into how much THCA you should take, based on general dosing guidelines, keep in mind that ultimately, the amount that’s right for you can depend on all kinds of factors.

Factor #1: Your Tolerance to THCA

Basically, everyone can have a unique tolerance/sensitivity to cannabinoids based on how their endocannabinoid system is structured.  And, we know that those who are totally new to cannabis are likely to have a very low tolerance overall.  If you’ve never consumed any cannabinoid before, you may have an incredibly low tolerance to THCA/delta 9 THC which means that an extremely low dose will feel potent in your system. 

If you’re a seasoned consumer, you may find that you already have something of a tolerance to its effects that allows you to take a more standard dosage as a first-timer.

Factor #2: Product Type 

We know from taking other cannabinoids that the delivery method and THCA product type have a lot to do with the experience that we end up having.  The more bioavailable the delivery method, the more potent, fast-acting, and short-lived the high will be. 

Inhalation of THCA (which means you’re really taking delta 9 since these products must be heated) produces the strongest effects, typically felt within minutes, while edible doses take a while to kick in and offer something of a more gradual peak that’s slightly subdued.  Tinctures are somewhere in the middle.  Then, you have dabs, which are concentrates, and are the most potent product type by far.

Factor #3: The Strain

As you may know, the strain of the THCA product can influence how strong it is, which is the case with flower, dabs, and vapes.  Different strains have different amounts of THC in them, and some are therefore much more potent than others.  Research the strain you’re buying to find out how potent it is, and dose accordingly.

Factor #4: Other Cannabinoids You’re Taking

If you’re also taking other cannabinoids, especially psychoactive ones, you might want to take less THCA.  For example, if you’re taking THCA after consuming a THC-P gummy, you might want to lessen the THCA dose so that you don’t get too high.  Even left raw, THCA could potentiate the intoxicating effects of the other cannabinoid.

Factor #5: What You Want to Achieve From Your THCA Experience 

Maybe you just feel more comfortable taking a low dose of a THCA hemp product, because you prefer a milder experience.  Or maybe, you’re looking to dab a THCA product because you want to get really, really high off of delta 9 THC, in which case you’d likely be open to taking a generally higher dose.

What is the Proper THCA Dosage Anyway?

Fortunately, there are some general guidelines regarding THCA dosage that give us an idea of the amount we should take according to what we want to get out of our experience.  These guidelines are broken down into several product types/delivery methods, all based on the different levels of potency consumers may be looking for.

#1: THCA Vape Cartridges and Disposables 

THCA vape cartridges and disposables, which ultimately give you delta 9 and not THCA, act very quickly, and are even more potent due to the bioavailability of this type of delivery method.  To calculate the number of milligrams you’re taking in per puff, you need to determine the total milligram strength of the cartridge as provided by the manufacturer, and divide that by the number of milliliters in the cartridge.  Then, divide that number by 100, as there are about 100 puffs in each milliliter of e-liquid.

Low Dose: 5-10mg

Moderate Dose: 10-20mg

High Dose: 20mg+

#2: THCA Tinctures

Tinctures are providing you with THCA, and not delta 9 THC, so you won’t get high.  Dosing with tinctures requires that you divide the number of milligrams of THCA in the bottle by the number of milliliters it contains.  For instance, if you have a 1000mg 30ml tincture, that comes out to about 33 milligrams per milliliter, with the dropper cap that comes with the bottle usually containing a milliliter of oil at a time. 

Once you determine the number of milligrams in each dropper, you can make adjustments to the dosage amount based on the type of experience you want to achieve, as seen below.  Because oral products absorb into the body less efficiently than inhalable products, we compensate for this with higher dosage amounts.  Also, since you’re not getting high off of this THCA product, the suggested dosage for therapeutic use is higher.

Low Dose: 20-33mg

Moderate Dose: 33-50mg

High Dose: 50mg+

#3: THCA Edibles

Like with tinctures, edibles are giving you THCA for therapeutic reasons, as you won’t get high.  Edibles are ingested, and the effects can last for much longer than vapes and tinctures, although the effects can be a bit more subdued.  Because they are oral products like tinctures, the dosing guidelines are similar.  

If you’re going with gummies, dosing is easy.  Each gummy in a package will offer the same number of milligrams of THCA, which means that to adjust the dosage, you just decide how many gummies to take in one sitting.  

Note: Same rule applies to capsules, as every capsule is going to contain the same amount of THCA.

Then, there are baked goods, like cookies, brownies, etc.  In this case, you might need to split the product into multiple portions, since, say, a brownie may contain several servings of THCA.  Directions on the label should tell you more.  

Low Dose: 15-25mg

Moderate Dose: 25-40mg 

High Dose: 40mg+

#5: THCA Flower

Dosing with THCA flower (which will give you delta 9 THC instead of THCA) is a bit trickier if you plan on smoking or vaporizing it, because flower doesn’t come in milligram strengths like it does for other infused products.  So, we dose according to the number of puffs, regardless of whether we are smoking or vaping it.  Just take note that smoking it may bring you a slightly more potent experience than vaping it, because smoke typically carries a denser concentration of the active ingredients.

Low Dose: 1 puff

Moderate Dose: 1-3 puffs

High Dose: 3+ puffs

On the other hand, if you’re baking or cooking with THCA hemp flower, that’s a different story.  This will decarb the THCA to turn it into THC, so dose carefully.  You may want to weigh the flower, to put into your recipe your preferred edibles milligram strength (anywhere from 10-50mg for most individuals), multiplied by the number of servings that the recipe will yield.

#6: THCA Concentrates

THCA dabs, wax, shatter, crumble, and so on, are phenomenally potent products as they are highly concentrated.  And, they’re heated, so you’re actually consuming THCA.  Like with flower, it’s hard to dose according to milligram strength, since they don’t come in milligram strength options.  So again, we go based on the puff count, which generally applies to all types of dabs. 

Keep in mind that dabs are for experienced users with a higher tolerance, which is why the puff count recommendations are the same as they are for THCA flower, rather than lower to compensate for the added potency.

Low Dose: 1 puff

Moderate Dose: 1-3 puffs

High Dose: 3+ puffs

Your THCA Dosage Ultimately Comes Down to Your Needs!

Ultimately, the amount of THCA you should be taking depends on a number of things, like how strong you want the effects to be, whether or not you’re actually getting delta 9 out of your THCA product, and whether or not you’re an absolute beginner.  

Binoid’s collection of THCA products come with clear dosing directions on the label, to make the process of figuring out how much to take a little easier.  Consider starting with a low dose as a newbie, and then working your way up over time.  That way you can locate your personal THCA sweet spot.

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