“Diamonds” or THCA crystals have been trending with cannabis concentrate users over the last couple of years. Until recently, isolated THCA has been hard to find. Now, you can find them isolated or more commonly drenched with terpenes in jars labeled “sauce.” We’ll go over everything you need to know about THCA crystalline.

The purest form of cannabis concentrate, this extract consists of a single type of cannabinoid, usually tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), or cannabidiol (CBD). Crystalline is formed by thoroughly refining cannabis oil and serves as a base for formulated cannabis products. While possibly more potent, crystalline lacks the flavor of other Concentrates and some of the medicinal benefits due to its isolation from the original terpenes.

“I mix the right dosage of my CBD crystalline in coconut oil, then add it my own homemade edibles to help ease my anxiety.”

More about Crystalline

What is Crystalline?

Crystalline, also referred to as “crystals,” “THC crystals,” or “diamonds,” is a cannabis concentrate that comes in a solid state. It resembles coarse sugar, the kind typically used for decorating sugar cookies or glittering the tops of baked fruit pies. Crystalline is produced to be free of plant matter or terpenes, which are the distinct aromatic and flavor qualities of a cannabis cultivar, or strain.

What Cannabinoids are Available in Crystalline form?

Crystalline is produced to have just one cannabinoid. The only cannabinoids available in crystalline form are THCA, CBDA, and CBD. Anyone consuming THCA, CBDA, or CBD will not experience an intoxicating high, though THCA converts to THC when exposed to heat, making the crystalline intoxicating. 

What Is THCA?

THCA stands for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Raw and live cannabis have the largest concentrations of it. THCA slowly converts to THC as a plant dries. Heating cannabis speeds the process up.

THCA is a nonpsychoactive precursor to THC, which means it won’t get you high. This is the reason cannabis must be decarboxylated in an oven before being used in edibles. The process ensures all the THCA has been converted into THC so you can experience the full psychoactive effects.

THCA crystalline is the result of isolating the THCA content from a cannabis plant. Breaking it down into a powder makes it easier to fill pills with.

Eating THCA

Raw cannabis is a known superfood. Juicing cannabis can provide higher levels of THCA. Eating high levels of THCA can help to balance out an endocannabinoid deficiency without the high. Endocannabinoid deficiencies are responsible for several debilitating medical conditions.

Certain people that are sensitive to THC cannot consume enough of the cannabinoid to relieve their symptoms. Fortunately, they can still find equal or greater relief from eating raw cannabis.

Dr. William Courtney, an M.D. from Willits, California has been pushing the benefits of juicing weed for almost a decade now. Fresh plants are highest in THCA. So unless you know how to grow weed or someone that does, you’re better off finding THCA crystalline.

Fortunately, more and more dispensaries are carrying the already extracted cannabinoid acid so you can just swallow it in a pill form instead.

Experts like Courtney believe THCA CBDA have stronger anti-inflammatory effects than THC or CBD. Other benefits include relieving symptoms of migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy and more. However, research on these benefits has been limited. One study illustrated the cannabinoid acids ability to reduce nausea and vomiting in rats.

Dabbing THCA Crystalline

If you’re a fan of cannabis’ psychoactive effects, you’re better off dabbing your isolated THCA. Unlike most other extracts, alone, THCA takes on the form of crystals and there is slim to no terpene content. That’s why high terpene extracts are reintroduced to the crystals to make “sauce.”

Terpenes help cannabinoids penetrate the blood-brain barrier and they can also influence how much THC is allowed to pass the barrier. They also provide the flavor and aroma of cannabis.

Is Crystalline Better than Other Concentrates?

When exposed to heat, crystalline is quite potent, though the body may not experience the full effect of this extract, as it lacks the terpenes found in flower and other concentrates. Terpenes help provide the unique flavors, aromas, and other effects of each high associated with different cultivars. Without these terpenes, crystalline isn’t able to provide the same health benefits attributed to the entourage effect. 

Terpene removal is part of the crystalline production process and the resulting cannabinoids in the final product are the same, regardless of the starting plant material. For example, if a crystalline manufacturer used Durban Poison cultivar for one batch of THCA crystals, and Northern Lights cultivar for a separate batch of THCA crystals, the final products would produce the same effects. The isolated THCA crystals from one strain are identical to those from another. Dispensaries won’t carry strain-specific crystals; they simply don’t exist because THC or CBD Crystalline has no terpenes to give each cultivar its unique characteristics.

How Can Crystalline be Used?

Crystalline can be ingested orally, either added to a recipe when making edibles, or dissolving in oil to create a tincture-like product. For homemade edibles, crystals can be dissolved in cooking oil or butter, and used as an ingredient in recipes. Olive oil and coconut oil are the most popular for dissolving crystal to make a tincture-like product.

Crystalline can be smoked, or dabbed, using a dab rig. A dab rig is a type of smoking apparatus, similar to a small water bong, that vaporizes heated crystalline to be inhaled in single, measured dosages. 

What is CBD Crystalline?

Dabbing CBDA or CBD Crystalline, the purest form of CBD-heavy concentrate, allows users to feel non-intoxicating effects quickly, but dabbing THCA will produce the intoxicating and psychoactive effects of THC, which may explain why they’re often thought of as “THC crystals.”

To dab CBD crystals, preheat a “nail” at one end of the dab rig using a handheld butane torch. Once the nail reaches the correct temperature, use the spoon-shaped end of a dabber to scoop and pour the appropriate dosage of crystalline on the nail. The crystals will instantly heat and vaporize on the heated nail. While inhaling the vapor through the mouthpiece end of the rig, place a cap on the nail to catch as much vapor as possible.

THCA crystalline can also be combined with other cannabis Concentrates, like live resin Shatter, to increase their potency. Mixing THC crystals with concentrates that have terpenes and other cannabinoids may aid the uptake of the THCA, CBDA, or CBD into the body.

How is Crystalline made?

WARNING: THE MANUFACTURING OF CRYSTALLINE SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED BY SKILLED PROFESSIONALS AS THE PROCESS CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND ILLEGAL IN MANY JURISDICTIONS.

Crystalline is produced from a cannabis extract. The starting material for THC crystal extraction can come from raw cannabis plants. Crystalline has a unique, subtle taste and smell, but it lacks the chemical compounds that give other cannabis Concentrates their aroma and flavor. 

A number of methods are used for making THC Crystalline, but the essential crystallization principles are the same. One way to understand the crystallization process is similar to the making of rock candy. Hot water is supersaturated with sugar, then as the water cools down, sugar crystals start to form on a string or stick. Hot water allows more sugar to dissolve than under room temperature. As the unstable sugar solution is removed from the heat and allowed to cool, sugar crystals start to precipitate out of solution and will eventually begin to form on the stick. The THC crystal formation will grow over time until the final product is successfully achieved. 

The production of cannabis crystalline is essentially the process of mixing a refined cannabis concentrate with a solvent, then applying specific heat and pressure conditions to evaporate the solvent, allowing crystals to form. For example, if THCA crystalline is being produced, any THCA will precipitate, or separate, out of the solution. Under the right temperature and pressure conditions, the THCA will chemically bond to other THCA molecules, forming crystalline structures.