How is THCP Made and is It Really “Natural” or “Synthetic”?

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THC-P) is one of the most talked-about cannabinoids to ever debut on the hemp market, largely thanks to its impressive potency – about 10x that of delta 9 THC. In fact, THC-P has found its way into vapes, gummies, tinctures, dabs – you name it. However, the question on a lot of new hemp users’ minds especially is this: “where does it actually come from, and is it natural or synthetic?” It’s a good question, and luckily for you, we are going to walk you through the process as it pertains to making THC-P products, putting to rest any concerns you might have about the nature of this cannabinoid.

Where Does THC-P Come from?

Tetrahydrocannabiphorol is a naturally occurring cannabinoid that is present in cannabis – both in hemp and marijuana. It’s also a trace compound, meaning that there’s an extremely, extremely low amount of it – roughly 0.1%, or even less than that.

Now, tetrahydrocannabiphorol was only discovered in 2019, and what we know about it is, since it has 7 carbon atoms on its side chain, THC-P’s extremely good at attaching to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, known as CB1 receptors. Because of this, THC-P gets us higher than any other in cannabis. And, like we said in the beginning, THC-P is about 10x as intoxicating as delta 9 THC.

Making THC-P: It Starts with Hemp

THC-P products all begin with the industrial hemp plant, grown throughout the United States by farmers who know exactly what environmental conditions will allow the plant to thrive, and develop its stunning array of cannabinoids and terpenes within its flowering buds. All THC-P products that’re sold on the marketplace are derived from hemp, because hemp, unlike marijuana, is a federally legal plant thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill.

Ideally, hemp manufacturers work with farmers who grow their hemp organically. How come they chose to go this route? Well, because nobody wants to be consuming pesticides and other environmental toxins when they take their THC-P products.

What’s the Deal with THC-P Distillate?

Here’s where things get interesting – tetrahydrocannabiphorol can, technically, be extracted directly out of the hemp plant, and used for all kinds of products. But, there’s a problem. Like we mentioned, THC-P is an extremely trace compound in the plant’s chemical composition. Meaning, to extract a significant amount of the cannabinoid – enough to, say, infuse into a batch of gummies – would be extremely inefficient in terms of cost and labor. Think about how many industrial hemp plants you would need to create just a gram of pure THC-P, compared to cannabidiol (CBD), which can make up 25% of the plant.

So, there is an alternative method called, “isomerization”. All cannabinoids are isomers of one another, which means that they share an identical molecular composition, only these molecules are arranged in different ways. The reason why all cannabinoids are isomers of one another is because they’re all derived from CBG – aka cannabigerol, nicknamed the “mother cannabinoid” because it’s the only cannabinoid in cannabis until the plant matures. As hemp matures, CBG splits off into the 100+ individual cannabinoids that we associate with the plant.

What this means is that we can take CBD, a cannabinoid that’s naturally abundant in the plant, and rearrange its molecules to turn it into THC-P. The first step is making CBD distillate, which is a purified CBD extract. This is done by applying distilled steam to the full-spectrum hemp extract, using different temperatures and pressure levels that each evaporate a compound that isn’t CBD. Basically, after a while, all that you have left is pure cannabidiol extract. From there, chemists rearrange CBD’s molecular structure so that it matches that of THC-P.

Question: Is THC-P Natural or Synthetic Then?

There has been concerns in recent years about synthetic cannabis products hitting the market, so you’re probably wondering if THC-P is considered a synthetic compound or not. This is where things get complicated – it really depends on your definition of “synthetic”. Tetrahydrocannabiphorol is, again, a naturally occurring cannabinoid found in cannabis, so the compound itself wasn’t invented in a lab, like, say, THC-O. And, now you know that THC-P is made by rearranging CBD’s molecules, so THC-P is produced from a natural compound, without any chemicals added to it.

According to our own definition, THC-P is not synthetic, due to being 100% naturally derived, and thus, nothing has been added to it to change its chemical makeup. The THC-P extract found in products is simply cannabidiol that’s been chemically modified using tried-and-true methods.

Why are Some THC-P is Better Than Others?

Of course, one thing you need to be aware of is that not all companies are being honest about the THC-P that’s in their formulas. There is always the risk of a company that is using sketchy practices to produce tetrahydrocannabiphorol – or putting something in their product that isn’t actually THC-P at all.

So, how do you know what you’re getting? Ideally, a company will be honest on their website about how they make their THC-P. But, the best thing you can do is look at third-party lab reports, which should be provided by the manufacturer on their website. This document comes from an unbiased, licensed laboratory, and shows critical information about what’s inside. Here, you will find out the purity of the THC-P distillate, how much is in the product, and what other compounds, hemp-derived or otherwise, are present in that distillate. It’s all crucial info, as it will reveal whether or not the THC-P is authentic, and of course, derived from hemp.

Pure, Amazing, and Simply Effective THC-P Can Be Found at The Calm Leaf!

The Calm Leaf carries authentic, hemp-derived THC-P in every product that we carry. How do we know? We work strictly with the most trusted names in the business, and only carry products that have undergone extensive third-party testing, to ensure the best of the best for our customers.

As you explore our awesome THC-P selection, get treated to highly effective THC-P, thanks to the exceptional purity levels of the distillates in each formula. Again, tetrahydrocannabiphorol is a naturally occurring cannabinoid in hemp, manufactured by simply rearranging CBD’s molecules, so it’s a cannabinoid that you can feel good about incorporating into your cannabis routine.