What on earth is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol. This is a compound found in cannabis which comes from drying hemp leaves and flowers. In case you were wondering, CBD does not make you “high” as it comes from hemp, not marijuana. Hemp, as mandated through the Farm Bill, is only allowed to contain trace amounts (<0.3%) of the psychoactive compound called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and a dosage multiple times higher than allowed or provided by us is required for that effect.
You may be wondering, “Is CBD legal?” Well, hemp and hemp-derived products indeed became legal following the 2018 Federal Farm Bill in the United States. Now people around the U.S. can enjoy the benefits of hemp and hemp-derived products, as long as the product contains less than 0.3% THC.
The history of CBD
CBD products have gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years, but its origins date back hundreds to thousands of years. Evidence of hemp cloth has been found dating back to 8,000 B.C. in Mesopotamia and the Emperor Shen Neng of China prescribed hemp, or marijuana, tea for different ailments as early as circa 2700 B.C. He realized the healing properties of the cannabis plant and it is still a remedy in Chinese herbal medicine today. In India, cannabis continues to be used as part of traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Practitioners use this for promoting sleep and relieving pain, among other things.
CBD LEGALITY BY STATE
While hemp derived CBD products are legal in all fifty states, we know the legality of CBD oil can be confusing. Please do your own research as it pertains to your own state or Click here for the latest legislation.
Hemp
Also referred to as industrial hemp, it is a type of Cannabis plant. The uses for this plant are wide from processing the fiber to produce textiles to building materials, paper all the way up to bio-plastics. Imagine a day when most of the plastic around us is made from plant based materials! Our main interests here though are more specifically related to other compounds in the plant and their extraction for use by people and pets.
The buzz these days largely centers around CBD, but it is in fact only one compound within the family of ‘cannabinoids’ produced by the hemp plant. The benefits and much of the research in previous years has been emphasized towards CBD, but more recent studies are beginning to show the benefits of a multitude of other cannabinoid compounds found within the plant… CBG, CBN, CBDv just to name a few. And not forgetting the <0.3% THC. As the years go by you will see us focusing on other cannabinoids in our effort to compliment CBD while we learn what can be the most effective in helping specific concerns.
Hemp vs Marijuana
So it’s complicated… at least the legal, history and science stuff can be. In the most simple term (and from the highly important legal standpoint), Hemp has limited THC (<0.3%) and Marijuana has much higher levels of THC (up to 30% in some cases). But that is also a simplified explanation to the further differences between these plants. A good analogy is like separating citrus plants into a grouping of sweet and sour. Though fairly easily done, it doesn’t truly represent the differences between the different species.
At its most basic the hemp plant will not bring on the psychotropic effects. From a legal standpoint ‘hemp derived CBD’ is legal, ‘marijuana derived CBD’ is not, even if there was 0% THC in the marijuana derived product.
Full Spectrum CBD
All of our products are considered full spectrum. For the sake of repetition (it helps us remember stuff) the hemp plant, from which we derive our CBD, also contains a plethora of other cannabinoids as well as terpenes, essential vitamins, fatty acids and proteins to name a few. By utilizing our solventless extraction process, we don’t lose any of these compounds and their natural bonds together which increase the effectiveness of the entourage effect. In its most honest sense… full spectrum is better.
Why Full Spectrum?
There are many other extraction methods for hemp. Most of them require high levels of chemicals such as ethanol to extract the targeted cannabinoid and isolate them into a “pure” form. Science has reported that the benefits of Full Spectrum extracts have far more attributes than isolated or distilled cannabinoids. Here is a 2015 research paper that talks about this. The entourage effect is a powerful thing! Also, let’s save the ethanol additive for the car. And if we’re totally honest it seems that ethanol isn’t particularly good for the engine either.
Further Reading.....
Project CBD is a non-profit resource that we have found very useful for providing up to date information and one that we highly recommend. We often link to their site and we suggest them for exploring into further education...just promise to come back here for all your CBD purchases.