If you ever log on to any online shop or visit a cannabis dispensary, you might spend some time wondering which product is best for you. This confusion is due to the various terms that are used to describe products and the different cannabinoids that are present in them. You may decide to go back and return after some research, but that can also be a futile practice! Incomplete information can be misleading, and that is what you can find in abundance everywhere.
Cannabis, hemp, marijuana, and full spectrum, broad spectrum, and isolate CBD are words that appear in every article available on the Internet, but it will take ages for anyone to understand the difference in all these terms. So, what’s the solution? You have to find the right source and the right guide to explain the different types of CBD products and to understand what it is!
Definition: What is Full Spectrum CBD?
Full Spectrum is the CBD extracted from the whole plant. It includes the hemp as well as other parts of the plant. This type of CBD contains many cannabinoids, terpenes, fatty acids and flavonoids that are present in the plant.
Full Spectrum CBD Explained By Leaf of Alkaloids
As we mentioned earlier, CBD is extracted from hemp. However, this is the common practice and CBD is present in all parts of the cannabis plant. This fact means that hemp CBD is from the hemp plant, while cannabis CBD is from the other parts of the plant. Due to the positive impact of cannabidiol, users prefer CBD supplements to combat health issues. It is not psychoactive like THC, which means that your daily routine and lifestyle does not suffer. Hemp CBD is typical since the amount of cannabinoid CBD is higher in hemp.
Full spectrum CBD has all these qualities and is packed with other beneficial components of the cannabis plant. The marijuana part of cannabis is full of cannabinol (CBN) Cannabigerol (CBG) and Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).
The full spectrum also means that this type of CBD products also has trace amounts of THC. This amount does not make users feel sleepy or lazy but add to the pain killing effect. This kind of CBD is more popular since users can deal with numerous health problems such as chronic pain, epilepsy, anxiety and even lack of motivation.
All the cannabinoids have a lot of benefits and affect the body positively. However, CBD has the most benefits. Even so, the presence of other cannabinoids in your CBD product can have multiple effects that you will love!
Methods of Extracting Full Spectrum CBD
Cannabis is an herbaceous plant that has three main types, the Indica, Sativa, and Ruderalis. From these three types, cultivators have created hundreds of hybrid plants that focus on improving different disorders through the unique genetic set-up that they possess.
The cannabis plant has the hemp, which is a part of the plant that is rich in cannabinoids. Just like hemp, the other part is marijuana. The plant has a lot of naturally occurring compounds called cannabinoids.
The typical kinds of cannabinoids are CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The THC may make you feel relaxed and sleepy, while CBD makes you feel alert and energized.
The hemp plant has terpenes as well. These are the compounds that determine the aroma that in turn effects users in many ways. All the different types of cannabis plants have various effects on users, and the simple way to understand each strain is by knowing what it contains.
The process of obtaining CBD involves extraction using different methods. Once the CBD is collected, it is processed into various products to help users improve their health and way of living.
The best method of extracting CBD from the cannabis plant is the CO2 method. Since CBD is obtained from the leaves and stalk, this way of capturing the oil is most useful since there is no chemical used in this process. This method involves the use of temperature low pressure, which may be slow, but the end product is worth the effort!
The subcritical CO2 method uses low temperature and high pressure to extract CBD and other compounds. The extracted CBD is pure and full of terpenes and other cannabinoids. This method ensures the best form of CBD, which is the Full Spectrum CBD.
The supercritical method of CBD extraction involves high temperature and low pressure, which can burn out a lot of terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids.
Is Full Spectrum CBD More Effective?
The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology studied CBD in detail to see that if patients used in a purified form, which means CBD exclusively and not from the whole plant, a bell-shaped response was created. This observation implies that the higher the dose, the better the reaction but to a certain extent. After the optimum dosage, the result starts to reduce. This reaction was enough to deduce that purified CBD was suitable for clinical use but is it as good as Full Spectrum CBD?
This study shows that the cannabis plant has several cannabinoids that have a positive effect on users. The THC is also potent and can help eliminate disorders like insomnia and anxiety.
So the study aimed to see if purified CBD was better or Full Spectrum CBD. The results showed that the mice on Full Spectrum CBD recovered better from their disorders.
The study also showed that the increase in dosage of Full Spectrum CBD, the results also improved but with the purified CBD products, results improved till a specific dose and then reduced. This inference proves that the purified CBD has a bell-shaped performance graph.
Effects of Full Spectrum CBD
For centuries, cannabis helped with dealing with inflammation and pain. Now that there is a lot of research done, we know that various cannabinoids and terpenes affect users in positive ways.
Full Spectrum CBD may be most effective, but in some medication, purified CBD is also beneficial.
Full Spectrum CBD combines other cannabinoids and terpenes, which are not present in purified CBD. However, you choose to use this effective natural supplement, the Full Spectrum CBD products help with the following:
- Reducing inflammation
- As an opioid to relieve pain
- Combat diabetes
- Neurodegenerative disease
- Reduce epilepsy seizures
- Acne
- ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Addiction to drugs
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Endocrine disorders
- Cancer
- Heart diseases
- Mood disorder
- Sleep disorders
- Stress
What is the Color of Full Spectrum CBD?
Have you ever gone to a dispensary and seen CBD products of different colors? Did you get confused by just seeing the various shades of the products that are all CBD oriented?
The more refined or processed a product is, the lighter is its color. For example, purified CBD may be of a lighter color since it passes through several ‘sieves’ and is the result of several filtration of the cannabis plant.
Full Spectrum Hemp oil is comparatively darker in intensity since the process is once! You may find the full spectrum extracts between dark green and brown color.
The finished products of this kind of CBD are usually brown, yellowish brown or slightly golden. This color difference is because most of the components of the plant are present in the magical bottle or jar of the product you choose.
What is Broad Spectrum CBD?
This kind of CBD is also very active but not as much as full spectrum due to the absence of THC. Some people may have heard of THC as the bad boy that causes drowsiness or relaxation of nerves. However, for several disorders THC along with CBD is very useful.
The Broad-Spectrum CBD has several terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids but it does not contain any THC.
This absence of THC is the main difference between the full spectrum and broad spectrum.
So, what is so wrong with THC that scientists researched and found the method of making broad spectrum CBD? Many states have laws that forbid cannabis due to THC and people living there would always prefer this kind of CBD products so that their consumption is legal.
Similarly, athletes and people who require alertness for their jobs would still prefer a dose of CBD without any traces of THC. It is important to mention that the method of absorption of CBD in the body remains the same whether you consume brad spectrum or full spectrum products. This method is the entourage effect.
What is Entourage Effect?
When the cannabinoids, terpenes and other components of the CBD supplements interact with the body to produce a result, it is the entourage effect. The productive results of CBD, when ingested is along with other essential components is what is called the entourage effect. In our body, there are cannabinoid receptors that convey the goodness of CBD.
The process of absorption and the following results that each see is how this amazing natural supplement works. The entourage effect of full spectrum CBD and broad-spectrum CBD is the same, except that you will not be getting any THC in the system!
Full Spectrum CBD and THC
Although CBD is allowed in more than 45 states of America, the supplement has some restrictions in many places. This restriction is due to the law that the THC level must be as low as 0.3%.
In case there is a higher amount of THC in the supplement, you may have to face some consequences! The CBD has tremendous benefits, and people want to gain from its goodness. This point is where the marijuana vs. hemp difference sets in.
If you use hemp oil CBD, the THC content is negligible. This is one of the reasons that many products use purified CBD even though the benefits and productivity of Full Spectrum CBD are more!
Why is Full Spectrum CBD Better than CBD Isolate?
CBD isolate is purified CBD. Whether this is as good as Full Spectrum CBD or not is what users want to understand.
Purified CBD may have several clinical uses due to its goodness and ability to eradicate physical and mental disorders. However, the full spectrum CBD is rich in several other compounds that help with better psychological and bodily functions.
You will find that the CBD isolate might not have any THC content, and that is the only reason many people think it is more suitable for them.
This thinking might not be right as Full Spectrum CBD contains the various cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids that users can take advantage of and feel healthier! You must have come across the term CBD isolate, but if you think that purified CBD may be superior to Full Spectrum CBD, you may be wrong.
Other than the CBD, the cannabis plant has a lot of other constituents that are good for the mind and body. If you want to gain some advantages to relieve your body and nervous system of different disorders, then Full Spectrum CBD is the right one for you!
| CBD type | Pros | Cons |
| Full Spectrum | Full benefit of cannabis plant. Not processed several times, which means it is closest to natural form. | May have slight sedation. THC may cause legal complications. May have a strong flavor or odor. |
| Broad Spectrum | Full benefit of cannabi and does not cause sedation. | Benefits of broad spectrum are still under study and not fully known. |
| Purified | Goodness of CBD. Users can feel the benefits of this cannabinoid while using purified CBD. | Missing out on the goodness of other cannabinoids, terpenes and THC. All these components have a lot of benefits that are not in the purified form of CBD. |
