What is CBD?

Is CBD the same as cannabis?

CBD is one of 104 chemical compounds, known as cannabinoids, that can be found in the cannabis plant. It’s a naturally occurring substance, which can be extracted and mixed with a carrier oil – often hemp seed or coconut – to create CBD oil.

Unlike the most well-known cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC), CBD is not psychoactive, meaning that it won’t make you ‘high’ – the sensation most commonly associated with cannabis. It is, however, reported to offer a range of health and medicinal benefits – the reason behind its growing acclaim.

How Does It Work?

The human body contains a specialized system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is involved in regulating a variety of functions including sleep, appetite, pain and immune system response.

The body produces endocannabinoids, which are neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors in your nervous system.

Studies have shown that CBD may help reduce chronic pain by impacting endocannabinoid receptor activity, reducing inflammation and interacting with neurotransmitters.

CBD is also known to help reduce anxiety and insomnia. Below is a calculator that will help you when determining the type and amount of CBD you should use.


What color is your CBD?

Here are three of the major types of CBD oil you might encounter:

  • Raw
  • Decarboxylated
  • Filtered

These three types of CBD oil are common throughout the market of CBD oil, and learning the differences can make for a better CBD oil experience. Let's take a closer look at each of these three types of CBD oil in detail.


Raw

Raw CBD oil is exactly what it sounds like: raw. It has not been processed any further than its original extraction, and will contain other compounds such as microscopically small plant material, lipids or fats, chlorophyll, and terpenes, among other things, as it has not been filtered. The color of this oil will usually be dark green to black and have a thick consistency. Raw CBD oil will usually be the product of choice for people looking to benefit from the use of the entire hemp plant and not necessarily just cannabidiol. Raw CBD oil still has the ability to have multiple percentages of CBD.

Decarboxylated

This oil is commonly bought by people who are making their own CBD edibles and have moderate anxiety problems as well as insomnia, arthritis, and migraines. This oil is similar to raw CBD oil, except that it has been decarboxylated. The process of decarboxylation is seen as a way to increase the strength or effectiveness of the CBD oil and offers a faster reaction once it is in your body. According to Wikipedia:

“Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain." Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decarboxylation

You can think of decarboxylated CBD oil as getting more bang per mg of CBD. Basically, decarboxylation will turn CBDa into CBD, which is a non-acid molecule that will better fit your CBD receptors and be more active within your body. Decarboxylation is commonly described as activating the CBD, which can leave the impression that CBD that has not been decarboxylated will not have benefits because it is not active, but this is not the case. Undecarboxylated CBD oil will simply be received less easily by your body than decarboxylated CBD. The decarboxylated form of CBD oil will typically be dark green to black with a thick consistency at room temperature. Decarboxylated CBD oil has tended to be middle priced CBD oil as it is processed more than raw oil but is not filtered like the gold oils.

Filtered

This CBD oil the most purchased CBD oil for everything from mild anxiety to much worse situations. Gold is commonly the title of choice by CBD oil manufacturers for their filtered gold-colored CBD oil and usually represents their highest concentration CBD product. The filtered or gold varieties will typically be decarboxylated as well as being filtered to remove the smaller plant constituents such as chlorophyll, lipids, and other non-CBD plant parts.

(discovercbd.com)



Which one is right for me?

When you are buying a CBD oil, you need to determine how significant your symptoms are. If you have low to moderate anxiety, pain, sleeplessness, etc, then you will want to start with a lower dose of CBD oil. If you have moderate to severe symptoms, you may want to start with a higher dose of CBD.

You may also want to consider what type of CBD Oil you will need.

Full Spectrum

Full spectrum products are by far the most popular. With full spectrum CBD oil products, you have the advantage of something called the “entourage effect.” This is where all the cannabinoids and terpenes are working together in synergy, something that broad spectrum and isolate products will lack.

Those subject to drug testing should be cautious when it comes to full spectrum products. The THC found in full spectrum hemp oil products is minimal (less than 0.3%), but can still trigger a positive drug test.

Broad Spectrum

Broad spectrum products contain an array of cannabinoids and terpenes but zero THC based on the manufacturer's lab testing. Third party lab reports that are readily available from reputable companies can tell you which cannabinoids and terpenes are in the product and at what levels.

These products have often gone through additional processing to try to isolate and remove as much THC as possible while still maintaining the other cannabinoids and terpenes. In other cases, they are isolate-based with additional cannabinoids and terpenes added in.

Isolates

Isolates are typically the CBD oil product of choice for those who get drug tested or are sensitive to other cannabinoids such as THC. Products labeled as isolates will generally be highlighted as being 99+% "pure CBD." Usually, these products will have nothing but CBD in them because the CBD has literally been isolated from everything else.