Are CBD And Hemp Oil The Same?
Are CBD And Hemp Oil The Same?
Are CBD and hemp oil the same? It can get a little confusing as a number of products on the market have CBD, but some are clearly labeled as being hemp and others are not.
What gives? What's the difference?
Let's go ahead and explain that. The quick version is that most hemp oil contains CBD, such as hemp oil tinctures and CBD capsules, but not all CBD is derived from hemp.
There is a caveat, be weary of companies selling hemp seed oil as CBD oil. Although hemp seed oil has its own set of benefits, it is not CBD oil. CBD oil comes from the hemp flower itself. If you are questioning the amount of CBD in a product you should request a Certificate of Analysis from the company. Any reputable company will be able to provide this which shows exactly what is in the product. Hemp seed oil will not come with a Certificate of Analysis.
The longer version? It goes something like this.
CBD Is A Compound Found In Certain Plants, Including Hemp
CBD Compound In Hemp
Cannabidiol, referred to shorthand as CBD, is a compound found in a number of plants, specifically those belonging to the cannabis genera. As you might have imagined, yes, that includes cannabis sativa and indica otherwise known as marijuana.
Granted, the entire cannabis family of plants is actually very broad, as these plants are also related to other plants such as elm, hackberries and hops, the flowering plants used to flavor beer.
In case you're curious, hops do contain some trace amounts of CBD, though drastically less than the amount contained in cannabis plants, as the two plant species are actually closely related. That said, there are some labs that are growing CBD-rich hops right now...so CBD beer might be on tap in the future!
Anyhow, cannabidiol is just one of many compounds found in these plants, along with thousands of other compounds. It is found in both hemp AND marijuana.
What's The Difference Between Hemp And Marijuana
Hemp Plant
The primary difference between hemp and marijuana is that the latter plant contains a much higher amount of tetrahydrocannabinols, a family of hydrocarbons that are only produced in certain strains of cannabis plants.
Marijuana
This is the substance that governments are concerned about, as THC is psychoactive, meaning that it interacts with your brain and produces intoxicating effects and allegedly also the munchies.
Hemp plants contain very small amounts, but marijuana plants contain significant amounts. Other than that, the two plants are rather similar.
Think of it kind of like types of apples. A Red Delicious is very smooth and sweet, but, say, a Granny Smith is a bit more "crisp," with a much sharper, tart taste to go with the sweetness. Among other differences, Granny Smith apples contain a bit more acid, which gives them their characteristic tart flavor. In the broad strokes, they come from the same plant - an apple tree - but the composition of the fruit differs enough to produce that difference in flavor.
Much the same, marijuana and hemp are basically the same plant, but the marijuana cultivars contain far higher amounts of THC, whereas hemp - the "Red Delicious" of the cannabis family - has almost none.
However, both marijuana AND hemp contain cannabidiol. In fact, growers are inventing new strains of marijuana with much higher amounts of CBD for the medical cannabis industry.
What does that mean when it comes to CBD tinctures? Does that mean it could contain THC?
Hemp Oil Contains CBD, But Not All CBD Oil Is Hemp Based
So, some CBD oil is in fact hemp oil. It's extracted from hemp plants ONLY. If you are looking for CBD oil that does not contain any THC, that is the product you want to look for.
Some CBD oils are a blend of hemp oil and CBD oil extracted from marijuana plants. This contains some THC. And then some CBD oils are marijuana tinctures, sourced wholly from marijuana plants.
Both plants contain CBD, but hemp - again - contains trace amounts of THC as the legal limit is 0.3%.
To sum up, hemp oil is CBD oil that's extracted entirely from the hemp plant, which is a cultivar of the cannabis plant that contains very little THC content. However, not all CBD oil is hemp-based oil. Make sure that you understand which product is right for you and your lifestyle, and choose accordingly.