CBD’s public presence has skyrocketed in recent times. It was once a fringe kind of cannabinoid that only experienced smokers knew about. Now, it’s evolved into a $22 billion industry, and as more people open up; to using cannabis products, it can only grow.
Yet, not everyone is an experienced smoker with an in-depth knowledge of the complex cannabinoid. It can seem like it takes years of study to know the complete difference between full spectrum CBD vs CBD isolate. It can take even more effort to know which kind of CBD is right for you.
It’s easy for average users to feel lost in their local CBD distillery, and that may scare people off from using CBD. Yet, there’s no reason be intimidated by CBD. It’s a revolutionary kind of product that is improving the lives of everyone who uses it.
To learn why, and to learn which kind of CBD is right for you without needing to spend years studying it, just keep reading below!
CBD Is a Cannabinoid, no Matter What Kind It Is
The most important thing to remember about CBD is that it comes from the same plant as marijuana. It’s a cannabinoid, which means that it contains certain kinds of chemicals that behave similarly to marijuana. These kinds of chemicals produce temporary changes in the way a person’s nervous system functions.
The changes can include an altered mood; people usually feel more relaxed and calm after using any kind of cannabinoid. These chemicals can also treat basic ailments, like soreness or basic swelling. For experienced smokers, CBD can also help relieve an intense high from traditional marijuana.
Average people can have the health benefits of using marijuana, without ever actually smoking it. Yet, CBD is still classified similarly to marijuana, and it’s important that users remember that. Keep reading below to learn about what CBD is, and how it can help you!
CBD Can Interact with Medicines like Marijuana
Before you buy your first bottle of CBD oil, you should know that cannabinoids can interact with medicines, just like with any kind of chemical. You’re not supposed to take medicine with alcohol because it will change how medicine impacts your body. You may want to avoid CBD while taking medications for the same reasons.
CBD suppresses the production and effectiveness of an enzyme in your body, P450. This is the enzyme most medicines usually rely on to be broken down and released into your body. Without it, you may never get the full benefits of your medicine, since it can’t be completely broken down.
You can read more about interactions between CBD and usual medications online. Just remember that even though it can change how traditional medications impact your body, CBD also won’t hurt you by itself!
CBD Is Not THC
Some people may confuse the effects of CBD with the effects of marijuana just because they’re both cannabinoids. Yet, it’s important to remember that these are completely different chemicals, and interact with your body in different ways.
The active chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC. This the chemical responsible for giving people the experience of being high. It can prevent people’s short-term memory from functioning normally and usually makes people relaxed, sensitive, and even euphoric.
CBD by itself simply does not have those effects. Instead, people can use it to treat basic ailments while going about their usual lives. Since there’s no THC in CBD, there’s nothing to get high from!
Choosing Full Spectrum CBD vs CBD Isolate Isn’t Just Preference
When you go into a CBD dispensary, they will ask you if you want to purchase some full-spectrum CBD or if you want CBD isolate. It can seem like you need a degree in chemistry to fully understand what they’re asking you. That’s not true though, and the differences are simple to understand.
Just because the differences are easy to understand doesn’t mean that they aren’t totally different products, though. Keep reading below to learn why.
The Kind of CBD Can Change How You Take it
The biggest difference between full spectrum CBD and CBD isolate is how you administer it. Full spectrum CBD almost always comes in the form of oil, which you can add it to food or into other products. You can even apply CBD oil into tinctures, so you can rub it on yourself like a lotion!
Yet, CBD isolate only sometimes comes as an oil. It’s more common to find CBD isolate as a white powder. It comes like this because CBD isolate is processed in a lab, where CBD is isolated from other chemicals — hence the name. Most people choose to vape CBD isolate, yet you can also add it oil with some extra steps.
Full Spectrum CBD Can Contain Trace THC
Since CBD isolate is developed in a lab, it’s almost guaranteed to only have CBD in it. In fact, CBD isolate is usually made from the plant with the lowest concentration of other chemicals: hemp. Yet, full spectrum CBD is different.
Full spectrum CBD can contain other chemicals other than CBD as a result of the way it’s made. This kind of CBD is basically made the same way every other kind of oil is made. That means that any other kind of chemical present in the plant used to make CBD oil will also be present.
Yet, that doesn’t mean that you’re buying THC oil when you buy full spectrum CBD oil. Not only can there be other cannabinoids present in it, other than THC or CBD. By law, there can only be a limited amount of THC in full spectrum CBD oil.
Those different chemicals can also work with each other to boost each other’s effects. Full spectrum CBD oil can be more effective than CBD isolate, but full spectrum CBD may not also be exclusively CBD.
CBD Can Improve Your Life, Whatever Kind It Is
Deciding to take CBD is a big choice. It’s a commitment to treating your problems yourself, and to experiment with something that was traditionally illegal. Yet, you can’t just walk into a CBD dispensary and ask for some CBD.
You need to know the difference between full spectrum CBD vs CBD isolate, for starters. Yet, that’s just the start of what you should research before deciding which kind of CBD is right for you. And to learn more about CBD, so that you can make an informed decision, just keep reading here!
