budding_botanicals

Hemp CBD vs. Marijuana CBD

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 23:03:41 GMT

Is hemp weed? Simple answer: no.

But, we’re guessing you want to know a little more than that. Let’s go deeper. If you’re here, you’ve likely noticed a few terms relating to CBD usage, and might be wondering what they all mean. You’ve also probably started wondering whether organic CBD product is the same as hemp oil, and if not, what’s really the difference between the two?

Looking to learn more about hemp vs. cannabis vs. marijuana, and more? You’ve come to the right place… We’ll answer your questions and have you on the right track in no time.

BY DEFINITION: CANNABIS, MARIJUANA, HEMP

To truly understand the difference of marijuana CBD oil and hemp oil it’s important to get a few definitions out of the way. We’ll start at the top and work our way down.

CANNABIS: While the term is often used interchangeably with marijuana, that’s not quite accurate. Instead, cannabis – or Cannabis Sativa – is a species of plant that was originally found in Central Asia. Plants within the Cannabis species include both hemp and marijuana, each with similar and varying uses. Cannabis plants are widely cultivated for fibers, seeds, oils, leaves, juices, flowers and more.

MARIJUANA: Marijuana is a type of cannabis plant with numerous strains. Cultivated for thousands of years, with noted uses dating as far back as ancient Egypt, marijuana contains hundreds of compounds, 60 of which are unique to cannabis plants alone. These are called cannabinoids, including both THC and CBD. Unlike its counterpart – hemp, which we will cover shortly – marijuana is known for its high level – 25-30% in some cases – of THC. THC is the intoxicating component of traditional marijuana, responsible for the high that can be experienced from its ingestion or use. “CBD marijuana” or “CBD weed” are terms used to refer to cannabidiol extracted from marijuana plants. They are subjected to high levels of legal scrutiny in many states.

HEMP: CBD hemp oil refers to CBD extracted from the hemp plant, a subspecies of the cannabis sativa plant that is often cultivated for industrial use. When extracted from seeds of the hemp plant, the oil contains neither THC or CBD, and is considered a superfood or supplement, with little medicinal benefit. When sourced from other parts of the plant, the oil contains pure, high levels of CBD and other cannabinoids, but less than .03% THC.

HEMP OIL: Often, the plain term “hemp oil” is confused with “hemp CBD oil.” Plain hemp oil is derived from the seeds of the hemp plant, and contains very little CBD (unlike the oil harvested from other parts of the plant, which we’ll cover later). Plain “hemp oil” is considered more of a supplement than anything else, and does not provide all of the effects of “hemp CBD oil.”

LEGALITY AND LOOPHOLES: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE PURCHASING HEMP CBD OIL

To start to understand the legality behind CBD oil in its various forms, we must answer a single question: can hemp oil get you high?

Why this question? Because most laws relating to drug use in the United States start with whether or not a compound is intoxicating. Of course, there are exceptions to this. But to be as clear as possible, hemp oil and hemp CBD oil cannot get you high.

While the laws governing medical marijuana and CBD derived from the marijuana plant vary from state to state – CBD derived from hemp plants is legal in all 50 states.

It can be purchased in various formats and shipped into each state without breaking the law. This was solidified with the passage of the Farm Bill , signed by President Trump in December of 2018, allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp across the country.

Because of the ease in purchasing best CBD oil products , its lack of THC and its legal status, hemp CBD oil is often an excellent starting point for anyone interested in adding CBD to their routine.

Originally posted on CBD Central .

What Is CBD (Cannabidiol)?

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 22:57:13 GMT

CBD hemp oil is growing in popularity with good reason: it’s changing lives.

Whether you’ve heard something on the news, seen mention of it on television, or are simply searching for a natural alternative to treat an ongoing health condition or frustration, CBD oil has likely come to your attention. However, finding clear, reliable information on what is CBD, what it does, and whether it’s legal in the first place, has probably presented a challenge.

We’re here to change that. Read on for information on what CBD is, how it can be used, and whether it might be right for your specific needs.

Pressed for time? Check out the “What is CBD” intro video (2min)

CANNABINOIDS? CANNABIDIOL? LEARNING THE LANGUAGE

CBD – or cannabidiol – is a type of cannabinoid, a chemical that’s naturally found in cannabis plants, which is where concern generally starts to arise. Before going any further, it’s important to note that while CBD comes from cannabis, it doesn’t create a high, because on its own it cannot; that’s caused by another cannabinoid, THC, which we’ll get to later.

Instead, full-spectrum CBD hemp oil is derived from cannabis plants that produce over 400 different compounds. Some are unique to the plant while others are common in other species of plants as well. Sixty of them, however, are unique to cannabis plants. These sixty compounds are classified as cannabinoids; cannabidiol is one of them. It happens to be the second-most prevalent cannabinoid occurring in cannabis and is completely separate from THC.

The exciting part? CBD – one of the 400 naturally occurring compounds in cannabis plants – can be isolated and used for specific medicinal purposes without the common psychoactive affects commonly associated with recreational marijuana use.

For Definition's Sake

CANNABIS

Cannabis is a type of plant with different varieties, including marijuana plants and hemp plants. Until recently, it has been strongly associated with recreational marijuana use. These plants produce over 400 compounds, over sixty of which are unique to the plant and can be isolated for medicinal and other purposes.

CANNIBINOIDS

Cannabinoids are the active chemical compounds that are unique to cannabis plants. They are the active ingredients in various cannabis products that have positive effects.

CANNABIDIOL

Cannabidiol – or CBD – is a cannabinoid found in the seeds, stalks, and flowers of the cannabis plant. It occurs naturally and can be extracted, independent of other cannabinoids, in oil form.

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol – or THC – is the most commonly found cannabinoid in the cannabis plant. Known for its psychoactive effects, it is the compound responsible for the “high” produced by recreational and medical cannabis or marijuana.

Originally posted by CBD Central .

How To Buy CBD Oil: 5 Simple Steps

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 17:35:06 GMT

CBD is often misunderstood as a dietary supplement and many people don’t understand the differences between THC and CBD. Even if you do, pure CBD oil isn’t a guarantee due to the lack of government regulations on how it’s produced and sold.

TO FIND PURE CBD OIL, FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. UNDERSTAND THE BASICS OF CBD

There are two types of CBD oil – oil derived from hemp plants and oil derived from marijuana (which typically contains >0.3 percent THC).

HOW DOES CBD WORK?

There are lots of reasons to use CBD oil . From pain and inflammation relief to help with conditions like insomnia or ADHD, it’s one of the closest things we’ve found to a miracle drug.

But it’s important to know how CBD oil works in order to buy the best quality.

Basically, cannabidiol (CBD) binds with various receptors in your body to work its magic. For example, CBD has a strong affinity to fatty acid binding proteins (FABP) that are responsible for chaperoning lipids to the cell interior. This delays adenosine uptake in the cell which is responsible for inflammation. (Bisogno et al., 2001; de Mello Schier et al., 2014)

You don’t need to understand the science to get the takeaway: you’re putting something in your body that will affect your cells. Wouldn’t you only want the purest, highest-quality product if it’s basically becoming a part of you?

Another common question we get…

IS BUYING CBD ONLINE LEGAL?

Yes, buying CBD online is legal as long as it’s derived from industrial-produced hemp (not marijuana plants). All of our Budding Botanicals products are all use hemp-based CBD isolate.

However, there are no testing regulations for these products, so it’s very hard to know what you’re getting when you buy online. In fact, the FDA actually issued a warning for making false claims of effectiveness and medicinal benefits because so many illegitimate companies were selling fake products while claiming they were CBD oil. (1)

But that’s why we wrote this guide—to help you buy CBD oil online without worrying about scams or low-quality products. So, keep reading!

2. FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT/NEED

Now that you understand the basics, it’s time to determine what it is you’re looking for in a CBD product. Specifically, your purchase can be influenced by:

TASTE

If you’re consuming your CBD oil by eating it (edibles), taste is probably a factor. However, you can also taste tinctures and the vapor produced by e-liquids, if you decide to take those forms instead. For some, taste doesn’t matter. For others, it’s hugely important. That’s something only you can decide. But, there are a few things worth considering:

Pastes, concentrates, and other strong CBD products taste a lot like hemp, due to the high concentration of CBD. If you’ve never tasted it, it’s been described as “earthy” or “grassy” tasting. It’s somewhat similar to wheatgrass, if you’ve ever had that.

Vape oils, organic CBD tinctures , and edibles can have added flavors, like mint or vanilla. However, many of these are artificial or “natural” flavoring chemicals, so you may be adding something not everyone would want in their body.

If you don’t want to taste hemp at all, capsules or topical balms are alternative ways to take your CBD.

PRICE

When it comes to CBD, cheaper isn’t always better. While you can certainly find inexpensive CBD products online, many of them are impure or even complete rip-offs. However, expensive doesn’t mean quality. Some scammy companies increase their price to give the illusion of quality. More on how to determine if a company is legitimate or not in Step 4. Also, you shouldn’t go spending a lot of money on equipment until you’ve tested different types of CBD to find out which is your preferred consumption method. You may think you’d like to vape and purchase an expensive setup only to find you prefer tinctures or balms.

TIME TO KICK IN

Some people want quick relief, while others prefer a slow release that lasts longer. Maybe you’d like the option of either. For example, vaping your oil takes effect almost immediately, but the compound is processed by the body very quickly, so the effects usually don’t last longer than an hour or two. On the other hand, capsules and edibles take longer to kick in (20 minutes to 2 hours) because they are broken down in the stomach rather than passing directly into the bloodstream through the lungs. The effects last longer (4-6 hours), but are not quite as strong.

If you take CBD sublingually (under the tongue), the effects kick in within 20-40 minutes and last between 4-6 hours. If you apply topically, it takes up to an hour to feel the effects and lasts up to 5 hours. Which method you choose depends on what you’re looking for. It’s a good idea to have multiple options depending on your needs!

EASE OF USE

Some methods (taking a pill or applying a cream) are easier than others (buying a vaporizer, learning how to use it and buying the oil, cleaning it, etc.). That said, every method is pretty simple. For the easiest method, we recommend tinctures, since they are small, discreet, and you just need to place a drop or two under your tongue.

CONCENTRATION

Concentration is important because it shows the purity of the product and the type (raw vs filtered, etc.). It’s something you’ll definitely want to know. Concentration is measured in milligrams of CBD, which should always be clearly stated on the product label or packaging. What often confuses people is the “total volume” of CBD. Ignore that—you only want to pay attention to the MG. Knowing the MG of CBD in your supplements is also great for comparing products and prices.

Note that some manufacturers use percentages instead of milligrams. For example, if a container has 1000 milligrams of hemp oil and 100 milligrams of CBD, that would mean it has 10% CBD. Fortunately, most manufacturers are no longer using this method, which makes it easier to compare different products.

3. CHOOSE A PRODUCT TYPE

Now that you know everything you should consider when shopping for CBD oil, it’s time to choose a product type. Specifically, there are four main ways to take it:

Inhalation (smoking/vaping)
Topical application and balms
Sublingual (pastes & tinctures)
Ingestion (capsules & edibles)

We go into detail on each of these methods in a guide on how to take CBD oil , but basically, the type you choose depends on what you’re most comfortable with as well as the other factors we already discussed in the last step (mainly taste and immediacy of the effects).

The most simple and easy to use methods are tinctures or capsules.

4. FIND A REPUTABLE CBD COMPANY

As we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of scammy companies online selling fake or impure CBD products. While this is concerning, it’s fairly easy to tell when a company is illegitimate.

Here are the things to look for:

< 0.3 PERCENT THC: Legal CBD products contain less than 0.3 percent THC and are derived from hemp plants rather than marijuana plants. If their products contain more than 0.3 percent THC and you are not legally permitted to purchase THC, you should not buy from them.

CERTIFICATE OF ANALYSIS (COA): You should ask the company to verify their claims, and if you do, they should be able to send you a Certificate of Analysis (COA). A COA is a document created by a third-party testing facility that verifies a product’s components and concentration.

GMP CERTIFIED LOGO: GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practices. There are agencies who control the authorization and licensing for manufacturers to be able to legally sell organic CBD products , and the manufacturers have to go through them to get this logo. If they don’t have it, you should not buy from them.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS: Real customer reviews are one of the quickest and easiest ways to tell if a company is legitimate. However, because it’s so easy to create fake reviews, you should not rely on reviews alone to judge a company.

NO UNREASONABLE OR UNBACKED CLAIMS: CBD oil has many amazing qualities. However, it cannot cure cancer or many other major diseases or ailments. If a company is making unreasonable claims and doesn’t have the data or studies to prove it, consider it a red flag.

DOES THE COMPANY HAVE A PHONE NUMBER? DO THEY ANSWER IT? Another easy and quick way to tell if a company is legitimate is if they display a customer support number. If they do, just call the number and see if someone actually answers. If they do, this is a good time to ask questions, like “Can you provide a COA for your products?”

5. CHOOSE A COMPANY & BUY!

Now you’re ready to buy CBD oil ! Here’s a quick recap on all the steps we’ve covered:

UNDERSTAND THE BASICS OF CBD. Know that CBD works by binding to receptors in your body and there are different versions of CBD depending on how processed it is.
FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT. Do you care more about price, taste, ease of use, or immediacy of effects? Take each into account.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PRODUCT TYPE. CBD tinctures, vapes, CBD isolate capsules , etc. are available to you. Choose the one that acts as fast as you’d like!
FIND A REPUTABLE COMPANY TO BUY FROM. Never trust a company at face value. At the very least, call them and ask for a CoA, and check their customer reviews.
BUY YOUR CBD OIL! You’ve done your due diligence and can be confident what you’re putting in your body is high-quality. Great job!

Article originally published on CBD Central