CBD from Hemp vs CBD from Marijuana

Talk About It Tuesday Blog Series:  CBD from Hemp vs CBD from Marijuana 

One of the biggest areas of confusion today regarding CBD today is what the difference is between CBD extracted from hemp, and CBD extracted from marijuana.  Is CBD just CBD no matter where it comes from?  Is one better than the other?  What about for certain ailments?  My goal in this post is to break down some of those barriers of confusion so people can make better informed decisions when choosing CBD.

Potency

One of the misconceptions about CBD extracted from hemp is that it is less potent than CBD from marijuana.  This is just not true.  While it is true that the percentage of CBD from hemp is lower in general than the percentage of CBD from marijuana, its not as if those exact amounts of CBD are extracted from each plant and bottled.  All it really means is that it takes more hemp than marijuana to make the same amount of CBD.  It says nothing about the CBD itself!  100mg’s of CBD from hemp is identical to 100 mg’s of CBD from marijuana.  At the most basic molecular level, CBD from hemp is the same as CBD from marijuana, the difference is simply the quantity each type of plant naturally produces.

Growing and Cultivation

More important than the plant origin of the CBD, however, are the growing methods used to grow the plant that produces the CBD.  The Cannabis plant, including both hemp and marijuana varieties, is a bio-accumulator, meaning it absorbs and collects contaminants from the environment as it grows.  So a marijuana plant with high levels of CBD that is grown using dangerous fertilizers and herbicides, will produce an unhealthy plant that will absorb those toxins which can then be passed on during the CBD extraction process.  This is CBD you do not want to use regardless of the high CBD levels.  Historically, marijuana cultivation has used many of these toxins in the grow process when it was illegal and in the early days of legalization when regulations were in their infancy.  This is why the growing and cultivation process is so important to creating a quality CBD oil and awareness of the process is a measure of protection for youself as a consumer. And its why at Golden Legacy, all our CBD products are organic, non-gmo and never grown using pesticides.  The oil is only as good as the soil!

Role of THC

Another misconception between CBD from hemp and CBD from marijuana is that THC needs to be included with CBD for the CBD to have the desired benefits.  Again, this is also not true do to something called the entourage effect.  The entourage effect is a term used to describe the enhanced therapeutic effects from CBD because it is combined with other cannabinoid compounds and terpenes found naturally in the hemp plant.  This is analogous to vitamins and minerals being more effective when taken in their natural state via a healthy diet than when taken as a stand-alone supplement.  Will you still receive some benefits taking a multivitamin?  Yes, but reaching into my health coaching bag here, taking those same vitamins by consuming the foods that contain them is always the most beneficial due to better nutrient absorption, because your body was designed to get all its nutrients from real food.  This is how it is with the entourage effect.  The many other cannabinoid compounds found in lesser concentrations work together with the CBD to enhance the overall effect.  Can it also work with higher levels of THC from marijuana plants?  Sure, but at higher THC levels you increase the psychoactive effects THC is known for which many people are trying to avoid when taking CBD.  CBD with zero THC is just as effective when used in a broad spectrum (containing the additional naturally occurring cannabinoid compounds) product which is what we offer at Golden Legacy.