If you are not experienced with the jargon that goes with all of the details within the CBD industry, things can get a little confusing when you are shopping around for great products. For example, what exactly is full-spectrum CBD? Although millions of people search for it and are interested in it, only a small percentage of them actually know what it is. We have written this article in order to hopefully shed some light on the topic of the different spectrums of hemp extracts. Keep reading, and you may get a much clearer perspective about what you are putting into your body.
The CBD Confusion
Sometimes the way things are worded in the market world, people can get a bit confused about the items that they are looking at. In the instance of full-spectrum CBD, the whole idea of CBD can become askew. See, CBD is a cannabinoid that is present in the hemp plant. Both CBD and THC can both be found in the family of plants that belong to the cannabis genus. CBD and THC are cannabinoids. Neither one of these compounds can possibly contain the other. CBD is one thing, and THC is another. A full-spectrum CBD product is actually a full-spectrum hemp extract that contains the full spectrum of the hemp plant. Full-spectrum CBD in itself does not exist.
Hemp Extracts in General
A hemp extract is the same thing as an essential oil. Where you can purchase different types of essential oils from a plethora of plants such as lavender and rose, a hemp extract is the essential oil of hemp. The spectrum of the extract is what will determine the continents of the extract.
The Hemp Plant
The hemp plant, as we mentioned earlier, is a descendant of the cannabis plant. Cannabis has a long history in the roots of society, and through the ages has been crossbred, re-bred, and modified in order to produce the Cannabis Sativa plant that we are all familiar with today. What makes hemp different than regular cannabis is that there is a very low concentration of THC in the plant. Hemp farmers wanted to create a cannabis strain that could deliver the benefits that hemp has to offer without becoming a legal nuisance. After years of debate and conflict, the United States government finally agreed to allow industrial hemp plants to be grown legally for the purpose of producing hemp products.
Full-Spectrum Extracts
Now that you have a better understanding of what CBD is and how it relates to the hemp plant, we can dive a little deeper into the explanation of a full-spectrum extract. Basically, a full-spectrum extract is an extract that contains the full spectrum of the hemp plant. Since the hemp plant has a multitude of different compounds that make up the nature of the plant, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids the end result of a full-spectrum product is to include all of the cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes that are available in the hemp plant. This includes THC.
The CBD Tincture
There are several methods of extraction, but the way that a tincture is created is by pulling the essential hemp oil from the hemp solid into a solvent that will carry the extracted oil. Generally, when the oil is extracted from the plant by way of a solvent, it is considered a tincture. When the oil is extracted by way of another oil, it is known as a CBD oil product. The same rules come into effect with an oil extract and a tincture extract. The full-spectrum extract contains THC, however, if it is a broad-spectrum extract, the THC is left out, but the rest of the compounds are still intact.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it all depends on your needs as to whether or not you want a full-spectrum tincture or a broad spectrum tincture. Full-spectrum CBD simply means that you have a CBD product that contains the full spectrum of the hemp plant, THC, and all.