Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions regarding CBD oil and other hemp extracts is the assumption that both are mutually synonymous. It’s easy to see how the confusion came to be. After all, CBD oildoes come from the same variety of cannabis, which is hemp. However, there are some pretty big differences between CBD oil and hemp oil, and it’s important to know these so that you can better determine which particular extract you should be taking.
Here’s what you need to know:
BENEFITS: Medicine VersusSuperfood
Hemp oil and CBD oil are both highly beneficial for the human body. However, they do have vastly different effects. Hempseeds contain low amounts of saturated fat and are known to promote healthier hair, supple skin, and increased weight loss. Because of this, hempseeds are considered an anti-aging agent and a superfood, and are more geared towards the Health & Beauty Industry than anywhere else.
CBD oil, on the other end, lacks all the psychoactive effects of THC. In fact, cannabidiol is believed to counteract THC to a degree, which makes it a potential novel treatment that can negate the side-effects of recreational marijuana. It is also capable of replicating the level of calmness that THC induces without the harmful, euphoric ‘high’ that comes with it.
Basically, hemp oil is for health, beauty, and anti-aging therapy. CBD oil is more medicinal.
EXCTRACTION: Parts of the Plant
CBD Oil.What differentiates CBD oil from other hemp extracts—such as hemp oil and hempseed oil—is that it is taken from the stalks, leaves, and buds of the hemp plant. This CBD-rich emollient can be tricky to obtain, however, and not all retrieval methods for it are risk-free.
For instance, the solvent-based method requires the extractor to push alcohol, hexane, butane or other similar solvents (hence the name) through the plant, just to retrieve the CBD. As you can imagine, this process is particularly dangerous, as the risk of contamination is quite high. The oil-based method is similar, only using oils instead of solvents for retrieval. It is a far safer process that ends with a purer product. However, it is also a more time-consuming alternative.
The C02-based method, on the other hand, is arguably safer. Unfortunately, it requires subjecting the hemp plant to high amounts of pressure. This makes it far more expensive than solvent-based extractions.
Hemp oil, on the other hand, is extracted directly from the seeds of the hemp plant. Because 50% of the seed’s weight is due to oil, extraction is far easier and straightforward. There is also less risk of contamination.
However, hempseed oil contains very minute traces of CBD. So little, in fact, that a full extract still doesn’t contain the same health and medicinal benefits of CBD. Ergo, hemp and hempseed oil, although stemming from the same plant, cannot be considered CBD oil.
