What’s the Difference Between Full Spectrum and Broad Spectrum CBD?
The convenient, yet confusing thing about CBD products is that there are so many options available in the market. You can pick whether you want to apply it to your skin or consume it, select your extract, and choose your strength. These choices can be difficult to make if you’re new to CBD, so Finexwell is here to help you with one of the most crucial parts of choosing the right CBD product for you: the extract. Extracts are listed on the front of a CBD product and they let you know which type of CBD is being used in the product. In this article, we’ll take you through the difference between the 2 most popular extracts of CBD: Full Spectrum & Broad Spectrum CBD. What is Full Spectrum CBD? Full Spectrum CBD is the purest, unprocessed, and unfiltered hemp extract which has all of the hemp plant’s beneficial nutrients such as terpenes, cannabinoids, and essential oils. It offers a holistic approach to CBD, having the full range of hemp’s cannabinoids, including THC. However, the THC in full spectrum Cannabidiol will always be below 0.3%, too little to induce a ‘high’ feeling without consuming a large amount. Full spectrum CBD’s wide variety of natural terpenes and cannabinoids make it capable of inducing the entourage effect; which explains the phenomenon of each element in the plant working together harmoniously to provide maximum effect. What Is Broad Spectrum CBD? Broad spectrum Cannabidiol is the latest CBD extract on the block, building the gap between isolate and full spectrum cannabidiol. It’s processed like isolate CBD, yet provides a wide range of cannabinoids like full spectrum. Broad spectrum CBD starts as a full spectrum extract with all of hemp’s cannabinoids and terpenes intact before it’s sent through a refinement procedure to remove the THC compound. Broad spectrum Cannabidiol is becoming popular quickly among the THC-sensitive users, and suppliers are meeting the demands commonly with overly processed or synthetic THC. Therefore it gets more important to check the lab results for your broad spectrum product. Put simply, broad spectrum Cannabidiol is full spectrum Cannabidiol, just with the THC removed. Differences Between Full Spectrum CBD and Broad Spectrum CBD Full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD are two of three main kinds of CBD extract. The main difference between Broad Spectrum and Full Spectrum is the THC content. Full spectrum Cannabidiol contains THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), while broad spectrum Cannabidiol does not. Full spectrum CBD is a whole-plant hemp extract with more than 100 cannabinoids while broad spectrum CBD has the same number but without THC. However, these two products are different in other respects, also, such as the extraction procedure each goes through and how they work with the body’s endocannabinoid system. Having a knowledge of these products’ differences can help you choose the right product according to your needs. To remove THC from broad spectrum extract, it undergoes chromatography, which separates THC from the mixture. Full spectrum products are not subjected to this procedure. Finally, the two extract types work with the endocannabinoid system differently. As full spectrum Cannabidiol products contain THC, they activate the body’s endocannabinoid receptors in a different way than broad spectrum Cannabidiol. How Is Broad Spectrum CBD Made? Broad spectrum CBD begins as raw hemp before being alcohol or CO2 extracted to create a whole plant, full spectrum CBD extract. Then this extract goes through a distillation procedure and a cannabinoid separation to remove THC. The final product is tested for quality to give proof of zero THC content. With THC-free broad spectrum extracts, sometimes synthetic or heat solvents can be used during processing that harms the organic complexity of the cannabinoids of the plant. Because of this, make sure to take a close look at the broad spectrum Cannabidiol lab reports that come with the product to discern the actual cannabinoid purity and content. How Is Full Spectrum CBD Made? Full spectrum CBD is made through an extraction process that preserves the full range of terpenes, cannabinoids, and other beneficial compounds present in the cannabis plant. Initially, cannabis plants or high-quality hemp are harvested and dried. Then, the plant material goes through extraction using methods such as ethanol extraction or CO2 extraction. These methods separate the desired compounds from the plant material, resulting in a concentrated extract or oil containing terpenes, cannabinoids, and other plant constituents. Unlike CBD isolate, which separates CBD from other compounds, full spectrum Cannabidiol keeps the complete spectrum of cannabinoids, including THC, offering potential synergistic effects through the entourage effect. Finally, the extract is further processed and refined to remove impurities and get the desired concentration before being made into various CBD products like tinctures, oils, topicals, or edibles. Does Full Spectrum CBD Contain THC? Yes, full spectrum CBD contains THC but in trace amounts that are within legal limits. Unlike CBD isolate, which contains only cannabidiol, full spectrum Cannabidiol retains a broad range of cannabinoids found organically in the cannabis plant, including THC. However, the concentration of THC in full spectrum CBD products is usually kept under 0.3% to comply with legal guidelines in many regions. These low amounts of THC are usually not sufficient to induce psychoactive effects but may still create the entourage effect, where cannabinoids and other compounds work together harmoniously to enhance the therapeutic effects of the CBD product. Users concerned about THC consumption should review the product carefully and choose CBD products labeled as “THC-free” or “broad spectrum” to stay away from any risk of psychoactive effects. Does Broad Spectrum CBD Contain THC? Broad spectrum CBD doesn’t have THC usually as it’s purified to remove this psychoactive compound present in cannabis. Unlike full spectrum Cannabidiol, which keeps a trace amount of THC along with other cannabinoids, broad spectrum Cannabidiol goes through additional processing to remove THC while preserving various other beneficial compounds. This makes broad spectrum a great choice for people who seek the potential benefits of cannabinoids without the risk of THC’s psychoactive properties or the worries of failing a … Read more