Hemp oil and CBD oil have become synonymous with good health and well-being. But there is still significant confusion over their differences. The purpose of this blog post is to enlighten you a bit more about hemp and CBD oil.
What is Hemp Oil?
Hemp oil comes from hemp seeds. It is extracted from varieties whose seeds contain about 30% of their mass in oil. Hemp seeds contain no trace of cannabinoids, molecules like CBD and THC. The seeds are released from their shell and outer covering. Then, the hemp oil is obtained by cold mechanical pressure. For certain specific applications such as cosmetics or food supplements, hemp oil can also be more or less refined to become more stable and then keep much longer. You can also buy the best value for money CBD hemp oil on the UK market.
What is CBD Oil?
The CBD (also known as cannabidiol) is present predominantly in the flowers and leaves of hemp. It’s anything but a compound ordinarily present in hemp, which has no psychoactive impact and offers significantly more fascinating prosperity and restorative properties than hemp seeds. Most manufacturers work with an advanced supercritical CO₂ extraction method to achieve high levels of purity, followed by winterization and distillation. This long and complex process offers the advantage of remaining natural (no chemicals, the CO₂ being food grade), and the CBD obtained can then reach up to 99.9% purity.
In addition, most CBD oils are designed by diluting pure CBD in hemp seed oil: by favoring these products, you c benefit both from the exceptional properties of CBD and its nourishing virtues.
What are the Benefits of CBD Oil?
CBD research is making great strides. CBD is known for its benefits in 3 areas: medical, wellness, and cosmetics.
In the wellness arena, athletes regularly use CBD to manage muscle pain and reduce their levels of inflammation. Many users also report reduced anxiety and improved sleep quality associated with using CBD as a daily dietary supplement.
In the pharmaceutical field, the first CBD drug has been approved in the United States to treat rare forms of epilepsy, and a second for patients who have multiple sclerosis. The uses of CBD are growing as research advances. For example, in countries where medical cannabis is licensed and prescribed by doctors like Israel and the United States, CBD is used to treat depression and chronic stress or help patients suffering from cancer and undergoing chemotherapy to endure the heavy treatment better and regain their appetite. There is also a whole body of research looking at the impact of CBD on pets.
Cannabis Heads, another Source of CBD
Technically, hemp is cannabis. Cannabis is a hyponym that covers several species and hundreds of cultivars. Hemp differs from most cannabis strains due to its low production of THC.
The majority of cannabis cultivars have been bred to produce high levels of THC. However, the growing demand for CBD has prompted some breeders to increase the CBD levels of some strains. As a outcome, there are now strains that produce massive levels of CBD (up to over 20%) in addition to minimal amounts of THC. These strains do not have psychotropic effects and can be used to produce CBD oils and extracts.
The Difference between Hemp Oil and CBD Oil
The main difference among these two oils is in their chemical composition. CBD oil is a source of terpenes and cannabinoids. Hemp oil is devoid of any cannabinoids making it a little bit inferior to CBD oil. But, it’s still a superb source of nutrients and can complement a balanced diet.
CBD has attracted serious attention from the scientific community. This cannabinoid influences the CB1 and CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid system, a regulatory system found in the human body. The molecule also acts on vanilloid receptors, serotonin receptors, and other molecular targets.
This led to a flood of studies highlighting the potential benefits that would flow from it. It is essential to realize that most of these studies involve animals or cell lines. They don’t accurately represent how CBD works in the human body, but they update how it might operate.