Cannabidiol:  CBD has medical benefits and is not psychoactive

Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is one of the most well-known naturally occurring cannabinoids (component of cannabis plants), second only to THC. It is known to have no toxic or psychoactive ingredients. That means it doesn’t get you “high” and does not cause undesirable side effects as do many prescription drugs. As we like to say, “The Side Effects of CBD are Health and Happiness.”

First isolated in 1940 by two groups of independent researchers, cannabidiol exists in both hemp and cannabis. There is research being done today on the differences in effects and benefits depending on the extraction process, the starting material (hemp or cannabis) and whether it’s a whole flower or isolated extraction.

Cannabidiol is sold widely throughout the United States and internationally, as are hemp products including food, soap, clothing, and dietary supplements. Humans have used hemp for its beneficial properties for centuries. It is one of the earliest plants cultivated by our ancestors. Hemp proponents point out that it was an impetus for civilization, as it was quite possibly the first crop our ancestors ever planted. As early as 8,000 B.C. we were using hemp cord. Throughout our history, we’ve used its fiber, seeds and oils for health benefits, protein, clothing, rope, fuel and food.

Cannabis, Hemp and Industrial Hemp Are Sources of CBD

In Europe and the United States, the difference between the definitions of cannabis and hemp primarily depend on the THC content in the flowers. If the THC content is below 0.3% in the USA and 0.2% in the European Union, the plant is classified as hemp. Anything higher than these levels and the plant is called cannabis.

In recent years, cannabis cultivators have been breeding high-CBD strains of cannabis such as AC/DC, Valentine X, Charlotte’s Web, Harlequin, Cannatonic and Sour Tsunami.This marks a reversal of a trend that lasted for decades, in which cannabis cultivators were breeding out CBD in favor of THC-dominant strains for the psychoactive effect. When cannabidiol is present in cannabis and the cannabis is inhaled or ingested, the psychoactive effect of the THC on the user is usually minimized.

Some CBD products, especially within the USA, are made from “industrial hemp.” This type of hemp does not have flowers and the CBD is harvested from the stalks. It takes a lot more starting material from industrial hemp to get adequate amounts of CBD than it does from cannabis/hemp.

Learn More About Cannabidiol

How Does CBD Help You?

CBD Helps A Whole Person, Not Just A Condition. It acts upon the endocannabinoid system to help restore the body to homeostasis. The endocannabinoid system is thought to be the most important physiologic system involved in establishing and maintaining human health. It was discovered and named in the mid-1990s. The receptors for cannabinoids are some of the most abundant receptors in the human brain and are expressed in nearly every tissue and cell in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells.

Learn More About the Endocannabinoid System

Why Do Full Spectrum CBD Oil Products Get Better Results?

Being a distributor in the California market since 2014 helped us to understand which CBD products were helping people find relief from their ailments. We’ve worked with hundreds of products over the years and determined that full spectrum products, rather than CBD isolate products, were consistently providing the relief people hoped for.

With the proliferation of CBD isolate products, we recently wrote a blog about the results between CBD-only products versus products made from whole flower CBD. It’s important information for every consumer primarily concerned with medicinal benefits to understand. For example, “pure” CBD as being marketed by merchants who sell CBD isolate is not the most desirable type of supplement for medicinal value. As a metaphor, would it be healthier to eat an orange or to chemically extract the vitamin C from an orange and consume it on its own, with none of the other healing properties available in the orange?

Read our blog about why whole flower is preferred over isolate

How Much Should You Take?

Many people who become interested in supplementing their health with CBD wonder how much should they take, how often, and in what form. There are many different ways to consume cannabidiol including capsules, concentrated liquids, infused sublingual sprays, edibles, flowers, milk and more. It can be difficult to determine the form and amount that works best for you.

As we started researching the whole flower extraction process, we learned why dosage amounts can be so confusing. A 2015 Israeli study helps explain why. With most CBD products, even the tinctures and titrations we offered on this site when it launched, customers found that they are not necessarily more effective with the more they consume. There is a bell-shaped curve in terms of results. However with the whole flower products, studies are showing a different pattern, more along the lines of clinical medical results- the more you consume, the more effect you will experience.

The fantastic news about the Whole Flower Fluid is that most customers find they only need 2 drops per day to experience relief from their ailments. As many of you know, other products out there require 12 or more drops, sometimes a full dropper or even more. Because of the effectiveness of such a small amount, a 15 ml bottle of Whole Flower Fluid lasts up to 5 months.

World Health Organization Concludes Cannabidiol Safe and Effective

In December of 2017, the WHO released a report in which they conclude that  CBD is safe and medically effective. They noted that “several countries have modified their national controls to accommodate CBD as a medicinal product.”