Cannabidiol and hemp are appearing for sale pretty much everywhere, from drug stores to gas stations, thanks to an increasing list of health benefits. However, with growing popularity comes rising confusion, leaving individuals to wonder what the difference between the two is. How does one know which item to choose? Before we dive into a bit deeper discussion on hemp oil vs CBD oil, the difference, let us first talk about their origin plant, and substance.
Hemp versus Cannabidiol: The Basics
Marijuana and hemp come from the family of cannabis plants, but these are different. Each plant has various compounds known as cannabinoids, including the two best-known ones namely cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol. THC has mind-altering effects, meaning you can get a high from it, and it is present in high concentrations in marijuana. Cannabidiol is known for the stress management effects of it, and consuming it will not make you psychoactive.
Hemp oil is made from industrial hemp seeds, flowers, and/or stalk. It has an abundance of beneficial cannabinoids. Never mistake it for hemp seed oil, which is culinary oil with hemp seeds as the raw material that lacks cannabinoids. Conversely, cannabidiol isolate oil has 99% CBD and lacks THC.
More Information about Hemp Oil
It is legal and safe to consume hemp oil provided that it contains only 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol. Such a product will not give you a high, albeit you consume large doses of it. Hemp oil has high amounts of beneficial CBD and other such cannabinoids.
THC and cannabidiol are the two most popular cannabinoids, but hemp contains over 140 cannabinoids on the whole. Besides these, the plant is rich in terpenes which give it its taste and smell. Each of the said terpenes and cannabinoids has a wide variety of benefits, such as supporting sleep, immune function, and digestion.
Every single terpene and cannabinoid is beneficial, but these substances are synergistic if consumed together, giving the user ‘the entourage effect‘.
This is what causes hemp oil to be so extraordinary. As a source of natural cannabinoids, it imparts the aforesaid effect, meaning the consumer will benefit from every compound in the plant.
The Takeaway
These may be marketed as the same, in essence, but CBD oil and hemp oil have some notable differences. The former oil mostly has just one cannabinoid, namely CBD, but the latter contains 140-plus beneficial cannabinoids that together make the aforementioned effect. So, to put it briefly, the main difference is in the cannabinoid levels.