Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil: What Is It? What Are Its Benefits?

You’ve heard so much about CBD oil that you’ve decided to give it a try. You stop by a local shop that carries a wide variety of CBD products, or you go shopping online.

But you’re faced with a decision you hadn’t anticipated. Do you want full-spectrum CBD oil, broad-spectrum CBD oil, or oil made with CBD isolate?

The sales clerk at the shop may be able to explain the difference, or the online vendor may have an explanation somewhere on its site. We can provide a more comprehensive explanation, though.

Here’s the bottom line:

• Full-spectrum CBD oil also contains other plant compounds, including a small amount of psychoactive THC (but not enough to cause intoxication).
• Broad-spectrum CBD oil contains most of those compounds, but most or all of the THC has been removed.
• CBD isolate is pure CBD, with no THC and no other plant compounds.

That may not help you decide, though. What are the pros and cons of each type of CBD?

Again, here’s the bottom line. Full-spectrum CBD is the most effective, isolate is the least effective, and broad-spectrum is somewhere in the middle. A similar hierarchy exists for those who want to avoid consuming THC; isolate is best, full-spectrum is least desirable, and broad-spectrum is a happy medium. All three provide apparent health and wellness benefits, however.

Let’s make this confusing situation more understandable.

CBD and THC

Most readers are probably familiar with the basics, at least when it comes to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). CBD (cannabidiol) is quite similar, but with one crucial difference: Marijuana comes from the cannabis plant, and THC is the substance in marijuana that gets you high. CBD comes from hemp and doesn’t provide psychoactive effects.

Let’s back up a bit. Both the cannabis and hemp plants are members of the Cannabis sativa plant family, and they’re quite similar. A key similarity is that they each contain natural compounds like THC and CBD, which are known as cannabinoids. (There are more than 100 cannabinoids found in the plants.)

The difference between cannabis and hemp is important, though. Cannabis plants generally contain large amounts of THC and very little cannabidiol, while hemp plants have high CBD levels and low THC levels. That’s why you can’t smoke hemp to get wasted; the amount of THC in hemp is so small that it causes no mild-altering or intoxicating effects.

Both cannabinoids appear to provide impressive (but somewhat different) health and wellness benefits. The growing popularity of CBD products is due primarily to their ability to provide cannabidiol’s effects without affecting the user’s functionality in other ways.

For that reason, the CBD in CBD oil is sourced from hemp. But that leaves one question: what’s THC doing in there?

What Happens When CBD Is Extractedfrom Hemp

Several methods can be used to extract cannabidiol from hemp plants. Some are so simple they can be used at home, although the quality of the final product won’t be close to that of the CBD you can purchase at retail. Other methods (and supercritical CO2 extraction in particular) are very complicated, they require special equipment, and they’re extremely expensive.

The techniques do have one thing in common. When CBD is extracted from hemp, other plant compounds come along for the ride. They include terpenes and other cannabinoids, including THC.

The extracted cannabidiol is known as full-spectrum CBD because it contains the full spectrum of natural substances taken from the hemp. And those additional compounds are actually beneficial; they work together with CBD to enhance its effectiveness through what’s known as the “entourage effect.”

Full-spectrum CBD is used to create most CBD products, and since it contains such low levels of THC, the cannabinoid’s presence isn’t a problem for most users.

However, some people are allergic to THC or their bodies don’t react well to it. Others may fear that consuming even a small amount of THC might trigger a positive drug test for cannabis use. (In reality, that’s unlikely unless they consume very high doses or are regular, long-time CBD users.)

Fortunately for those folks, additional processes can be used to remove most or all of the THC from cannabidiol.

What Is Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil?

Quite simply, broad-spectrum CBD is full-spectrum cannabidiol without the THC content.

Producers use lab techniques like flash chromatography to create broad-spectrum CBD. That allows them to use special equipment and solvents to separate the various components of the extracted cannabidiol, and then isolate and remove the THC. Other cannabinoids and terpenes are left in the broad-spectrum CBD.

There’s just one possible issue with this process; even after it’s complete, traces of THC may still remain. The oil produced with broad-spectrum CBD will dramatically lower the possibility of users failing a drug test, and may not cause problems for those with THC allergies or sensitivities — but that may not be good enough for those who want 100% THC-free CBD.

(For those users, there’s a third type of CBD: CBD isolate. Using the same types of techniques, producers are able to remove all of the plant compounds initially extracted with cannabidiol, to create CBD oil and other products guaranteed to contain no traces of THC.)

It’s important to remember that the THC absent from broad-spectrum CBD oil isn’t available to contribute to the entourage effect, making the oil somewhat less effective than its full-spectrum counterpart. It’s far from useless, though.

Broad-spectrum CBD oil still provides a wide range of apparent medical benefits. They may not be realized at quite the same level that users experience when using full-spectrum CBD, but the remaining entourage effect still makes broad-spectrum oil a potentially potent weapon against a variety of medical conditions and issues.

Possible Benefits of Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil

Research into the potential uses of CBD for medical purposes is still in its early stages. Even so, prescription cannabidiol (trade name: Epidiolex) has already been approved for the treatment of seizures in some types of childhood epilepsy. It’s available through the NHS for patients with those conditions.

Other medical benefits of CBD haven’t yet been confirmed to the satisfaction of the medical community or the governments that regulate the cannabinoid. Preliminary evidence, though, shows promising results.

• Mental Health: Studies show that cannabidiol seems to be effective at easing common mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression, and more serious conditions including PTSD, schizophrenia, and psychosis. It may also provide some benefits for those with autism spectrum disorder.
• Neurological Diseases: CBD appears to be able to lessen the symptoms and progression of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and cerebral palsy, and there are signs it may provide some protection for brain health as well.
• Immune Disorders and Immunity Problems: Evidence seems to show that cannabidiol may help patients fight immune diseases and disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and even acne.
• High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other heart health risks
• Insomnia and sleep disorders
• Some forms of cancer

Those apparent benefits explain why interest in — and use of — CBD oil and other products has increased dramatically since they were approved for sale in the UK several years ago. Full-spectrum CBD oil may be the most popular type in Britain, but many choose broad-spectrum CBD oil to receive all of the reported benefits with very little (or no) THC consumption.

How Do You Use Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil?

The most common and effective way to use CBD oil of any type is to administer a few drops under the tongue.

The advantage of so-called sublingual administration is that the cannabidiol is immediately absorbed by the tissues under the tongue and moved right into the bloodstream for use in the body. It can take just minutes for the CBD to interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) and begin providing its benefits.

Other administration methods may be slightly more convenient but don’t take effect for quite a while.

• CBD capsules contain CBD oil; they’re simple to take anywhere and dosing is easy, but they must be digested before the cannabidiol can be released into the bloodstream.
• CBD edibles are tastier (and some, like gummies, come in specific dosages and are easily transportable), but they must also be digested.
• CBD oil can be mixed with food, salad dressings, or soups, and it can be added to beverages as well. Once again, however, digestion is necessary (unless the oil is added to water) before the CBD is available.

When consumed orally, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours for cannabidiol to be released into the bloodstream, and some of the CBD will be lost during the digestion process. For that reason, sublingual administration is the best way to use CBD oil.

One final note: never vape CBD oil. The carrier oil it contains may burn in vape pens or vaporizers, producing toxic fumes that can damage the body. Only specially-produced CBD vape juice should be used for vaping.

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