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Full-Spectrum CBD vs Broad-Spectrum: What’s the Difference?

A major part of having the best possible experience with CBD is knowing how to tailor your experience to match your needs – and that means buying the right product. We know that no single CBD product is ideal for every person, and that’s why we strive to offer as many options – in terms of both product strengths and types – as possible.

When you shop for CBD oil online, one of the first things you’ll notice is that most of the products say either “full spectrum” or “broad spectrum” in their descriptions. In fact, you may have even dismissed those as meaningless marketing terms because many CBD brands don’t explain what they actually mean. 

As it turns out, though, the phrase “full-spectrum cannabidiol” actually means something very specific. Broad-spectrum CBD, meanwhile, has some significant differences. Until you understand what those differences are, you’re flying blind when you buy CBD oil products in the UK. It’s time to put an end to that.

These are the differences between full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD.

Find the Right CBD Oil for Your Needs

At Blessed CBD, we offer both broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD oil in three different strengths. No matter what your needs may be, you’ll find a perfect fit here. Our CBD oil range includes the following:

What Is Full-Spectrum CBD Oil?

In summary: Full-spectrum CBD oil includes the full range of cannabinoids and terpenes found in the original hemp plant.

There’s a popular belief stemming from anecdotal evidence that the hemp plant is most beneficial when it’s consumed in its whole and unaltered state. That belief is called the entourage effect. Although CBD is the primary active ingredient in CBD oil, hemp contains more than 100 known cannabinoids along with terpenes and other beneficial compounds. Full-spectrum CBD oil keeps hemp’s full range of active compounds intact and allows you to benefit from all of them.

How Is Full-Spectrum CBD Oil Made?

We create our CBD oils in a gentle extraction process that captures the full range of beneficial compounds from the hemp plant using carbon dioxide rather than the harsh and potentially dangerous chemical solvents that many CBD brands use. We begin by taking top-quality organic hemp flowers and milling them down to a fine powder. The powder is placed in an extraction machine that floods the plant matter with pressurised carbon dioxide, dissolving the cell walls and causing the hemp flowers to release their essential oils.

Hemp extract is very bitter in its raw, unfiltered state. Before we turn our hemp extract into finished CBD products, we want to remove some of that bitterness to ensure that you’ll have the best possible experience with our CBD oils. To accomplish that, we put our hemp extract through a proprietary process of filtration and purification that removes bitter-tasting compounds such as esters, plant waxes and chlorophyll. Filtration gives our CBD oil a botanical flavour and a smooth, consistent mouth feel while leaving the beneficial compounds intact.

All CBD oils from Blessed CBD go through the process described here. Broad-spectrum CBD oil, however, also goes through an additional step that we’ll describe next.

What Is Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil?

In summary: Broad-spectrum CBD oil includes the full range of cannabinoids and terpenes found in the original hemp plant except the THC. 

All hemp contains the cannabinoid THC – even the industrial hemp grown for CBD extraction. British law allows for CBD products to contain THC in concentrations below 0.2 percent, meaning that our full-spectrum CBD oil is non-psychoactive and will not get you “high”. For some people, though, even the smallest amount of trace THC is unacceptable. Broad-spectrum CBD oil is for them.

How Is Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil Made?

Every cannabinoid vaporises within a distinct temperature range. Therefore, it’s possible to isolate – or even eliminate – a cannabinoid from hemp distillate by heating the extract to a specific temperature. Fractional distillation is the name of that process, and it forms the basis of our method for removing the THC from our distillate to create broad-spectrum CBD oil. Aside from removing the THC, our process leaves hemp’s other active ingredients intact, allowing you to experience the entourage effect to the fullest possible extent.

Choosing Between Full-Spectrum & Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil

The choice between full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oil hinges primarily on whether you’re okay with consuming THC in trace amounts. As we mentioned earlier, our full-spectrum CBD oil is non-psychoactive and will not cause you to experience a euphoric sensation or “high.” THC is also a beneficial compound in its own right – and keeping all of hemp’s active compounds intact ensures that a full-spectrum CBD oil will stimulate your body’s cannabinoid receptors to the fullest extent possible for maximum effect.

On the other hand, it’s possible that you have to undergo periodic drug screenings – as a condition of employment, for instance. There is a remote chance that consuming large amounts of full-spectrum CBD oil could cause the trace amounts of THC to build up in your system to the point at which it’s detectable in a drug test. That’s why broad-spectrum CBD oil exists – so you can enjoy the benefits of CBD without consuming THC, even in trace amounts. Broad-spectrum CBD oil contains no detectable THC, and you can verify that by reading lab reports. Even if you’re a very frequent CBD oil user, broad-spectrum CBD oil should not cause a drug screening to flag you for marijuana use.

Broad-spectrum CBD oil also has a second benefit. We don’t add flavours to our CBD oils because doing so would dilute the beneficial cannabinoids. Our full-spectrum CBD oil has an herbal flavour that many users find quite appealing. If the flavour of full-spectrum CBD is a bit too “hempy” for your taste, though, you’ll probably find the neutral flavour of broad-spectrum CBD oil more palatable.

References

1. Acmd Advice on Consumer Cannabidiol (CBD) Products, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/acmd-advice-on-consumer-cannabidiol-cbd-products/

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