Is CBD oil the same as hemp oil?

You may have come across news reports of young folk caught trying to raid an industrial hemp field in high hopes of obtaining weed that would get them stoned. The joke of course is that hemp, although very much part of the cannabis family, will not get you high!

Cannabis CBD Hemp THC Weed Marijuana?? I’m Confused!

It can be a bit confusing if all this is relatively new. Who knows how many of us would be raiding hemp fields before we figured this one out :).

Let’s simplify it a bit then!

In cannabis it is the cannabinoid compound called THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which has psychoactive effects and is therefore what gets you high. Traditionally, when referring to ‘marijuana’, ‘weed’, ‘bud’ etc., it has almost always meant cannabis with higher THC levels on which to get stoned. Hemp is the cannabis plant too, but with such low levels of THC (less than 0.3%) that consuming it imparts no psychoactive effect and there is consequently no ‘high’.

Despite having almost no THC, the hemp plant is extremely rich in another cannabinoid compound called CBD (Cannabidiol). This is where things begin to clear up!

So Is CBD Oil Hemp? Or Is CBD Hemp Oil?

Let’s clarify the issue even further by stating that although CBD oil and hempseed oil are both extracted from the hemp plant, hempseed oil is not the same as CBD oil.

Since the label ‘hemp oil’ can be used to describe both hempseed oil and CBD oil, it is useful to take a closer look at how hempseed oil differs from CBD oil.

Hempseed oil is extracted from the seeds of the hemp (cannabis) plant. Hemp seeds are ground up – cold pressed – and this process produces a residue of hempseed oil. Hempseed oil is readily available as a
food ingredient, food supplement or skin-care product in supermarkets and high street shops, even in places where cannabis is still illegal.

CBD oil by contrast, is taken from the stalks, leaves and flowers of the hemp (cannabis) plant. The extraction process is more complicated than that of hempseed oil, involving a number of steps. Furthermore,
there are numerous different ways in which CBD can be extracted from hemp by chemical processes that use solvents or carbon-dioxide, resulting in greater or lesser levels of concentration and purity. In many countries CBD is not fully differentiated from THC, which means it remains pretty much illegal and cannot be openly sold for therapeutic purposes although it may still be available on prescription.

Marketing Confusion – How Can I Be Sure?

The observant reader will have noticed that we have talked about CBD oil and hempseed oil under the banner of hemp oil. Unfortunately there is often a lack of clarity in the marketplace because the words ‘hemp oil’ are regularly used on products to describe either CBD oil or hempseed oil, or a mixture of the two. Naturally, this can give rise to confusion!

The way out of such confusion is to know whether it is hempseed oil or CBD oil that you are looking for. Then, when you find a product, you can read the list of ingredients to determine what it is you are looking at. Hempseed oil may alternatively be listed as ‘Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil’ because hemp is cannabis sativa, just with negligible amounts of THC. CBD oil may be listed as one or more of cannabidiol, full- spectrum hemp oil, hemp oil or PCR (phytocannabinoid-rich) oil. You may come across products that contain a mixture of hempseed oil and CBD oil so it is worth paying attention to the labels. Some vendors even display a certificate which shows the lab test results and lists the exact quantities of ingredients used.

Reading the labels and checking the lab results makes it much easier to know what one is buying.

Summary Of CBD Oil vs Hempseed Oil

Although hempseed oil does not contain the same level of compounds as the hemp (cannabis) plant itself, it is still rich in vitamins, omega fatty acids, nutrients and other health-promoting compounds. Apart from being widely available as a food supplement, hempseed oil also comes in creams and ointments which are used to alleviate a variety of skin conditions such as acne, eczema and dermatitis. Consuming hempseed oil – as salad dressing for example – is also considered beneficial.

CBD is by far the main ingredient in medical cannabis and is widely available in the form of tablets, capsules, oils, creams and edibles. CBD is considered to be all of the following and more.