These days, CBD is the talk of the town, and the town is the whole internet and a lot of people around you in real life. Though the hot product of the moment, the hype around CBD oil did not develop overnight. Rather, it is due to its association with cannabis, the family of plants that produces the compound, that CBD became famous.
But even after the boom of the CBD market, some people are still wary of CBD oil due to another compound called THC. Long story short, marijuana, the most famous variety of cannabis, gets you high, and THC is the reason why. Why is this a concern is that some people think, accurately, that CBD, coming from the same plant, might include THC. That is true; most CBD products include trace amounts of THC, which are not remotely enough to get you high. But for those still worried about failing a drug test due to some THC, is there a kind of CBD oil without THC available? Let us tell you.
Cannabidiol, aka CBD, is a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis plant, an herb with a rich medicinal history dating back millennia. Different studies on the therapeutic properties of cannabidiol show that CBD might hold therapeutic effects.
The compound’s one of over a hundred cannabinoids present in varying amounts inside cannabis. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is another abundant cannabinoid closely related to CBD. Both of them are by far the most studied cannabinoids.
While both THC and CBD may provide considerable therapeutic attributes, there’s a key difference between them. CBD doesn’t cause people to get “high,” which is exactly what THC does. Why that is it’s because the two interact differently with your endocannabinoid system (ECS).
It’s worth noting that CBD seems to lessen the psychoactive effects of THC depending on how much of both compounds you ingested. CBD’s potentially therapeutic effects are somewhat similar to marijuana’s effects, yet, with no psychoactive impairment whatsoever. Thus, it’s definitively attractive for those just looking for relief. Most CBD does contain a negligible measure of THC, yet, CBD oil without THC is also available.
CBD comes from the hemp plant, which is another variety of cannabis separate from marijuana. While marijuana is high in THC content, hemp is high in CBD content and, surprisingly, very low in THC. Thus, it’s the perfect source for the former.
An interesting thing to note about hemp is that it is one of the planet’s most regenerative plants. Unlike a plant such as cotton, hemp doesn’t need fertilizer or a lot of water to thrive. Apart from that, it is naturally-resistant to pests, which means it does not need insecticides or pesticides.
CBD oil is any cannabis extract, concentrate, or tincture with high concentrations of cannabidiol. Manufacturers can extract these oils are either from hemp or marijuana. Since 2018, CBD oil rose to become one of the most discussed medicinal products of the twenty-first century.
Despite being a relatively new product, CBD oil quickly became a favorite of wellness enthusiasts. When researching CBD oils, you will find full-spectrum oils and broad-spectrum oils. The latter is the CBD oil without THC.
When it comes to the large-scale production of potent CBD oil, manufacturers primarily use two to efficiently extract the compound. Each method has its benefits when it comes to producing highly-potent, high-quality CBD products.
Carbon dioxide’s (CO2) versatility makes it great for use in a variety of commercial applications. The extraction of compounds from different plant matter is one of them. In CBD oil extraction, manufacturers apply CO2 in both its normal state and supercritical liquid form. By using a pressurized chamber known as a closed-loop extractor, carbon dioxide undergoes compression until it turns into a liquid that’s forced over cannabis plant material. This process strips cannabinoids such as CBD from the plant matter. The resulting solution goes back to pressures and temperatures at which the gas reverts to its normal state and evaporates. What remains behind is the compound extracted from the plant material.
This extraction process isn’t that different from using carbon dioxide to extract the CBD. However, compared to CO2 extraction, it is somewhat faster and cheaper. Solvent extraction also employs the closed-loop system. The only difference is that liquid propane, butane, or ethanol are what’s used to wash over the hemp to release the CBD. The solvent then either undergoes cooling or heating to separate it from the extracted compound. The main downside of using this technique is that some solvents extract impurities from the plant as well. Thus, it potentially ends up giving the resulting product an unpleasant taste.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, aka THC, is, as stated before, another abundant cannabinoid, especially in marijuana. The compound is what gives marijuana its psychoactive effects.
Whether a CBD oil product contains THC depends on how it’s made. CBD oil derived from the hemp and marijuana plants usually have some amount of the compound. However, almost all CBD products are extremely low THC and high CBD. However, if what you are looking for is a CBD oil without THC completely, then consider CBD isolates or broad-spectrum CBD oil.
Broad-spectrum cannabidiol is one of two types of CBD oil – the other is full-spectrum CBD. Broad-spectrum is different from the other in that it still contains the additional chemicals, terpenes, and other cannabinoids except for THC. The manufactures go through the painstaking process of getting rid of all THC during the extraction. Since broad-spectrum CBD still contains the other compounds found in the cannabis plant, it still can produce what’s known as the entourage effect, albeit a bit weaker than how full-spectrum CBD would if anecdotal evidence online is anything to go by.
A CBD isolate is pure CBD – they no longer have any of the other compounds found in the hemp plant – it’s just pure CBD. Despite technically being ‘pure CBD,’ they are, ironically, less tend to be effective than broad and full-spectrum CBD.
CBD isolates come to be by pulling cannabidiol from plant matter and eliminating all other compounds found in the hemp plant. Since other cannabinoids, including THC, are not present in isolates, passing drug tests might be easier with them. However, there’s more to consider when it comes to using CBD isolates than just that. Although CBD isolates are essentially 99% pure cannabidiol, they lack the beneficial flavonoids or terpenes required to get the entourage effect. So, isolates are less potent and, therefore, yield weaker therapeutic effects compared to the other two presentations.
The short answer is technically no. If you take CBD Oil without THC, otherwise known as broad-spectrum CBD oil, it should not show up in a drug test. That is unless, of course, you also ingested THC from another source. In the same way, CBD isolates won’t also have you showing THC in your drug tests because there’s zero THC in them. That is one of the reason a considerable portion of the users of both broad-spectrum and isolates use them
It’s the theorized, although currently under study, synergistic action between terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids. The effect the compound has when interacting with the endocannabinoid system will be stronger as a result.
The purpose of the endocannabinoid system, found in all mammals, is to regulate important body functions like mood, appetite, sleep, and sex drive. Cannabinoids, such as those found in cannabis, interact with CB1 receptors (found in the nervous system and brain) and CB2 receptors (found in our immune system). They supplement the system and, thus, can help further balance those bodily functions. Other compounds, such as terpenes and flavonoids, also interact with endocannabinoid receptors and help regulate homeostasis. Thus, having your CBD oil holding all or most of the compounds founds in cannabis will boost its effects. The more compounds from cannabis remain in cannabidiol oils, the stronger it becomes.
Many of the CBD products available in the market today contain no more than two cannabinoids. Full-spectrum compounds, on the other hand, contain multiple cannabinoids plus other compounds present in cannabis, such as flavonoids and terpenes. They also tend to hold most of the other lesser cannabinoids and the much-misunderstood THC as well. It is the presence of all those compounds, THC included, that ultimately will amplify the effect of the full-spectrum CBD. As observed when comparing the THC-less broad-spectrum effects with the full spectrum’s, THC is key to this. It is its absence that makes broad-spectrum less powerful than full-spectrum. Further, remove the other compounds and cannabinoids, and you get CBD isolates, the weakest of all CBD presentations. Thus, CBD OIL with THC is undoubtedly better than CBD oil without THC on the basis of potency. If THC is more of a concern to you than potency, choose broad-spectrum CBD or isolates, so you don’t have to worry about it.
While CBD and THC possess different pharmacological properties, both still might produce similar physiological effects. For example, both might have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects; studies show that both compounds act using varying mechanisms, so having CBD with THC could potentially enhance its pain relief effects.
How the world views cannabis is rapidly changing. Each day, more and more cannabis products…
Cannabidiol is a potent component in the hemp plant, and it is used in various…
CBD candy is just a sweet treat that's made with cannabidiol. The candy is produced…
What is CBD Isolate? CBD isolate is a pure extract of cannabidiol (CBD). It doesn’t…
What are CBD drops, and how can you use them? Throughout the years cannabidiol, or…
What's the best CBD oil for sale right now? Well, the answer depends on your…