What is Full-Spectrum CBD?

What is it?

There are 3 types of CBD: isolate, broad-spectrum, and full-spectrum. CBD isolate comes from hemp plants and is a pure, crystal form of CBD, typically ground up to make a powder. It does not include any other compounds of the cannabis plant. Broad-Spectrum CBD contains additional cannabis plant compounds, with essentially zero amounts of THC. And Full-Spectrum CBD is... the entire cannabis plant!

Yep. That’s right. It’s the cream of the crop, the pièce de résistance, the big enchilada! Combining all the superpowers of the entire hemp plant, Full-Spectrum CBD really is everything.

Recent studies point to Full-Spectrum CBD being more effective than CBD isolate. It includes all the rich components of the cannabis plant (like those terpenes we’ve talked about), but can also contain up to 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This low amount is not strong enough to get you “high,” but it helps give Full-Spectrum CBD that little extra kick. Because it uses the entire hemp plant, it includes cannabigerol, cannabichromene, cannabinol, terpenoids, and flavonoids.

How is it made?

Full-Spectrum CBD is all the naturally occurring components from the hemp plant in their most unprocessed form, keeping most of what nature intended. This is opposed to Broad-Spectrum CBD (where some components are filtered out), or CBD isolate (where everything is filtered out until you get one specific component--missing out on the benefits of the whole plant).

So how do you make this sweet magic? Well, first we take the glorious hemp flower. It is cured and dried, then heated in a process called decarboxylation before phytocannabinoids are extracted from the raw hemp plant. Yeah, there are some big words in there, but what this really means is that you bring all the good stuff out of the plant so it can be easily collected. The goal is obtain the full spectrum of cannabinoids (hence the name…) so this nectar of the gods can be distilled into the products you know and love.

What are its primary uses?

You might be surprised to hear that your high school science teacher forgot to teach you about the endocannabinoid system. In the 1990s, researchers discovered a system of receptors that allow cannabinoids to work naturally with the human body to solve problems. This is why CBD is so effective!

There are many uses for Full-Spectrum CBD with a wide range of health benefits including--but certainly not limited to--anti-seizure, anti-stress, pain relief, anti-inflammatory, and even has been used for some psychotic disorders. Some CBD compounds may also have neuroprotective effects, according to one recent study. Another study saw that heavy opioids didn’t compete with the benefits of CBD to combat pain. It has also been used to help severe forms of epilepsy. Simply put… Full-Spectrum CBD is capable of some pretty amazing things.