From most people’s perspective, CBD is a product that emerged seemingly from nowhere.
In the United States, CBD products went from being heavily prohibited from becoming widely distributed in a span of less than a year. The 2018 Farm Bill relaxed regulations, allowing hemp-based products to be created if they followed certain regulations.
Despite its rapid ascension from an obscure compound to a household name, CBD is anything but new. Humanity’s relationship with the hemp plant -- the main source of CBD -- goes back tens of thousands of years.
Our ancient ancestors may not have known CBD by name, but they certainly knew about the many uses of hemp and have been ingesting CBD long before the modern world caught on.
Even by scientific standards, CBD is getting a little grey. CBD became known to science as far back as the year 1940 when it was first isolated from the cannabis plant.
Although there are still many mysteries and open scientific questions surrounding CBD, there is also a large (and rapidly growing) body of knowledge regarding CBD, where it comes from and what it can do.
Let’s take a look at five surprising facts about CBD which you might not be aware of.
Five Eye Opening CBD Facts
Top Five Intriguing CBD Facts
1. CBD Is One of Many Cannabinoids
It turns out that CBD is in good company because it’s part of an entire family of compounds known as cannabinoids. So far, there have been over 100 unique cannabinoids identified and isolated from the cannabis plant.
The most famous and best-studied cannabinoids are CBD and THC. However, the scientific spotlight has now moved onto get a better look at dozens of lesser-known cannabinoids, including:
- CBN (Cannabinol)
- CBG (Cannabigerol)
- CBC (Cannabichromene)
- CBDA (Cannabidolic)
At present, most of these compounds haven’t been researched enough to fully understand them and their effects. But we expect to hear more from these more obscure cannabinoids as research progresses in the coming years.
What’s more, there are likely even more as yet unidentified cannabinoids to be unearthed in the natural world.
2. CBD Oil Is Not the Same as Hemp Oil
CBD oil and hemp oil can often be confused as the same thing, when in fact they’re made from different components of the hemp plant. CBD oil is actually created from the flowers, leaves and stalks of hemp plants and these are the only parts of the plant where you can attain cannabidiol.
Hemp oil, also known as hemp seed oil is extracted from hemp seeds, which means that there’s very little CBD content or none at all. Hemp oil and CBD oil both come with their own health benefits so it’s important to choose one that’s suitable for you.
Always check the ingredients that are listed on the product’s packaging to see if you’re purchasing CBD oil or hemp oil.
3. CBD Works in Synchronicity with Other Cannabinoids
Efforts to study cannabinoids have come across some curious results. Scientists have expended much effort to figure out the specific profile of an individual cannabinoid’s effects, only to find that many cannabinoids seem to work in conjunction with one another.
Rather than individual cannabinoids each having their own effects which they contribute to the whole, the combination of different cannabinoids seems to create unique effects all their own. In other words, a cocktail of cannabinoids is more than just the sum of its parts!
Users of CBD supplements have reported some anecdotal evidence supporting the claim that cannabinoids work better together to support health and wellness. These users have noticed that broad spectrum CBD tinctures -- which contain traces of every cannabinoid in the hemp plant -- seem to have their own unique properties that are not exhibited in “CBD Isolate” products, which strip away everything but the cannabidiol itself.
4. CBD Is Extremely Well Tolerated
A very important factor when choosing CBD oil should be the growing conditions of the farmed hemp. Organic hemp is best for creating CBD oil because the hemp plants tend to assimilate the chemicals and nutrients in the soil, regardless of whether they have good or bad properties.
To get the purest CBD with extremely high clarity, it should be grown organically to avoid pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals that could be harmful to the batch of CBD oil.
5. CBD Occurs in Both Hemp and Marijuana Plants
The modern CBD industry is all about hemp. After all, only CBD sourced from hemp plants can be legally sold across the United States.
Despite that, you can also find CBD occurring naturally in marijuana plants as well.
The reason for this is quite simple: hemp and marijuana plants are, biologically speaking, the same plant.
Both hemp and marijuana are cannabis plants, but the devil is in the details. A hemp plant must contain 0.3% or less THC, while a marijuana plant has no restrictions on its THC content.
This definition has created an industry where hemp plants are selected for their high CBD and low THC content, while marijuana plants are selected for their high THC content and often contain a minimal amount of CBD.
CBD can actually mitigate some of the intoxicating effects caused by THC, which has led many recreational marijuana users to seek marijuana strains with a minimal amount of CBD.
But for those who prefer a blend of THC and CBD, there are a variety of marijuana strains that can be found today that include an appreciable amount of CBD. You can find marijuana plants with a variety of ratios of CBD to THC, such as 4:1 or even 1:1, letting you select the balance of CBD and THC which is optimal for you.
FAQ On CBD Facts
How many different types of cannabinoids are there?
There are at least 113 different types of cannabinoids that have been individually isolated from the cannabis plant.
Can I have an allergic reaction to CBD?
CBD allergies are extremely rare but it is possible for a user to have an allergic reaction.
Does THC cancel out CBD?
THC cannot cancel the effects of CBD within the body. However, consuming CBD can counteract the psychoactive effects of THC.
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