“I keep seeing Isolate and Broad Spectrum and Full Spectrum”

We really don’t want a lot of confusion among our customers. People come into our stores and frequently have some bewilderment when it comes to what they’re actually getting. What we end up discovering is that most of the time, they know enough about CBD and Hemp Oil Extract to be in the store and curious, but not enough to to make the wise choices. This is where we come in. We start out by helping them with the answer to: “What do isolate, broad-spectrum, and full-spectrum mean?”

Many people are becoming more aware of the source of CBD and other cannabinoids: The Hemp Plant. The innocuous hemp plant or cannabis sativa is often confused with it’s kissing cousing, marijuana. They’re both from the same family, but they have different behaviors due to the compounds they contain. Think of it this way, a Great Dane and a Chihuahua would admittedly dogs. However, we know that they are completely different in size, temperament, behavior and even bark.  Hemp and Marijuana are the same as dogs in this regard.

When the a crop of hemp is taken to an extractor, there are many steps to the total extraction process possible for the mass of plant material. Extraction is what is used to remove the key compounds from the biomass (the hemp crop). The results the extraction starts with full spectrum crude. This is further processed into many forms, particularly Isolate, Broad and Full Spectrum extracts.

The terms are often confused as many product manufacturer presently try to avoid the hassles associated with some sales platforms (such as Amazon.com) and payment processors (most payment processors for retail will not support Hemp retail sales still). This simple guide will provide the best starting point for most people beginning with the world of Hemp and cannabinoids:

1. Isolate

This one is pretty clear to many, but it still may be confusing. First, it’s an Isolate of something. For the hemp products, this means Isolate of Cannabidiol (CBD). When an extraction process removed all other compounds from the hemp oil except for the Cannabidiol, the result is often called just Isolate. This of course is the shortened form of “Isolated Cannabidiol”. The beauty of CBD isolate is that it’s very easy to mix in liquids of various types and it is odorless and relatively tasteless. Many edible manufacturers use Isolate instead of any other form because of the lack of taste or flavor.

2. Broad Spectrum

Hemp Oil Extract starts with full spectrum crude. Further extraction processes on this crude will result in cleaner (less taste, less plant material) distillate. It’s possible to create what is called Broad Spectrum by targeting the specific compound of Δ-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and removing it as the rest of the compounds “pass through” and become part of the cleaner distillate. This effectively makes the product almost a full spectrum, but is missing the THC, the key compound which is associated with the “high” from marijuana. Keep in mind, you cannot get high from hemp products if they are within the legal limits of THC. This is why Broad Spectrum is very popular for many in school, law enforcement, transportation and workplaces where THC is forbidden.

3. Full Spectrum

When Hemp is extracted, the first form is typically crude. By it’s nature, this crude extract is full spectrum as it contains all of the extracted spectrum of cannabinoids from the hemp plant. This does mean that the extract may contain a trace amount of Δ-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and it may contain more than the legal limit, depending on the strain and extraction. As long as the extract is from a legal industrial hemp plant, it’s legal in all 50 States under the US Farm Bill of 2018. Legal full spectrum crude is often further distilled to remove the chlorophyll and other plant material from the extract. This results in a less “hempy” tasting extract. Most products prefer the second pass of distillate to ensure for suitable taste and higher cannabidiol levels. Some of the lesser-processed hemp oil extracts result in very earthy (some would say skunky or even dank) tasting products. There’s no clear advantage other than cost of production to having a single pass distillate vs cleaner distillates full spectrum hemp oil extract.

Hemp Oil extract, whether is’t in the Isolate, Broad Spectrum or Full Spectrum form is helpful to the human body due to the presence of the endocannabinoid system. This system works with plant-based cannabinoids, called phytocannabinoids, to regulate and manage various aspects of our health.

A purified form of the Isolate of Cannabidiol (CBD) is now used in an FDA-approved drug called Epidiolex. This drug is used to help manage the symptoms of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, in patients two years of age and older. These are both forms of epilepsy. Although not approved by the FDA, people have been using forms of hemp, including those with higher THC, to treat epilepsy and other conditions for many years. These conditions include anxiety, pain, fibromyalgia, MS, and others. Whether or not these treatments are effective remains anecdotal at present. Industrial hemp is being tested for many medical uses currently and it’s likely that we will find more uses for hemp for health in the near future. It’s important to note that there are no allowable patents on natural products. This means a drug company would have to alter the original compound or combine it with other compounds to essentially create a man-made product which would be allowed for patent protection. This is one reason why many people believe the pharmaceutical industry is against the use of natural products resulting from Industrial Hemp (and other forms of cannabis).

If you’re seeking to remain clear of all forms of THC for job purposes or some similar reason, it’s best to attempt to offer your body as many of the helpful and often therapeutic cannabinoids as possible. This is why people should first consider a Broad Spectrum, without any THC, as a natural booster to health and as a possible agent in reducing discomfort from pain or anxiety or a host of other conditions. When “popping” on a drug test is a high risk, some of the cannabinoids may be detected by some testing processes as THC or “general cannabinoid” and would cause issue for some people. In these cases, an Isolate or avoiding all forms of Hemp Oil Extract would be preferred. If you can, you may consider asking for special consideration for isolated CBD or broad spectrum, when possible. Some employers are lenient as long as they know that the concentration of THC is minor or nonexistent with most people who use Broad Spectrum or Isolate CBD.

If you’re seeking to eliminate discomfort from pain and boost your responsiveness to fighting discomfort from anxiety AND you’re not going to have a drug test in your future, it’s a good idea to consider the trace amount of THC in the Full Spectrum products as beneficial. NIH published studies confirm that THC and other cannabinoids are beneficial as natural agents and within other compounds to combat pain.

Choosing the Best Hemp Oil Extract Product

When you’re already able to choose the form (full spectrum, broad spectrum, or isolate), then you’re going to be far more prepared to select the best product for yourself. The hemp products industry has been keeping the prices of simple isolates relatively affordable for everyone. Although there are some players in the industry who are preying on those of use who are “just learning”, nearly all reputable vendors of CBD products are keeping the products very fairly priced. A good rule of thumb would be to drop the zero in the total milligrams of an isolate product to get the street price or reasonable market price of the product. For example, a 200mg to 250mg one ounce bottle of hemp oil extract drops (Isolate CBD) should cost no more than $20 to $25 (see where the extra zero in the milligrams was dropped to make this easy?).

When it comes to broad or full spectrum, there’s a bit of a finer line in the price of the products. Each of these typically cost upwards of 1.25x to 3x the price of a comparably sized isolate. As an example, a broad spectrum product (no THC) from Kalki in 250mg has a retail price of $29.95. These can be purchased at many trusted stores for full retail or a bit less, when on sale. Finding these products for the price of an isolate is more difficult as the isolates are very simple to manufacture while the others require more effort. Some manufacturers have more expensive marketing or higher levels of quality and these too will increase the price of the product. However, these more expensive products also tend to be backed by more transparent guarantees for quality and service (even returns). You’ll seldom find this level of quality management from the lower priced isolate brands or vendors.

To find the best product for yourself, it’s often best to combine the two considerations 1) form of hemp oil extract and 2) price or budget. You can always consider other options such as gummies, beverages, vapes or similar. The majority of hemp oil extract products sold still are drops. Keep these in mind as you shop around for your best new source of relief from discomfort thank to industrial hemp.