CBD 101

Here is a list of questions, concerns, and tips regarding CBD:

What is CBD?

Before we keep going, check out other parts of our series on CBD, especially our post on what the exact differences between Hemp and Cannabis are.

Both are the same plant but are used for completely different things.

We are going to be referring to them a lot so make sure you know which is which.

Let’s continue:

CBD is one of the several dozen phytocannabinoids that are found in the cannabis plant.

It is a molecule that can be used to heal several different health conditions. It might sound similar to THC but is different for one huge reason: CBD has no psychoactive effects so it does not get you “high”.

It can’t be used recreationally -- so public opinion views it much more favorably than marijuana.

The CBD found in Hemp is identical to the CBD found in Cannabis. One of the biggest differences between the plants is that there just isn’t enough THC in hemp to get you high. However, both still have CBD.

CBD has become so popular in the medical community that over +1,000 studies are conducted on it each year.

Some studies claim it is extremely effective at fighting everything from cancer to seizures. It can also be used to counteract Cannabis’s psychoactive properties.

CBD and other molecules found in cannabis are so effective because they work with your endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Your ECS is essential for regulating everything from your movements, to your interactions with other people. It affects all of your organs, your breathing pattern, and nervous and immune systems.

CBD gives your ECS the nutrients and energy to do what mother nature designed it to do: regulate your ENTIRE body and keep you healthy.

This is one of the many reasons why scientific researchers have found it so amazing. Lots of different laws prevent us (and everyone else) from saying it can “heal” you or is a “cure” for certain diseases.

But if you were to do some basic research you would quickly see hundreds of different studies that show how effective it is.

Even the US Government Agrees!

In one of its patents looking at the uses of CBD as Neuroprotectants and Antioxidants the Government makes several statements supporting CBD:

“CBD is much more effective at providing antioxidants than Vitamin E or Vitamin C.”
“CBD is particularly advantageous as it is not toxic... it does not have the unfavorable psychoactive properties of THC, yet is still extremely effective as an antioxidant.”
“CBD goes through tissues, allowing antioxidants to enter difficult to reach locations such as the brain and nervous system.”

How Safe are CBD products?

CBD by itself is extremely safe, and cannot do you any harm.

However, CBD products, depending on how they were created and what other compounds are in them, could have negative side effects.

A clinical trial in the respected peer-review journal Current Pharmaceutical Design concluded that CBD is extremely safe and well-tolerated by humans.

A more extensive trial at King's College in London concluded the same thing:

They took 16 volunteers, gave half CBD, and the other half a placebo. They concluded that there were “no differences...” in any physiological factors or behavioral effects in any of the volunteers.

That is to say: CBD has no negative side effects, and is perfectly safe for humans.

The same trial was also conducted again with half of volunteers receiving THC, the other half a placebo. Those who received the THC felt several different side effects including a higher heart rate, and sedation.

THC has several effects on the body and mind, while CBD is perfectly accepted by the body.

And another study in the journal Current Drug Safety had the same conclusion: CBD has no toxic properties, is compatible with the human body, and is safe.

In addition to being safe, several studies on the effects of CBD have shown it is extremely effective at treating a multitude of conditions. Its effects are anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-epileptic.

The interest in CBD has increased to the point where a tremendous desire has formed for Cannabis strains that contain exceptionally high amounts of CBD.

Is Hemp CBD Different From Marijuana CBD?

Even though they are technically the same plant, a lot of people disagree on where the “best” comes from. Some people say it’s from hemp, other cannabis, others that it doesn’t matter.

Let's look at all the arguments:

Our products contain CBD that was obtained from hemp. However, we definitely know that THC can perform incredible miracle cures in certain cases. Also, before we keep going make sure you know the difference between hemp & cannabis.

Remember: every time we mention either “Marijuana” or “(Industrial) Hemp” we’re still talking about the same plant.

The best way to explain this is by pretending Cannabis were a tomato plant. Regardless of the plant, there’s going to be a ripe red tomato dangling from the vine. This could be a huge red tomato to turn into pasta sauce, or a tiny cherry tomato for salad.

Either way, each has the same vitamins and types of nutrients. There are going to be some slight differences depending on where the plant is from -- but it’s still a tomato plant.

The same idea applies to Cannabis.

Differences exist because Marijuana and Hemp have different chemotypes. Now this might sound complicated but I promise it will make sense in a little:

“A chemotype is derived from a plant that has the same visual appearance and characteristics but it is chemically composed of differing components... for example, one chemotype may have a higher content of alcohols compared to another chemotype that may have a high content of phenols.

This means you can have two plants of the same species that have very different chemical effects. Even though “hemp” and “marijuana” are the same plant, we think they are different things because they have different chemotypes.

They are the same thing, they just have different amounts of THC. Hemp is just cannabis that was selectively cultivated and bred over several years to have less than .3% THC. Otherwise there is no difference.

Sometimes, the amount of THC the plant contains will have an impact on how other molecules in the plant act. This is known as the “entourage effect” and can play a larger role than we would think.

Remember: THC is NOT just for recreational uses, and is often essential for treating certain conditions.

Extraction methods and growth circumstances are also extremely important for CBD quality.

While we are on the topic of all CBD’s not being equal, extraction and growth have HUGE impacts on the quality of oils.

Cannabis absorbs everything in its surroundings -- grow it in pesticides and you’ll be consuming them. Our CBD is grown in pristine Northern European farms that NEVER use pesticides or other dangerous chemicals.

How the CBD is extracted is important because certain extraction processes can destroy all nutrients found in the plant.

CO2 extraction is the safest and healthiest, so we use it for all our products. Cheaper methods such as butane heat extraction are cheaper, but drastically reduce the CBD’s effects.

Does CBD Interact With Other Medicines?

Cannabidiol (CBD) itself has no dangerous interactions with other drugs you may be taking.

But there is one exception:

Full Spectrum CBD might indirectly affect other pharmaceuticals by increasing their strength. This is because CBD stops a certain particle in your body from working effectively.

The liver enzyme Cytochrome P450 is essential for your body. It metabolizes almost all the drugs we consume. It breaks down the substances you put in your body, and turns them into simpler substances that your body actually knows how to use.

Because of how complicated most medicines are, this means Cytochrome P450 alone allows us to break down over 60% of prescribed medicines.

Sounds important right?

Now this is the issue:

If you take a large dose of CBD, your body’s P450 enzymes will be temporarily inactive.

When those enzymes are inactive, it becomes much harder for your body to process almost every drug out there.

This means:

Taking lots of CBD will greatly increase the effects of any prescriptions drugs on your body.

As they cannot be processed, the drugs will just stay in your body instead of being digested as they should.

What does this mean?

This is both good and bad:

The good side is that there may be a possibility to reduce the amount of powerful prescription medications you take (speak to your physician before beginning or stopping medication). Regardless of what you take, it’s always best to put less artificial drugs into your body.
The bad side is just that you need to be careful. If you are taking CBD make sure to talk to a medical professional and reduce the amount of prescription drugs you are taking.

Again:

Cannabidiol (CBD) itself has no dangerous interactions with other drugs you may be taking according to medical journals. (more information can be found projectcbd.org).

Here's a list of possible drug interactions on https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/cannabis.html

What percentage of CBD is your oil?

Our product has XX% CBD, but that’s not what is important.

The new emphasis on CBD % is a trick.

When looking at things like liquors or gold it’s pretty straightforward: a higher percentage makes it stronger or more desirable.

The same is NOT true for CBD.

As more and more companies enter the industry to make a quick buck, their main selling point is how much CBD is in their percentage.

They show it off, and hope they convince uneducated consumers to buy.

Remember:

The percentage ONLY matters for CBD producers.When creating the refined CBD, knowing the CBD percentage is important to know how much CBD you are putting in each vial.

CBD percentage has no use otherwise.

If you are looking for the best CBD oil you can buy, you can forget about how much percentage of CBD is in the bottle. The much more important thing is going to be the quality of the CBD.

To improve your health: quality is king.

Let’s say you have two options:

An Oil with 50% CBD that has been heavily processed, and extracted with butane.
An oil with “just” 12% CBD that has been organically grown, extracted with CO2, and kept away from heat so that it maintains its natural mix of nutrients and terpene profile.

Number 2 will be incredibly more beneficial for your health.

It is like choosing between buying lots of CBD residue or a small amount of almost intact fresh CBD!

It gets worse:

Many of the new companies that are now selling CBD products use isolate.

It has a very high percentage of CBD -- but is extremely artificial. As an isolate: it lacks ALL of the nutrients found in the plant (other than CBD). Every part of hemp enhances CBD’s effects and makes it so incredible. Go with the isolate, and you don’t have any of that.

Isolates are bad because they don’t have what’s known as the “entourage effect”. Terpenes are organic compounds found in hemp that work with CBD to make it be absorbed faster and more effectively by your body.

A higher percentage of CBD can be detrimental, if it lacks hemp’s natural nutrients.

A lot of these companies advertise their high percentage to convince you to buy -- but many are just informed of what makes a good oil.

Either way: now you know that percentage is just an advertising trick.

Look for the quantity of CBD in the bottle. If someone’s main selling point is their percentage -- avoid them!

This is what you need to know:

Our CBD oil is carefully treated so that all the important natural parts of hemp are untouched. It’s the closest you can get to healing straight from nature. Our process is completely organic, uses CO2 extraction, no GMOs, and no heating.

From start to finish: we’re working to make sure you get the best CBD product on the market.

Our ingredients are meticulously chosen, carefully processed, and holistically put together to make sure your body gets EXACTLY what it needs.

6 Tips To Find An Amazing CBD Product

Even Though CBD is becoming more and more popular, high quality oils are becoming harder and harder to find.

Now that there are so many ecommerce platforms for CBD, it's easy for anyone to start a CBD business. Unfortunately, more and more companies only care about profits -- not the quality of what they’re giving you. Wherever you buy your CBD, we don’t want you to get hustled by someone who just wants your cash. We love this industry, and we want it to be filled with high quality producers and educated consumers.

With that over, here are 6 tips on how to find a high quality CBD:

Hemp absorbs substances in its surroundings. This means any toxins or contaminants will become part of the hemp. To watch your health and maximize effects make sure your hemp is grown in a low pollution organic location.’
AVOID any oil that has gone through heat extraction. This method has become popular because it’s a CHEAP way to extract CBD. The downside? It destroys most of the plant’s nutrients. Your best bet is an oil that uses CO2 extraction. It keeps the plant intact and makes sure every nutrient works like it's supposed to.
No CBD Isolates. Having isolated CBD might sound like a good idea, but studies have shown it is less effective, and sometimes even dangerous. You want every part of the plant there so it functions just like nature designed it to.
Look for an oil with high mg per bottle. CBD quality, not quantity, is king. An oil should have as much CBD per dose as possible, the overall percentage of CBD is much less important. Small amounts of well extracted CBD will be much better for your health than lots of overheated nutrition less CBD.
Every oil you purchase should come with a label that shows it has been “independently tested”. This means a neutral laboratory has confirmed the oil is as good as the producer says it is.
Take a good long look at the history of the company. New companies are rushing to produce new CBD products because they think they can make a quick buck. Make sure they care about you -- not just what’s in your pocket.

Now you hopefully know a lot more about the CBD industry, and what makes good oil.

Our products meet all the criteria we mentioned -- but now you know how to maximize your results from any CBD product you choose.

What Is The Right Dosage For Me?

FINDING THE RIGHT DOSAGE IS HARD EVEN FOR REGULAR USERS.

It’s only been over the past decade where CBD has become respected enough to be studied closely. There’s only now enough data to compare different theories and see how much CBD is necessary for optimal effects. Thankfully, this isn’t too important for safety.

Unlike other drugs, it is impossible to overdose off CBD. Even unlike marijuana: too much CBD will not impair your ability to go about your daily routine. While there is not a single case of someone dying from CBD, there are times where you need to be careful.

CBD itself has no negative side effects or lethal properties, however its interactions with other drugs can be dangerous. If you are taking any opioids you should drastically reduce the amount of CBD you take. As they affect your body on the same pathways as opioids such as codeine, vicodin, and oxycodone, they will strengthen the effects of those drugs.

The amount you need to take will decrease depending on how good the quality of your CBD is. The better and more natural the CBD, the easier it is for your body to process. If there was a chart we could give you that told you how much to take -- we would. But there’s nothing like that.

CBD HAS TO BE CUSTOM TAILORED TO YOU

The amount of CBD you take is going to depend on what you need, what your body is like, and the reason you are taking it. CBD is funny. Oftentimes a smaller dose will do more for you than a larger one.

5 Tips To Find Your Dose

We’re not trying to find what the “best” does. We want what’s going to do the most for YOU. So here are some steps and tips to find the dose that is going to improve your health.

One thing before we keep going: A lot of people take CBD as a preventative measure.

It’s just part of a daily routine like taking multivitamins or fish oil. If that’s you, you are probably best off following the recommended dosage amounts on the label of our products.

Even if you feel great, CBD can still do wonders for your body and improve your natural processes.

WHAT DOSAGE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

If you’re taking CBD because of a health condition, remember that it was usually your lifestyle that got you sick in the first place. It could be everything from smoking cigarettes, to not doing enough exercise.

CBD can heal you, but nothing is going to change if you don’t go out of your way to change your lifestyle.

Always start with a low dose. CBD works in funny ways, you might be reducing your health benefits by taking too much.
Give your body time to react. Don’t keep changing your dose every day you don’t get the results you want. Give it at least 2-4 days before changing again.
Keep detailed notes of how you feel after changing your dose. Are you feeling cramps, losing your appetite, or did it get harder to sleep?
Always ask a medical professional to give you an opinion.
Increase your dosage if you aren’t feeling the way you want to.

How much CBD is right for you is going to depend on everything about you. Your age, height, weight, genetics, lifestyle choices, and previous medical history. There are tons of different factors that can affect how quickly you feel health benefits.

That’s why whenever you buy our products, you have 60 days to give it back, no questions asked.

For some people, they will start taking our product and feel better immediately. But for others, it might take as long as several weeks. It can take a while to find the right dose and see how much you need depending on your health and your conditions.

If you have any other questions, please consult with a medical professional or contact us via email.

Can CBD improve my health?

First: congrats on being open minded enough to try the newestup and coming health supplement.

You won’t be happy to hear it -- but there is a very simple reason why you are sick. When you understand why you aren’t healthy -- reaching your health goals becomes much easier.

Nature has everything we need to live happy lives.

Most of us are born healthy -- and there is nothing stopping us from getting back to full health.

Some of us have had challenges since birth -- but having them doesn’t mean we can’t get better or have less pain and discomfort.

As you learn more about CBD, you’ll hear the endocannabinoid system (ECS) mentioned again and again. It is important because it is what allows CBD to work so well.

Your ECS is a regulatory system in our bodies that influences everything from our breathing to our interactions with other people. CBD gives it the boost it needs to do what it was made for: balance your body and help it heal itself.

Now here’s a tough truth:

Why you are sick

There is always a reason why we are sick -- sickness rarely just appears out of thin air.

We are healthy when our body, mind, and spirit are balanced and healthy.

Sickness comes from one or many things that cause imbalance. These can include:

Deadly habits such as drinking and smoking
Harmful mindset caused by emotional trauma (depression)
Physical trauma or injury
Lack of nutrients and poor diet
No physical activity and exercise
Inherited diseases and genetic traits (Epigenetics have shown we can overcome most genetic dispositions)

There are so many different things that can affect your health. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your body can regenerate and balance itself out.

CBD has become popular because of its across the board balancing effects. It deserves every one of the +1,000 studies that are conducted with it every year. Its filled with substances that can boost your health in completely different ways.

But even CBD is just part of the larger picture.

Balance is ESSENTIAL

Our bodies don’t need dozens of different pills to work right.

Their built in ability to heal comes right back as long as we nurture them and take care of them correctly.

Don’t know what we’re talking about?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Sensory isolation tank: Not as scary as it sounds! You’ll float in a salt filled tank for as long as you like (we recommend 90 minutes). Without sight, smell, touch, or taste, your mind will have no distractions and have several physical and emotional benefits.
Panchakarma: Panchakarma is a cleanse in Ayurveda Medicine. It is originally from India and has become popular in the west over the past decades.
Meditation: Studies have shown daily meditation reduces stress, increases confidence, and gets rid of anxiety.
Yoga: Yoga is an amazing way to get our daily dose of physical exercise. It stretches our bodies, frees our minds, and puts us in touch with our inner selves.
Improve your diet: Ayurveda and floating tanks can be expensive. If you are on a budget your best bet to improve health is improving your diet. Cut out anything with high sugars or that is heavily processed.
Recover from Trauma: You can’t have a better future if you are still holding on to the past. Forget, forgive, and go beyond whatever past experiences you’ve had.

Becoming completely healthy isn’t as simple as hopping on the next “new” diet or buying some magic pills.

You have to be ready to improve your life, and make the necessary day to day changes. That’s not to say you can indulge in life: you just need to have balance and moderation.

If you are ready to improve your health, CBD is a supplement that can play a massive part in getting you feeling happy, full of energy, and worry free.

How does CBD work?

Think of CBD as a signal to your body. When it is detected, your body’s endocannabinoid system (an important regulatory part of your nervous system) knows to work hard.

Here’s a little known fact:

Your body actually produces molecules that are very similar to THC and CBD.

They are known as endogenous cannabinoids and are an essential component of one of the systems that regulates your body.

CBD is so effective because this regulatory system works just as well with it, than with any of your body’s own natural cannabinoids.

Whenever you take CBD, you tell this system to work harder to bring you back to full health. It works so well because instead of being clustered in your brain, your ECS system has CBD receptors throughout your entire body.

Now:

You have two types of ECS receptors scattered throughout your body -- CB1 and CB2.

CB1 receptors are more diverse. They are found in everything from your organs, to different glands and your nervous system.

CB2 receptors are almost exclusively present in your immune system and other tissues and body parts that are related to you being at your best health.

Marijuana gets you high because it contains a lot of THC. THC directly stimulates these CBD receptors, causing psychedelic effects. CBD is different: whenever you take it, it tells your body’s own cannabinoids to stimulate the CB1 and CB2 receptors.

Instead of your body feeling some alien outside substance, it’s just doing more of what it usually does.

THC also gets you so “high” because it focuses on CB1 receptors. These are concentrated in your brain, and cause psychoactive effects when stimulated.

CBD affects these receptors a lot less, allowing anyone who takes it to continue going through their day without being hindered.

Again:

We’re not allowed to make claims that CBD heals or cures anything. But we’re given you the science: CBD allows you to boost your natural immune system that was designed to keep you strong and healthy.

With receptors scattered throughout your entire body, it is no surprise that CBD has received so much interest from the scientific community.

What is Hemp and Cannabis, and How Are They Different?

We talk about hemp and cannabis a lot. Hopefully now you’ll know the difference.

Both Hemp and Cannabis come from the SAME plant, Cannabis Sativa L.

Because of how intermingled their history is, it’s tough to get the two straight. Opponents of the plant, and people who want to demonize users take advantage of this confusion. Media outlets, politicians, and others manipulate information to change public perception of the plant.

The following information will explain the difference between the two and help you become a better educated consumer.

The name will change depending on what the plant is being used for.

If we’re talking about “hemp” it’s because the plant is being used for commercial or industrial uses.

This focuses more on the stalk and seed, and largely ignores the leaves or “flowers”. Possible uses include everything from clothes, to rope, food, cleaners, construction materials, or health care products.

Whenever someone uses the phrase “marijuana” or “cannabis” they are referring to the consumption of the cannabis leaves or “flowers”.

The leaves are much more effective for medicinal, spiritual, or recreational use because they have anywhere from 3 to 30 times more THC than the stem. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinols) being the part of the plant that acts as a psychedelic and gets you “high”.

The plant is known most for its psychedelic properties, but don’t forget about hemp:

Hemp fiber is the overall strongest of all naturally occurring fibers. It is long, which makes it easy to spin together, and extremely durable. On top of that: it is easy to grow, and can be effectively harvested without using powerful herbicides or chemicals.

It is extremely good for the environment.

Most plants will reduce the quality of the soil as they are harvested -- hemp does the opposite. It can become 100% sustainable when grown in rotation with certain beans and grains.

Over time, it even adds nutrients to the soil because of the high concentration of fats and proteins in hemp seeds.

It produces much more paper per acre than pine trees (what most paper is made of) and can be recycled more than twice as many times.

Hemp has been used by humanity for thousands of years.

Research has shown it was one of the first crops that homo sapiens grew. Up until late last century, it was the most harvested crop in the entire world. It was essential in every industry from ship building to textile manufacturing.

Even today, it's extremely popular in many countries throughout the world including India, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, and China.

More Big Differences Between Hemp And Marijuana

Hemp is often called “industrial” because of its use in rope making and other manufacturing industries.

Because of its many uses, it has been harvested for over 300 years in the United States.

The pushback only began in the 1950s, and was attacked by the same campaign that deemed marijuana a “dangerous, foreign drug."

Now remember:

Hemp and marijuana are still technically the same plant. However industrial hemp is a very different variety of the same plant. Think of it as a subspecies or distant cousin of the plant that is popular because of its psychoactive properties.

The fact that it is a subspecies is still extremely important, and causes there to be many differences.

The amount of THC in Marijuana is much higher than in hemp. This makes sense: marijuana is specifically cultivated to maximize leaf size and THC content. As a general rule: marijuana will have ten times more THC than hemp. One “joint” might get you high, but you would have to smoke ten of those if you were trying to use hemp medically or recreationally. Industrial hemp also has large quantities of CBD, a chemical that has amazing healing properties but lowers THC’s psychoactive effects.
Industrial hemp’s fiber is much stronger than normal cannabis’s (no surprise!). This is what allows it to be used for rope, paper, furniture, household items, and textiles. Cannabis’s fiber is much less compact, does not hold well together, and can rip easily. The fiber’s higher strength is extremely important for it to be useful as a building material
They have completely different growing processes. With marijuana you are trying to maximize the size of the buds, with hemp you want to maximize the stem. Hemp is surprisingly similar to bamboo: it is grown up to 15 feet tall and grown extremely close together. Marijuana plants are usually only 5 feet tall, and planted with enough distance from the next plant to maximize the size of each leaf.
They are grown in different areas. Marijuana has to be grown in a humid and hot location in order to maximize the number of buds that appear. Cold and dry temperature causes the quality and quantity of the THC rich buds to drop. However, when growing hemp the stalk is the only thing that matters. When not worrying about the buds, the plant stops being frail. It’s then grown wherever corn grows the best which includes the Northeast United States, and Southwest and Southeast.
Hemp is not illegal to grow. Thankfully, it is now legal to cultivate marijuana in many different states. However, one can cultivate hemp in every state as long as one receives a special license from the DEA. Unfortunately, it is very hard to acquire this permit.

With huge differences between the plants, it is unfortunate hemp still suffers from such extreme discrimination. If it were fully embraced it could be a huge positive for the US economy and provides thousands of Americans with better jobs.