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A recent Forbes Health Survey survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by OnePoll found 60% of respondents have tried a cannabidiol (CBD) product and believe CBD has health and wellness benefits, including the potential to improve sleep, reduce anxiety and/or relieve pain.
Yet one-third of respondents said they don’t fully understand the differences between full-spectrum CBD, broad-spectrum CBD and CBD isolate.
It may be tempting to buy the first bottle of CBD oil you find, but to make an informed CBD product purchase, it helps to understand the different types of CBD and the various forms in which you can consume CBD.
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3 Types of CBD
CBD is largely derived from hemp, a type of cannabis sativa plant. CBD products can contain detectable amounts (no more than 0.3% by dry weight) of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in cannabis plants known for causing intoxicatingly psychoactive effects.
However, consuming CBD won’t get you “high.” Instead, CBD interacts with receptors in your body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which includes the brain and spinal cord, potentially calming the central nervous system, alleviating anxiety, improving sleep quality and/or reducing inflammation and chronic pain symptoms.
Understanding the differences between the three types of CBD—full-spectrum CBD, broad-spectrum CBD and CBD isolate—can help you choose the best type for your specific needs and preferences.
Full-Spectrum CBD
Full-spectrum CBD refers to a hemp extract that contains CBD and other compounds naturally present in the hemp plant, such as terpenes (compounds responsible for the way a plant smells) and minor amounts of THC, says Jeff Chen, M.D. co-founder and CEO of Radicle Science, a wellness clinical research organization in San Diego, and founder and former executive director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, one of the first multidisciplinary academic programs dedicated to the study of cannabis and cannabinoids.
CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, essential oils and other cannabinoids contained in full-spectrum CBD products can work synergistically to create what’s known as the “entourage effect,” which some research indicates may increase therapeutic benefits of CBD compared to when it’s used alone.
Broad-Spectrum CBD
Broad-spectrum CBD is a hemp extract similar to full-spectrum CBD, with the exception that it typically undergoes an additional extraction process to remove all THC while leaving the remaining compounds naturally present in the hemp plant intact. With that said, testing reveals that some broad-spectrum CBD products retain minimal traces of THC, so it’s safest to refer to them as “nearly THC-free.”
CBD Isolate
As the name suggests, CBD isolate, or pure CBD, doesn’t contain any THC or other compounds from the hemp plant, says Dr. Chen. Unlike full-spectrum CBD and broad-spectrum CBD, CBD isolate cannot create the entourage effect because the extraction method isolates CBD from all other terpenes, cannabinoids and plant compounds naturally occurring in hemp.
