Full spectrum CBD oil refers to pure hemp oil that contains all the cannabinoids that were present in the original hemp plant. There are hundreds of different cannabinoids present, but some of the best known are:

Cannabidiol (CBD)
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Cannabigerol (CBG)
Cannabidiolic Acid (CBDA)
Cannabichromene (CBC)
Cannabinol (CBN)
cannabicyclol (CBL)

Each of these cannabinoids can be used separately for a whole host of benefits, but with a full-spectrum CBD oil, you get a little bit of all of them. The three you are most likely to be familiar with are CBD, CBG, and THC.

But it’s not just the cannabinoids that make our CBD oil a valuable addition to your complete diet. When you buy a full-spectrum CBD oil, it will use a hemp seed carrier oil. This hemp seed oil also contains many essential vitamins and minerals, fatty acids, fibre, protein, chlorophyll, flavonoids, and terpenes.

Health Benefits

Full-spectrum CBD oil, then, refers to pure hemp oil that contains all of the same cannabinoids that are present in the original hemp plant. This provides a CBD oil supplement that allows the cannabinoids to work together, which is known as the entourage effect. However, it’s not just the cannabinoids that make our CBD oil a valuable addition to your complete diet. Hemp seed carrier oil also contains many essential vitamins and minerals, fatty acids, fibre, protein, chlorophyll, flavonoids, and terpenes.

The health benefits of full-spectrum CBD oil go beyond the fact that it is a source of CBD. The array of cannabinoids found in full-spectrum hemp oil have been shown in studies to work together. This is called the “entourage effect.” Together, these compounds work in harmony to enhance their therapeutic properties. The blend of cannabinoids, essential nutrients, proteins and healthy fats work together to promote balance in our health.

Many other CBD products are made up of CBD crystals or isolate. This means that CBD has been extracted away from everything else.

The more you take away from the original plant, the more processes the product has to go through. And the less pure they become.

The entourage effect

The health benefits of full spectrum CBD oil go beyond being a source of CBD.

The array of cannabinoids found in full-spectrum hemp oil have been shown to work together. This is called the “entourage effect.” Together, these compounds work in harmony to enhance their therapeutic properties. The blend of cannabinoids, essential nutrients, proteins and healthy fats work together to promote balance in our health.

If you think the THC in full spectrum will get you high, you are wrong!

Although full-spectrum CBD oil contains THC, it will not get you high. THC is the only cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that has the effect on your brain of making you high or stoned.

While THC is present in full spectrum CBD oil, it is in such a small amount that it would never be able to get you high. In Europe and the UK, it is illegal to sell CBD oil containing more than 0.2% THC, and in the THC-controlled states of the US, it is 0.3%.

Although the THC content is low enough to ensure you do not feel any psychoactive effects, it’s still dosed high enough to experience the therapeutic benefits from it. We would call this a win-win situation.

What different CBD oil and products are out there?

With so many vendors out there all offering CBD oil with fancy words and advertising what they offer, it can be pretty hard to figure out what to look for and what to buy. So here is a little CBD encyclopedia so you can make up your own mind:

CBD Isolate is 99.9% Pure CBD Oil

During the extraction process of CBD isolate, everything in the plant is removed, including all traces of THC, terpenes, waxes, oils, chlorophyll, and more. What’s left is pure CBD…and nothing else.

Full Spectrum CBD Oil

Full Spectrum CBD oil, on the other hand, contains everything the plant contains. Full Spectrum CBD is full of all the terpenes, cannabinoids, flavonoids.

Broad Spectrum CBD Oil

This is a little bit of both. Broad spectrum CBD is full spectrum CBD without any THC.

PCR stands for phytocannabinoid-rich.

In this case, alcohol distillation is typically used to separate the most dominant phytocannabinoids (THC and CBD) and terpenes. This process makes it possible to produce extractions that contain 0.0% THC and retain some of the terpenes of the original plant.

Cannabinoids

A term that refers to molecules found in the cannabis plant and/or that interact with cannabinoid receptors.

They can also be classified as synthetic cannabinoids. endocannabinoids or phytocannabinoids

Endocannabinoids

Chemicals produced by the body that target cannabinoid receptors that we all have in our bodies.

Synthetic Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids produced in the lab to structurally or functionally mimic endocannabinoids or phytocannabinoids.

Phytocannabinoids

Over 113 naturally occurring chemicals/compounds found in the hemp plant.

CBD-rich (sometimes referred to as “enriched”) extracts.

Preparations from hemp plants that have higher CBD content than plants historically bred for recreational use.

Whole Plant Medicine

This term is used to describe products that utilize the full spectrum of compounds that hemp has to offer.

What exactly does CBD oil do?

CBD oil has been shown to have a tremendous range of health benefits, from treating pain and reducing inflammation in serious illnesses to helping people sleep better at night and improving skin conditions. We have only begun to scratch the surface of what CBD oil and CBD in general can do for us.

The main reason CBD oil has these effects is because of the way it reacts with your body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS for short). Your ECS is largely responsible for the way your body regulates various functions, including your immune system, inflammation, sleep, hunger, pain, and memory.

And how does CBD oil actually work?

When you suffer from certain illnesses or even stress, the ECS, hormone levels, and chemicals in your body can become unbalanced. Your body naturally strives for a state of balance known as homeostasis. And when you consume or use cannabinoids like CBD oil, they can help your body return to a state of natural homeostasis.

Will I fail a drug test if I take full spectrum CBD oil?

When you take a drug test, the test looks for THC levels in your body. This is because, as mentioned above, THC is the only psychoactive cannabinoid. Drug tests do not test for CBD.

There are some stories on the internet of people claiming to have failed drug tests after taking full-spectrum CBD oils. However, these seem to be quite far-fetched, as most drug testing companies do not test for THC levels even close to those found in full-spectrum CBD oil. In fact, most testing companies specifically point this out in their testing guidelines.

However, if you are worried about failing a drug test and want an extra level of safety, there are always other CBD options available, including CBD isolates and broad-spectrum CBD oils.