What exactly is ‘hemp oil’, and is it the same thing as CBD oil?
No, they are actually completely different products – hemp oil is primarily used in cooking or in beauty products, whereas CBD oil is an oral tincture or lotion that provides many health benefits. Both are made from hemp, but the difference is substantial.
How Can I Tell the Difference?
Read the label. Just because a product is marketed as hemp oil doesn’t make it a CBD product. Even products marketed as ‘infused with hemp oil’ don’t have pure CBD in them.
Hemp is a specific type of cannabis plant that is rich in cannabidiol and extremely low in THC with levels less than 0.3%.
“Hemp oil” is more accurately known as hemp seed oil and is extracted from the seeds of the hemp plant. Some popular brands market their product as “hemp oil”, but when you look at the ingredients, it says “raw, organic unrefined hemp seed oil”.
CBD oil is made using the entirety of the hemp plant, not just the seeds. The active ingredient will likely be listed as a “whole plant extract”, most commonly CBD isolate or CBD distillate. CBD oil tinctures such as Pure Plan CBD tinctures then use a carrier oil like MCT oil. Certain types of CBD oil are full spectrum which can contain trace amounts of THC under 0.3%, or broad spectrum, which has zero amounts of THC.
How Is It Produced?
Another major difference is the extraction process. Hemp seed oil is extracted using cold-press extraction using just hemp seeds. CBD oil uses the whole hemp plant and uses a much more expensive process called ‘supercritical fluid or CO2 extraction.’ This process gives you the highest quality, purest form of CBD oil.
What Color Is It?
Hemp seed oil typically has a dark to clear light green color and a nutty flavor.
CBD oil made with CO2 extraction using whole hemp plants typically has a clear to dark gold color and has either a neutral or earthy plant flavor.
How Much CBD Is in It?
If the hemp seed oil doesn’t list the amount of CBD in milligrams, it is not a CBD product.
Premium CBD products like Pure Plan will publish independent 3rd party test results with a detailed breakdown of the cannabinoid and terpene profile as well as other quality control metrics.
Why Is Hemp Oil So Cheap Compared to CBD Oil?
As stated earlier, high quality forms of CBD oil like Pure Plan is much more expensive to produce than hemp seed oil. If a product claims to be a premium CBD oil and is inexpensive, you should double check it for legitimacy.
What About Products On Amazon or in Health Food Stores?
Both hemp seed oil and CBD oil can be found at your local pharmacy, grocery store, and health food stores. However, most of the time you will find that they are generally sold in different locations. The most reputable, high quality CBD oil brands can be purchased online. A lot of pharmacies have started carrying high quality CBD oil brands like Pure Plan. A few years ago, this was not the case. And one big red flag – even though CBD is legal in all 50 states, Amazon still does not allow the sale of CBD oil, only hemp oil made from hemp seeds.
So What’s The Answer?
Simple. If you are looking to benefit from pure cannabidiol or CBD to help improve your general health and wellness or explore other potential health benefits, make sure you choose a high quality CBD product with high potency amounts of pure CBD like Pure Plan CBD products.
And right now, you can get a FREE Pure Plan Travel Size 390mg CBD Pain Lotion – a $39.00 value – just by paying $9.95 shipping and handling. Supplies are limited, so click this link for more information and to order yours.