Wondering what the difference is between CBD vs hemp? How about comparing CBD oil to hemp? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. It is common for users to confuse hemp and CBD. In this article, we’ll give a comprehensive comparison between CBD and hemp products, hemp vs CBD, cannabis vs. marijuana, and why knowing the differences is important.
TL;DR – CBD, or cannabidiol, is actually a plant chemical contained within the industrial hemp flowers, leaves, and stalks. While similar, hemp and CBD are actually quite different.
*Please note that all information in this article is for educational purposes only. Any direct medical claim is not coming from the FDA or any regulatory body, rather from research data gathered by experts in the cannabis industry.
CBD vs Hemp: What’s the Difference?
Hemp, also known as industrial hemp, is a plant within the cannabis species. This plant contains large amounts of a cannabinoid known as CBD, or cannabidiol.
CBD is only one of several different plant chemicals (cannabinoids) found within the hemp plant. So, think of it this way: CBD and hemp shouldn’t really be compared. CBD is found within hemp, nothing more. It’s like comparing the terms milk and dairy. Milk is found within the dairy category – nothing more.
Related: What Does CBD Stand For?
Let’s go over both cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp, separately.
What is Cannabidiol (CBD)?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the numerous cannabinoids extracted from within the cannabis plant. It is a non-psychoactive member of the cannabis plant family. People enjoy it because it may provide therapeutic benefits such as:
- anxiety relief
- pain management
- anti-inflammatory properties
While there are more reasons people use CBD, these are by far the most common reasons.
As far as comparing hemp and CBD, CBD is an active component of both marijuana and hemp, even though hemp has a higher concentration of the compound than marijuana. This is why most countries prefer the use of hemp-derived CBD for recreational and medical applications.
Marijuana is rich in THC. Many people do not enjoy the psychoactive effects from THC.
Discover: What Do CBD Gummies Do For The Body?
Hemp vs Cannabidiol
Cannabidiol is the proper name for the term CBD. Remember, CBD is one of many different chemicals found inside the hemp plant. There are numerous other cannabinoids found within hemp – CBD is simply one of many.
So, comparing hemp to cannabidiol doesn’t make much sense. They are different things: hemp is the entire plant, cannabidiol is a chemical within that plant.
Marijuana and Hemp – Similar, but Different
It is important to understand the differences between marijuana vs hemp. Both marijuana and hemp are both types of cannabis plants.
They are more or less an identical plant, except for one key difference: marijuana contains high amounts of THC while hemp does not. By law, hemp cannot have more than 0.3% of THC by weight. That means hemp is non-psychoactive, while marijuana is extremely psycho active. That is literally just about the only big difference.
THC, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, is the cannabinoid that makes people feel high.
Hemp and marijuana both have their own place when it comes to therapeutic benefits.
Some people prefer one over the other. Both marijuana and hemp can contain high amounts of CBD. Historical analysis shows, however, than hemp typically contains much more CBD than marijuana.
Fun fact: Hemp and marijuana also differ significantly when seen on the farm. While marijuana grows with broad leaves, tight buds, and nugget hair or crystals, hemp appears with skinnier leaves that are concentrated at the top.
Hemp Derived Products
Related: CBD Oil vs Hemp Oil
You may run across the term ‘hemp-derived CBD’ when shopping for CBD products. This simply means that the CBD within that particular product was extracted from a hemp plant. Hemp-derived CBD meets the federal requirements for legal CBD.
Marijuana-derived CBD, on the other hand, likely contains a lot of THC which is still a controlled substance. For this reason, THC is still illegal in most parts of the US. If you do not want to get high, or THC is illegal in your area, please stay away from marijuana-derived CBD products.
What are the differences between CBD oil and Hemp?
This is a similar scenario to comparing CBD and hemp. Remember how CBD is a plant chemical within cannabis? Well, CBD oil is made from the extract of the hemp plant which is rich in CBD, along with many other cannabinoids.
This extract is then added to a carrier oil, and sold as CBD oil. So, CBD oil comes from the hemp plant.
How Can CBD Benefit Us?
CBD, or Cannabidiol, has a massive following due to its many benefits, including: relief from insomnia and other sleep disorders, anti-inflammatory properties, and other physiological benefits.
Many people prefer CBD oil over marijuana-derived oils, because they will not experience a high which can cause overwhelming anxiety and even paranoia.
Imagine being able to reap the rewards of medical marijuana, but without getting high. This is a great way to think about CBD oil use.
Insomnia Treatment
CBD works like magic for insomnia patients – and it’s proven! It reduces the symptoms of insomnia and allows deep uninterrupted sleep. Reports of falling asleep much quicker with the use of specialized CBD oil for sleep are very common.
It saves you from being sluggish and lazy the next day by ensuring you get the sleep you need. New Phase Blends actually has a patent-pending sleep aid called ‘sleep’ that revolves around the mixture of melatonin with cannabinoids like CBD, CBG, and CBN.
Prevents Acne Growth
CBD oil helps to reduce acne growth and relieve skin disorders. It stops the abnormal activity of sebaceous glands that prevents too much production of sebum in your skin. Please keep in mind that consulting your dermatologist before starting any skincare routine is necessary.
CBD alone isn’t the best approach to acne, but it can do the job for some people. CBD mixed with a salicylic acid base seems to be the best two-staged approach to fighting acne. You can check out our product called ‘glow’ here, if interested. Glow uses this two-staged attack on acne, and it’s even been featured in Vogue magazine!
Pain and Inflammation Aid
CBD oil has many potential health benefits. It works to relieve pain, inflammation, and stiffness. CBD is shown to affect our CB1 and CB2 receptors, and helps to manage chronic pain, arthritis pain, MS pain, muscle spasms, and spinal cord related pain issues.
As the CBD industry grows, we will only learn more about this miraculous product.
Anxiety and Depression Relief
Anxiety and depression can drag someone down into the worst situations imaginable. CBD oil is shown to help manage mental disorders and strengthen mental health. It directly affects your brain’s receptors and helps to reduce stress.
Discover: Using CBD for Stress
One of the most widely reported effects of CBD use is sedation, or a feeling of overwhelming calmness. Many people use CBD for this effect. Anxiety simply sucks, and using CBD for anxiety seems to work quite well.
Anti Seizure
The research shows that CBD is effective for the treatment of certain types of epilepsy by decreasing the number of seizures in patients.
Epidiolex is the world’s first FDA approved prescription medication that treats seizures.
It has CBD isolate in it, and works well at it’s job. Epidiolex shares a story of a 15-year-old named Kierstin who suffered from tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) since she was a baby. After taking Epidiolex, Kierstin experienced less seizures and was able to enjoy life more.
Neuroprotective Product
Research is being conducted to prove that CBD oil works well for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and strokes.
Researchers are looking to find out the effectiveness of this miracle oil for the cure of neurodegenerative disorders and inflammation due to diseases like these.
Industrial Hemp, A.K.A Hemp
Industrial hemp, as discussed earlier, is simply one form of the cannabis plant. The other form is known as marijuana.
Hemp as a ton of different uses, and has been used for literally thousands of years. Here are some of the more popular uses of the industrial hemp plant:
- textiles
- rope
- medicines
- building materials
- biofuel
Industrial hemp and hemp are both the same thing. ‘Hemp’ is just a shortened version of the word industrial hemp.
Hemp is commonly compared to it’s sister plant – marijuana. There are a few minor differences between hemp and marijuana, but the most common difference is the amount of THC contained in marijuana vs hemp.
Hemp, legally, should contain no more than 0.3% THC content, while marijuana can have a content of THC that far exceeds 0.3%.
Legal Status of CBD and Hemp
The difference in the THC concentration in hemp and marijuana determines their level of acceptability in different regions of the world. Most countries prefer to legalize the use of hemp for both medical and recreational uses due to its high CBD content and low THC content.
All hemp products are legal in the US as long as the THC content does not exceed 0.3%.
While hemp has been removed from the list of banned substances in the world, marijuana is still heavily regulated under the controlled substances act due to the high THC content.
*All CBD products sold by New Phase Blends meet the United States federal requirements for hemp-based products, including CBD.
CBD Products vs. Hemp Products
The bottom line is that CBD products and hemp products (also called hemp-based, or hemp-derived) are the basically same thing. They provide a similar effect on users with just a slight difference in the cannabinoid content, or makeup.
Cannabinoid Content – Different Spectrums
While both are made from the hemp flower/plant, it is important to note that hemp products all contain a little different cannabinoid makeup. Cannabinoids that can be found in hemp-based products are:
- CBD
- CBG
- CBN
- CBC
While there are other types of cannabinoids in hemp, these are going to be the most dominant ones. This is another slight difference in CBD vs hemp.
Related: Broad Spectrum vs Full Spectrum CBD
CBD products will, naturally, be high in CBD. They may also be high in the other cannabinoids listed. If you are curious, be sure to scan the product’s QR code. This code can be scanned with any smart phone camera. It will pull up a certificate of analysis that shows the exact cannabinoid content.
Cannabis products are classified as full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolates, depending on the combination of compounds in them.
While full spectrum CBD products contain all the naturally occurring cannabinoids in the cannabis plant (including THC), broad-spectrum CBD products come with all the naturally occurring cannabinoids except THC.
CBD isolates contain only CBD – no other cannabinoids.
Hemp Seed Oil and Hemp – A Common Scam
When discussing hemp vs CBD products, be aware of something: The products may actually not contain any active concentration of CBD.
This is because the CBD company is using hemp seed oil, and not a real CBD extract or hemp extract. Hemp seed oil does not contain any form of CBD, even though it is rich in terpenes, essential oils, and other chemicals. Be aware of bogus CBD products that have no CBD, please.
New Phase Blends receives several phone calls a week from people who were scammed by products like this. It results in people thinking that CBD doesn’t work at all. You see, people buy these fake products assuming there is a decent amount of CBD in them – when in reality there isn’t.
If you think you may have been scammed, give us a call. We’ll gladly send you a free sample kit so you can see the real power of an effective CBD product.
The ultimate aim of taking CBD and other hemp products is to provide the right concentration of CBD and other chemicals that can interact with the cannabinoid system. This may provide a much-needed therapeutic effect that can offer relief.
Are CBD and Hemp Oil the Same Thing?
No. While somewhat similar, CBD and hemp oil are different.
Hemp oil is a product made from extracting CBD from the hemp plant, and then mixing it with a carrier oil and flavorings. The result is hemp oil, or CBD oil.
This oil is placed under the tongue so people can get the benefits of using CBD, since hemp oil contains a large amount of CBD in it. CBD is just one of the plant chemicals contained within the hemp oil.
summary – Hemp vs. CBD
As you can see, a lot of these terms are similar, but different. Since the CBD industry is new, a lot of confusing terms are popping up, but in time, we’ll get it all figured out!
Related: The Differences Between THC and CBD
CBD and hemp are great for pain relief, improving sleep patterns, and triggering internal balance. This is all possible because of the interaction of CBD and other cannabinoids with the endocannabinoid system.
Remember, when referencing CBD vs hemp, they are basically the same thing. Hemp is the plant that carries CBD, in addition to other cannabinoids like CBN and CBG. We are slowly beginning to learn more about these wonderful, natural chemicals. The more research we do, the more we learn about possible therapeutic effects.
Let us know if you have any questions regarding the differences between CBD and hemp. We love getting phone calls or emails from people that want to learn about hemp and CBD. We think that giving the proper CBD education to people is so important, especially at the beginning stages of the CBD market.
Brookings Educational: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/12/14/the-farm-bill-hemp-and-cbd-explainer/
Purdue: https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-284.html
