CBD Hemp Oil
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about CBD Hemp Oil, including what makes it legal and different to cannabis oil as well as extraction methods etc.
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What’s the difference between Hemp and Cannabis?
Scientifically and genetically, Hemp and cannabis can be the same plant, with a genus and species name of Cannabis Sativa L. Legal Hemp is a strain of Cannabis sativa bred for a different purpose and very low in the illegal phytocannabinoid THC, while illegal cannabis can be Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, or Cannabis ruderalis. The major difference is how hemp has been bred compared to the “drug type” form of Cannabis sativa. While a marijuana strain of Cannabis sativa will be smaller, bushier, and full of flowering buds high in THC. Drug type cannabis or “marijuana”, 99% of the time, has a high amount of THC and only a very low amount of non-psychoactive cannabinoids like CBD. Hemp, on the other hand, naturally has a very high amount of CBG, CBC, CBDV, CBD and zero THC. Our fields are regularly audited to check THC levels are below legal limits. Fortunately, the cannabinoid profile of hemp is ideal for people looking for some of the health benefits of cannabis without the ‘high” or “psychoactivity”
Hemp can be used for making medicinal remedies, food, fibre, rope, paper, bricks, oil, and natural plastic. Whereas the much shorter, bushier and high THC cannabis is usually used recreationally, spiritually, and medicinally.
*Our hemp extracts are sometimes referred to by people as cannabis oil, as the term cannabis can technically describe hemp or marijuana, and in our case, cannabis oil is obviously being used to describe our hemp oils but they are still 100% legal in the UK and Non-Psychoactive.
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If a hemp extract is 40% cannabinoids, what’s the other 60%? What’s in your hemp extracts besides the naturally occurring cannabinoids?
Our hemp extracts contain a handful of phytocannabinoids (plant produced cannabinoids). In addition to the cannabinoids naturally present in our full spectrum hemp extracts, there are also many other types of natural molecules, phytochemicals and aromatic molecules called terpenes. But the bulk of the remaining percentage in our co2 hemp extracts are healthy plant waxes and fatty acids that have hitched a ride during the solvent extraction. These plant waxes can be removed through a process called winterization if need be but they are super healthy additions to any hemp food supplement. Rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
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How does hemp work?
Hemp works by acting as a switch that turns on the regulatory system in our body called the endocannabinoid system. This important internal system regulates internal conditions such as immune function, leading to an increase in overall health and wellbeing. We encourage you to do some research on hemp and the health benefits associated with hemp supplementation. We can on make any medicinal claims. Be wary of any suppliers that do. Such claims require licensing from the UK’s MHRA(medicines and healthcare regulatory authority)
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What are phytocannabinoids?
Phytocannabinoids(plant produced cannabinoids) are a class of naturally occurring constituents of hemp and cannabis, commonly used to support health and wellbeing. Our Hemp extracts are also known as cannabis oil (with significant amount of naturally occurring cannabinoids), as Cannabis sativa is the term used that both legal hemp and illegal marijuana fall into. We sell legal hemp extracts, not high THC cannabis.
Because the CO2 extraction used to make our oils yields a full spectrum extract, our hemp extracts contain many different phytocannabinoids, At trace amounts CBC, CBG, CBG-A, CBC-A, CBDV and CBDV can be found in our hemp extracts. In addition to the cannabinoids naturally present in our legal hemp extracts, there are also many other types of natural molecules and phytochemical compounds such as amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins (including B1, B2, B6, D), fatty acids (including omega 3 & 6), trace minerals (including iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium), beta-carotene, chlorophyll, flavonoids, ketones, nitrogenous compounds, alkanes, glycosides, pigments, water, and terpenes. The most common terpenes in our hemp extracts are Myrcene, Beta-caryophyllene, Terpinolene, Linalool, alpha-Pinene, beta-Pinene, Nerolidol Phytol, trans-alpha-Bergamotene, Limonene, beta-Phellandrene (Co-elution), and alpha-Humulene.
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Are cannabinoids from Hemp as good as cannabinoids from cannabis?
The short answer is yes. Cannabinoids are cannabinoids, whether from cannabis or hemp. The main difference we have found is that hemp lacks most of the aromatic essential oil or “terpenes” content found in illegal high THC cannabis this is why we have added back terpene profiles from parts of nature and well as fractionally distilled cannabis terpenes.
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What’s the percentage of cannabinoids in your Hemp & Coconut oil product?
Our raw hemp extracts have varying percentages of cannabinoid content. The range is been 3-99% purity
It’s important not to get to hung up on cannabinoid percentages and just concentrate on the MG of legal cannabinoids in the products. Our thorough research has found that a 3% CBD/coconut oil supplement with added terpenes is more effective at carrying the cannabinoids into the body, when compared to a 90% pure oil. The truth is high purity hemp extracts have relatively low bioavailability and when diluted into a carrier oil such as coconut MCT oil it enhances the absorption tenfold.
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What is the best method of ingestion?
All methods of hemp supplementation are beneficial. Whether it be oral, topical or vaporization. They each have their own benefits
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What’s the ideal serving size for me, and how often should I take it?
Our starting recommended serving size is 15-30 drops but we generally recommend experimenting to see what feels best to you. Some prefer 5 drops, some prefer over 50 drops per day.
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What is the safety of your hemp extracts? Are there negative side effects?
Hemp is considered by many to be generally safe. We’ve never seen or heard of any significant or negative side effects in our years in the industry. That said, we can’t rule them out. Please consult with your physician before using any dietary supplement including Hemp extract supplements.
THOSE WHO SUSPECT THEY MAY HAVE A DISEASE OR ARE SEEKING HELP FOR A DISEASE SHOULD CONSULT A QUALIFIED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
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Why are CO2 Hemp extract oils so expensive?
Subcritical CO2 oil extraction is performed on the flowers of mature industrial hemp plants, and the resulting hemp oil is analyzed in a laboratory through an HPLC test. Then the raw CO2 extracted hemp oil is shipped to the U.K and is further refined at our facility. The purified hemp oil is then again analyzed for its potency and purity. And then turning this naturally high-cannabinoid hemp extract into our final blends is another additional process that takes time and resources. And then final testing is performed on the finished products at a few third-party laboratories – including fundacion canna in spain. These necessary steps to ensure ultimate potency and purity throughout each stage of the process, and the facilities that are required to perform all the steps, all add up to CO2 hemp extract products being very costly to manufacture.
We hope to see the cultivation of hemp become more common in the united kingdom. There are small steps being taken in this direction. With the UK’s home office granting licenses for hemp farms this year and we are hopeful that process will continue favourably. This would lead to a dramatic decrease in cost for both the manufacturers and consumers of Hemp products, including CO2 Hemp Extracts naturally high in cannabinoids and terpenes.
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Why do people use Hemp Extracts? Cannabinoid/Terpene benefits and uses?
In accordance with UK regulations we cannot make health claims regarding our food supplement products. We can only recommend our products for general wellness.
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Is a standard hemp seed oil the same as a CO2 hemp extract?
Absolutely not. Standard hemp “seed” oil, which can be found very cheaply at a grocery store, is a much different product than our CO2 hemp extracts (not from seed). Standard hemp oil is produced by cold pressing the seeds, whereas our hemp extract is a subcritical CO2 extraction of the hemp plant itself, not the seeds. Regular hemp oil is considered to be a great nutritive food in itself, but it doesn’t have the naturally occurring terpenes, cannabinoids and other components that our extracts do have.
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Will I get ‘high’?
No. Our Hemp products are all made from low THC hemp, which only has trace amounts of THC if any at all. So there is no psychoactive effect from taking our products and they cant be used recreationally.
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Where do you source your hemp from?
We source our hemp from locally operated organic hemp farms in Germany and Switzerland. And we are in talks with a Spanish farm producing more stable higher CBD strains of hemp at present
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What kind of testing/analysis is performed on your products?
We have a very strict internal quality assurance system, and we have third party laboratories analyze all of our full-spectrum extracts and our final products for cannabinoid potency, heavy metals, bacterial and microbial life, mycotoxins (fungus), and pesticides.
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What is CO2 extraction? What’s the difference between subcritical and supercritical CO2 extractions?
CO2 extraction is an extraction process that uses pressurized carbon dioxide to extract precious components from a plant. CO2 at certain temperatures and pressures acts like a solvent, without the dangers of actually being one. It is the most expensive botanical extraction method available and is widely considered the most effective and safest plant extraction method in the world.
Many CBD hemp oil companies boast about their supercritical CO2 extractions, but that’s actually only one (and perhaps an inferior) method of using a CO2 extraction machine. There are also subcritical CO2 extractions, and ‘mid-critical’, a general range between subcritical and supercritical. Subcritical (low temp, low pressure) CO2 extractions take more time and produce smaller yields than super-critical, but they retain the essential oils, terpenes, and other sensitive chemicals within the plant. Supercritical, on the other hand, is a high pressure and high-temperature process that damages most terpenes and heat sensitive chemicals but can extract much larger molecules such as lipids (omega 3 and 6), chlorophyll, and waxes. A truly full-spectrum CO2 extract includes first performing a subcritical extraction, separating the extracted oil, and then extracting the same plant material using supercritical pressure, and then homogenizing both oil extracts into one. In the essential oil industry, an extract made using this specific process is referred to as a CO2 Total.
Learn about CO2 extraction here.
Learn about Hemp here.