CBD 101
You’re hearing about it everywhere and know it has something to do with pot- but what else is there?
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a compound that is found in the cannabis plant- yep, that plant! But cannabis isn’t only Cheech and Chong- hemp is considered part of the cannabis plant and is a great source of CBD.
When you use CBD derived from hemp, you get all of the incredible health benefits but without any of the “high” or “stoned” feeling. Hemp and marijuana are very similar but the big difference is that hemp has very low amounts of THC, which is what causes the psychoactive affect.
There are two different types of CBD you can easily find:
- isolate
- full spectrum.
Isolate means that CBD and only CBD was extracted from the plant. Full spectrum (also can be called broad spectrum) means that CBD was extracted from the plant but along with it came many other compounds, different cannabinoids likes CBG, CBN and terpenes, which are also found in essential oils. All the additional compounds allow for what we call the entourage effect- where they all work together to have a bigger impact on your health.
As a registered dietitian and cannabis practitioner I almost always recommend my clients use a CBD supplement that’s full spectrum to really get all the health benefits that are available. It’s also important to remember to purchase CBD made from organically grown hemp. This way you know that the soil that provides the nutrients for the plant don’t contain harmful ingredients.
The science and research behind CBD is really incredible and shows CBD potential for a wide range of conditions, from epilepsy to PTSD to anxiety and more. In my practice, I’ve recommended it to many patients with anxiety; especially the ones that tend to overeat when they’re anxious. I was surprised when I found that it also benefits my clients who are already pretty healthy, who exercise and take care themselves but still find that they aren’t feeling 100%.
The evidence is only growing on how beneficial CBD could be for many people and I love that people are starting to embrace the incredible benefits of cannabis. What are your questions about CBD? Ask them in the comments or reach out to me and ask: brooke@dailyhabitcbd.com and I’ll answer them in another blog post.