Chances are, you’ve heard a lot about hemp products, but with so many variations and types, even the most experienced of consumers get confused. Read on to learn more about broad-spectrum hemp and its benefits so you’re able to make an informed decision on which products may best fit your needs.
What To Know About Broad-Spectrum Hemp
Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum are two of the three main types of cannabidiol extract. The main differences being the presence of other naturally occurring plant compounds within the extract.
If you’re curious about broad-spectrum hemp, you’ve likely wondered about a few other cannabinoid-related terms that are frequently tossed around. Many companies that produce broad-spectrum hemp oils, gummies, or capsules also create isolate and full-spectrum hemp products, so it’s important to know the key differences between the types:
Broad Spectrum: this type of CBD includes beneficial compounds like cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids but is filtered to contain 0.0% of one particular phytocannabinoid compound known for its psychoactive properties.
Full Spectrum: these products have cannabidiol and other compounds native to the hemp plant.
Isolate: as the name implies, isolate is streamlined and only contains one phytocannabinoid from hemp: cannabidiol.
Whether one of these types is a better fit for you than another will depend on your lifestyle, personal biology and health needs, the potency of the product, and your body’s response to hemp cannabinoids.
Broad Spectrum Extract, Explained
Broad-spectrum hemp is derived from the hemp plant and is non-psychoactive. Broad-spectrum hemp products contain a range of naturally occurring compounds and cannabinoids from the hemp plant. These include cannabichromene, cannabinol, flavonoids, and terpenes (aromatic compounds naturally found in many different types of plants) such as myrcene, limonene, or pinene.
Broad-spectrum hemp extract is similar to full-spectrum products, with the exception that is typically undergoes an additional extraction process to remove all psychoactive cannabinoids while leaving the remaining compounds naturally present in the hemp plant intact.
Some common extraction methods include:
- Solvent extraction: this process involves using liquid solvents to remove extracts from the plant.
- Pressurized liquid extraction: an advanced extraction technique using solvent extraction at carefully maintained temperatures and pressures to preserve the solvent’s liquid state throughout the process.
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction: in which CO2 is the main solvent used to extract specific components.
- Solventless extraction: extraction using heat, ice and pressure to preserve the maximum amount of beneficial compounds while minimizing residual solvents in the finished product.
There are over a hundred cannabinoids that can be extracted from hemp. Scientists have found that these plant compounds have a better effect on the body when they work together, rather than alone. This phenomenon is called the entourage effect. Because broad-spectrum hemp contains these additional cannabinoids and terpenes, the entourage effect caused by these compounds working together may increase the likelihood of the product producing beneficial health effects.
Why do people use broad spectrum hemp products?
An individual may wish to use hemp due to anecdotal evidence of its benefits for anxiety, depression, and pain reduction. Hemp products may also help with relaxation, leading many to use it when feeling stressed or experiencing sleep disturbances.
If you’re unsure whether a product is full or broad-spectrum, it’s best to take a look at a product’s third-party test results—and definitely steer clear of any products that don’t share that information publicly on their website.
How to use broad spectrum hemp products
Thanks to its hemp plant source, broad spectrum hemp is a great place to start for new users – keeping in mind that how you respond to hemp is based on your body composition, personalized physiology, and dosage.
A potential benefit of broad-spectrum hemp is that you have the highest chance of keeping a clear mind due to the absence of any psychoactive properties. Hemp products are often used by those looking for a health boost from hemp while skipping the psychoactive properties found in other varieties of extracts, oils, and gummies.
How to dose hemp products
It’s important to remember that hemp affects each person differently. For a baseline reference, here’s how we categorize hemp CBD potency:
- Gentle: Less than 20 mg of hemp CBD per serving
- Moderate: 20 to 40 mg of hemp CBD per serving
- Strong: 40+ mg of hemp CBD per serving
Keep in mind that using hemp is very much a trial-and-error process. It may be worth exploring both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum products to find what works best for you. We always suggest starting with the lowest dose and slowly working your way up until you find your personally preferred dosage.
Head to our website to learn more about broad-spectrum hemp.
