The World Of CBD Isolates

Join us on a quick journey and imagine:

The year is 2027. A cool damp air has begun to soak into the city's atmosphere. After a long day working, a man steps out of the gym, already sore from putting in a long day and now, an equally punishing workout. While the sound of hyper-cars flying above starts to fade into the buzzing city lights, he reaches into his pocket for something to relieve his aching body after unarguably conquering the day.
​
Back to the present day!

We aren’t in the year 2037 yet, but will be in no time. What sort of product could this future-man be using to treat his ailments.
We aren’t quite sure, but we do have a guess.
As the market for these health-wise products grow to a larger audience, an audience with a diverse demographic, the need for new kinds of products emerge. Today we guide the enthusiastic masses toward the realm of isolates.
First let’s start with the basic information, wrap your mind around the compound so easily referred to with three letters, CBD.

This compound is a powerful anti-inflammatory and regulator of gastric motility, which makes it a potential therapy for IBS, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and much, much more.
Like the properties found in spices like turmeric or nutmeg, it’s packed with powerful antioxidants. In Eastern medicine these are found to impart users as a preventative of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.  Its antioxidant properties also make it an age-reduction skin therapy.
Additionally, the compounds anti-inflammatory quality has been found to alleviate the symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. These antioxidant properties make the compound ideal for those treating an health issue or just living an active lifestyle.
CBD isolate is what it sounds like: an extraction from the cannabis plant so that the subsequent product is “pure” CBD.
What’s the Difference Between Medical Marijuana and CBD?Cannabis, with its complex chemical structure, contains over 100 active cannabinoids aside from the most obvious ones. It also contains terpenes, which have anti-inflammatory properties, and are regarded as increasing the efficacy of cannabinoids. If you’d like to know more about Terpenes, check out our other post on the subject.
While THC is what is responsible for cannabis’ psychoactive side effects, Cannabidiol is non-psychoactive and comes with a lot of healing properties.
CBD isolate is what it sounds like: the extraction of CBD from the cannabis plant so that the subsequent product is “pure” cannabidiol. Companies that do this use some kind of extraction process, likely with CO2.
Once they remove unwanted plant material from the extraction, the result is a concentrated isolate, which only amplifies the healing properties of the cannabinoid.
Although they are not rated as important as CBD when it comes medical benefits, some of these other cannabinoids have been found to have symptom alleviating qualities as well. The cannabinoids CBN and CBG for example, are found in most full-spectrum extracts and studies have shown that both contain anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and pain relieving properties.
Whole-plant extracts typically contain a carefully measured amount of the cannabis plant's most prominent cannabinoid, THC, although usually not in a large enough amount to have any psychological effects. In many countries, a certain percentage of THC is illegal, so it is vital to know the amount of this cannabinoid when manufacturing products that contain full-spectrum CBD.

When present together, cannabinoids and its cannabinoid colleagues, as well as terpenes, produce what is known as an entourage effect. The synergistic relationship between cannabinoids and terpenes has been shown to increase the healing properties of each.

A study published by the Lautenberg Center for Immunology and Cancer Research, which aimed its focus on the effectiveness of cannabidiol isolates compared to full-plant extract, supported this concept, stating in its summary that "in all of the tests, the isolated compound was ineffective both before and after a certain dosage, while the effectiveness of the full-spectrum solution continued to increase as higher doses were administered.
What does CBD full-spectrum mean?Full Spectrum CBD Oil generally refers to oil products that not only contain cannabidiol, but also contain some terpenes and other cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN and even THC in some cases. Thus, it is important to recognize the difference in the marketplace
When seeking out Full Spectrum products, you may come across some called “Broad Spectrum” that claim to have 0% THC.
The results all indicate that CBD is only effective against swelling and pain at a certain dose, and that cannabis solutions containing a full range of cannabinoids will continue to provide corresponding effects as the dosage is increased."
Reflecting on the results of this study, it would seem to confirm that full-spectrum extract is preferable over CBD isolate for most CBD users, but CBD isolate is still frequently used and believed by some to be more effective than full-plant extract.
This belief is led by the idea that CBD is the only medically sought after cannabinoid in the cannabis plant, aside from THC.
Many isolate users are under the impression that by consuming only the CBD cannabinoid and no terpenes or any other "unnecessary" components of the plant, they are getting a more powerful or effective dose of CBD.
When vaping a CBD extract, which as stated previously, is considered to be the most quick-acting method of administering CBD, isolate users may feel that they are taking the most efficient route to CBD consumption.

Though this method might be efficient, the lack of entourage effect means the benefits are reduced when compared to full-spectrum CBD consumption. So it’s wise to review what exactly is going into the products you consume, then you can understand what it is you’re getting.

However, CBD isolate does have something to offer users that full-spectrum extracts does not.

The fact that full-spectrum extracts invariably contain low levels of THC means that some users prefer to play it safe and stick to pure CBD by itself, out of fear of failing a drug test or experiencing a form of "high", although both of these occurrences have been found to be fairly unlikely yet.
The bottom line is that we should all know exactly what it is we are consuming. That goes as far as the food we eat and dietary supplements we take, but that’s another topic for another time.
Still, THC is one of the cannabinoids involved in the "entourage effect" stated earlier so it is ideal for inclusion in CBD supplementation.

A recent article on full-spectrum CBD demonstrates the importance of THC inclusion by stating, "In hemp THC is a minor constituent and appears only in trace amounts under 0.3% by dry weight, as required by the U.S. government for hemp plants-derived product.
THC mimics the action of anandamide, a neurotransmitter naturally produced in the human body, and binds to CB1 receptors in the endocannabinoid system found mostly in the brain. The extremely low levels of THC in hemp make hemp oil or cannabis derivatives non-psychoactive and safe for all ages to use.
The wide range of benefits contained in full-spectrum High CBD extracts means some CBD merchants have either ceased to sell, or scale down the promotion of CBD isolate, in comparison to the whole-plant extract variety.
Companies and individuals who extract CBD themselves are realising that cannabis has more to offer medicinally than just cannabidiol or tetrahydrocannabinol THC, and that there is little to no reason to not include all that this "super-plant" has to offer in the extraction process.

This all serves to underline the importance of testing CBD extract for the various levels of active ingredients.

Let’s say you’re preparing your own isolate or cbd products.

If your homemade CBD extract contains a high amount of THC it could be illegal in your country and require you use either a different method of extraction, or more likely, the need to find a source of hemp that has lower THC. It’s a touchy subject in the United States.
As more scientific literature emerges supporting the effects of these compounds, and increased benefits of full-spectrum CBD compared to CBD isolate, we can expect the manufacture and sale of CBD goods based around isolate to improve stil, if laws around cannabidiol cbd stay the same, since the compound is responsible for a large bulk of the therapeutic qualities of the plant, and it has no psychotropic effects.

Marijuana users who are solely interested in the medicinal value of cannabis may find CBD isolate to be an extremely appealing form of the product.  If you’re looking for a CBD rich product, it intuitively makes sense to consume a product that is only CBD, right?
So all of those incredible effects of CBD that I mentioned earlier?  Well, they come with a bit of a caveat known as the entourage effect. The cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant work together to produce the effect the consumer experiences; this interaction of cannabinoids is known as the entourage effect.
THC and CBD work together.
CBD organically blocks the potency of THC, which makes the high experienced by the consumer manageable and pleasant.  THC works with CBD to amplify its medicinal qualities. Additionally, THC has medicinal qualities of its own that are completely forgone by CBD isolate. Cannabis has more to offer than just cannabinoids; terpenes, the chemical compounds that create the plant’s scent, are also present in cannabis.
Terpenes don’t exclusively give cannabis strains their unique smells; they contain therapeutic qualities as well.
For example, linalool has been used as an antidepressant, sleep-aid, and an anticonvulsant.  Another terpene, caryophyllene, is a known antioxidant, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory.  
There are many more terpenes, but you can’t catch ‘em all if you go with isolate because they’ve been removed.

Removing all other molecules from the cannabis plant potentially alters the therapeutic effects that naturally occur when those compounds are working synergistically. In fact, studies show that when used in combination with THC, it takes less CBD to produce the desired medicinal outcome than when CBD isolate is used instead.
In ConclusionRecalling the future-man and what he uses to treat his chronic pain or supplement his activity levels, we can only hope that he is able to use a full-spectrum product. We can't predict the future though. 

CBD is an incredible compound worthy of the medical field (and the government’s, for that matter) respect. While it may be beneficially isolated from the rest of the compounds cannabis has to offer, it may not be as beneficial as it would be working in tandem with them. Still, laws in this country are what they are right now, and it’s up to the market to determine what they would like to see for products.

Until things change, try an isolate and know that it is made with scrutiny and belief in delivering the highest quality possible.

Thanks for reading our blog! Please reach out with questions or comments, and give this a share if you though it was interesting.