What Is Full Spectrum CBD And Is It Better Than CBD Isolate?

Here at Tanasi, we create broad and full-spectrum hemp-extracts. But we don’t carry CBD isolates. Wondering why? To get a clearer picture, you need to understand each of these terms individually.

Now, by this point in time, most people are familiar with cannabidiol(CBD) and the various products that contain this extract. It’s found in supplements, vaporizers, tinctures, mixed with essential oils, and even added to gummy bears. Many of these products contain only CBD extracted from the cannabis plant and none of the additional plant compounds it contains.

There are also alternative products that contain full-spectrum CBD. You may be wondering, “what is full spectrum CBD?”? Here’s a look inside this product and the various ingredients it contains.

What’s Inside of a Hemp Plant?

To know the answer to “what is full spectrum CBD?” you first need to understand what all is inside of a hemp plant. CBD is only one of the many different compounds that can be extracted from the hemp plant. Some extraction methods isolate the CBD and destroy the rest. Then there are extraction methods that manage to salvage all of the additional compounds as well. These compounds fall into a few different categories.

1. Cannabinoids

This is the plant compound that most people are already familiar with. Cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBG, and CBN have already become well-known to the public. Even then, they are only a small part of the big picture. A single hemp plant is believed to have anywhere between 80 and 100 different types of cannabinoids.

While many CBD extracts contain a wide range of these compounds, here at Tanasi, we do things differently. Because, whether it’s our broad or full-spectrum products, we include a patent-pending ratio of CBD to CBDa, an acidic precursor to the CBD cannabinoid.

2. Terpenes

Terpenes are phytochemicals that are abundant in all plant life. They are most well known for influencing how a particular plant will smell. The scent of citrus, lavender, and cannabis are all a result of their terpenes. These compounds function to protect the plant from predators and germs or to attract pollinators. Some of them can also benefit humans by boosting the flavor of our products, as you can see for yourself in our Blueberry GOLD tincture.

There are some terpenes that are very common in nearly all types of plants. Then there are terpenes that exist only in a specific family or lineage of plants. For example, cannabis has many unique terpenes that do not exist in roses or lemons. Similarly, two different strains of cannabis can have wildly different terpenes.

It’s believed that the relationship between the terpenes and the cannabinoids in the cannabis plant impacts the effect it will have. Two containers of hemp oil with the same exact CBD, THC, and CBG content but with different terpene levels will behave slightly differently. They will also most certainly smell differently.

3. Flavonoids

The final type of plant compound to consider is the flavonoid. Similar to terpenes, flavonoids are abundant in most fruits and vegetables. There are six subclasses of flavonoids and each one breaks down differently when consumed. The pigments of the flavonoids often determine the color of the plant’s flowers. Roughly 10 percent of the plant compounds in cannabis are flavonoids.

What is Full Spectrum CBD?

Unlike oils that contain only the cannabinoid CBD, a full spectrum oil contains CBD and all of the additional cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids mentioned above. These products should still contain less than 0.3 percent THC due to the 2018 Farm Bill and the criminalization of THC in most states. However, in states where recreational THC is legal, it is possible to find full-spectrum CBD products that contain plenty of THC.

What are Broad Spectrum and Isolate?

Full-spectrum CBD is only one of the three types of CBD products popular on the market today. The other two alternatives are broad-spectrum and isolate. Both of these options contain fewer cannabis compounds than a full-spectrum product.

1. Broad Spectrum CBD

In terms of effectiveness, broad-spectrum CBD is next in line. It does contain more plant compounds than CBD alone but still not all of them. In particular, broad-spectrum CBD rarely contains any percentage of THC. Even in most states where a maximum of 0.3 percent is allowed the manufacturers remove the THC completely.

Broad-spectrum CBD still include flavonoids and terpenes as well. Exactly which ones are left will depend entirely on the plant strain and the extraction technique utilized.

2. CBD Isolate

As the name implies, this is an extract that contains only CBD. It does not contain any THC or other cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, or essential oils. Some consumers aren’t comfortable taking additional cannabinoids that have not been researched as thoroughly as CBD.

This type of extract often starts with standard hemp oil that is high in CBD and low in THC. The oil requires a complicated filtration system to remove specific plant matter like wax and chlorophyll. This creates a distillate that contains all of the different cannabinoids in the plant.

Next, the isolate requires a chromatography process to separate the CBD from the many other plant compounds in the distillate. The isolate is purified and then winterized to create a white powder. The powder is the CBD isolate and it should be more than 99 percent pure CBD.

CBD isolate is easy to consume and it’s easy to control exactly how much CBD is in a single dose. It can still benefit the mind and body in all of the ways that CBD can but it lacks the extra potential that full-spectrum CBD offers.

Why Does Full Spectrum Give a Great Experience?

Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum products have more to offer the consumer than isolates. It has many other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. It also benefits from something known as the entourage effect. The entourage effect causes cannabinoids to become more effective when taken together. Even the CBD in a full spectrum oil will be more effective than the same quantity of CBD isolate. Especially when it’s CBD in our Tanasi products, since that cannabinoid is matched with an equal ratio of CBDa.

In Summary: What is Full Spectrum CBD?

CBD oil comes in many different forms and they can all benefit humans in some way. Some products like CBD isolate contain only the CBD cannabinoid and none of the additional plant compounds. Full-spectrum CBD preserves all of these compounds in the oil. These compounds work together to provide more noticeable effects than CBD isolate alone.