In recent years, the emergence of CBD oil has offered a new dimension for health supplement suppliers around the globe. Currently, it is one of the most prevalent wellbeing related products you can purchase. This has meant that there is an incredible rise in the number of people that are seeking the product, and even more people have been looking into the product to see what exactly it can offer to them.
As a result of all of this information being thrown around, it’s easy to get CBD mismatched with other products in its category, such as cannabis oil. However, the most common confusion with CBD oil is that of hemp oil. Whilst, on the face of it, both products seem to be identical, they’re actually substantially different to one another. They are both extracts from the same plant (hemp), but the effects they have on your body can differ considerably.
So, what exactly is CBD oil?
As stated previously, CBD is a type of oil that is extracted from the hemp plant. The most prominent ingredient found within it is called cannabidiol – a vital component of the human endocannabinoid system (we’ve got a separate article about this, click here to be forwarded to it).
One common misconception is that by consuming the CBD oil, you’ll get “high”. Whilst it is produced by extracting the mineral from either a hemp or cannabis plant, CBD isn’t actually a psychoactive material – so it has no effect on your mental state.
Rather, the high that you experience after use of a cannabis-related product comes from the level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) it has in it. Due to the section of the hemp plant the CBD oil is extracted from, it has either no THC in it, or such a minute amount that it is impossible to feel any psychological side effects – so you won’t ever get high.
As a result of this, the use of CBD oil is permitted in the UK. However, the use of THC oil is banned, seeing as it contains elements that have an actual effect on your mental state, meaning it violates the UK’s “Misuse of Drugs act”.
CBD oil, as you’ve probably heard a million times before, has a wide variety of useful purposes that range all across the body. Those include the ability to treat (or considerably suppress) anxiety, depression, stress and many other mental health issues. Another one of its most common uses is as a natural substitute to sleeping pills – this is particularly favourable among insomniacs.
With all this in mind, it’s obvious by this point that CBD is, for the most part, viewed as a natural remedy and as a supplement for physical and mental issues. Hypothetically speaking, CBD oil can also be used for cooking– though, I’m not entirely sure why you would.
In the UK, CBD oil can be purchased in a variety of forms. Those range from a type of formula that can be used under the tongue, an edible product and as a capsule. The most common form of consumption is by purchasing the CBD oil as an e-liquid, for use in a vaporiser. Be sure to check with your e-liquid provider to ensure that their product doesn’t contain any traces of THC.
Here is an example of the CBD variation we sell here
What about hemp oil?
In short: hemp is a completely different type of oil with considerably different effects, characteristics and benefits. It is created by pressing a clump of the hemp plant seeds together so they begin to form a green coloured, partially transparent oil that has a slightly nutty flavour to it.
The resultant fluid is known as hemp seed oil and is often marketed specifically under this name in order to help customers clearly differentiate it from other, similar oils that are made from alternatives parts of the same plant.
Whilst CBD oil has many internal bodily health benefits, hemp oil has many external ones. It is commonly used to formulate beauty and skin products such as shampoos, soaps, shower gels and facial creams. In tandem, it is also used to create a broad range of industrialised products such as paints, lubricants and plastics.
Unlike CBD oil, hemp oil is indeed used commonly for household cooking. It is also a favourable dressing ingredient, used to garnish a variety of dishes. The reason for this is because hemp seed oil is acclaimed for its nutritional benefits – it’s extremely rich in friendly fats and important fatty acids. Users say the taste is comparable to that of both walnut and sunflower seeds.
Seeing as hemp oil doesn’t contain any CBD or THC properties, it doesn’t offer the same therapeutic bodily effects as CBD oil, such as pain relief or cures for psychological issues such as anxiety, depression or insomnia.
This is where the confusion lays for many, many buyers. A lot of CBD commodities are advertised as containing an ingredient called “CBD hemp oil”. However, hemp products that say they contain CBD on their packaging are usually made from CBD oil, and not hemp oil, as you’d expect them to be.
This has caused issues for many buyers in the past, so you should take caution and ensure that you know the difference before you purchase your desired oil. If you aren’t sure which one you’re purchasing, make sure you thoroughly check its label – there you will find a complete list of ingredients to help you understand which variant you’re purchasing.
So, what’s is the difference between CBD oil and Cannabis oil?
The two oils are frequently compared and many people have been led to believe that they’re the same thing, but they’re not. Cannabis oil, like CBD and hemp oil, is extracted from the same plant. But the similarities stop there, and there are some major differences you should know of.
The main difference is that CBD oil products are made using low-THC, EU-approved strains of the hemp plant, meaning they’re completely legal. However, cannabis oil products are usually created from the strains of the plant that have a very, very high dosage of both CBD and THC, meaning they would not pass any EU legislations – rendering them illegal.
Seeing as THC is present in nearly every type of cannabis oil, you’re almost certainly going to feel high after consuming it. This, as stated, is not something that can ever happen with CBD oil. So, if you consume something that was said to be CBD oil, but start to feel a little hazy after it, you know you’ve not been sold the correct product.
This means that cannabis oil products do violate the terms of the UK’s ‘’Misuse of Drugs Act’’, indicating that you can be prosecuted if you’re found purchasing it, in possession of it, or with any traces of it in your system.
To summarise:
In fairness, it is easy to get CBD oil and hemp oil products confused with one another – they are considerably similar. In reality, though, they’re completely different. CBD oil is a natural health product which is derived from strains of the hemp plant. Whereas hemp oil is used for industrialised manufacturing and food preparation purposes. Be sure to check the label on the back of your desired product to establish which form of oil you’re purchasing!
