Everyone raves about THC. Cannabis connoisseurs flock to dispensaries in search of the products with the highest THC level. But there’s another cannabinoid that people are paying attention to: cannabidiol, or CBD.
What are Cannabinoids?
Certain chemical compounds in the cannabis plant, known as cannabinoids, are responsible for the physical and mental effects that consumers crave. Researchers have discovered about 100 different cannabinoids, many of which are only found in cannabis plants.
Your body is riddled with receptors comprising your endocannabinoid system. These receptors respond to cannabinoids not just from cannabis, but also those our bodies naturally produce, hence the name endocannabinoid. CBD is not the dominant form produced by cannabis plants. Instead, the plant creates CBDA, a cannabinoid acid. CBD is created when the acidic form is decarboxylated through heating, or over time.
Isolating CBD
Cannabis laboratories are capable of extracting specific compounds from plant material. Most cannabinoids are present in barely detectable levels and therefore are scantily researched.
The many medicinal benefits of CBD has meant that manufacturers are focused on generating high CBD products. The cannabinoid can be isolated via extraction methods like hydrocarbon or supercritical CO2 to create a substance that can be up to 100% pure CBD.
Unlike the rich green hue of cannabis biomass, pure CBD isolate is white and crystalline.
Benefits of CBD Isolate
Interest in CBD is growing because of it’s incredible health benefits. It’s anti-inflammatory anti-spasmodic, and anti-anxiety properties are just a sampling of the attributes researchers have unearthed, and manufacturers have tapped in to. Patients suffering from diseases as varied as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis have reported experiencing relief after consuming CBD.
CBD also doesn’t have any intoxicating effects. A pure CBD isolate will affect your body but your mind will remain clear. The “high” feeling that THC creates is highly sought after by many of consumers, but others are mainly interested in the potential health benefits. In fact, CBD has been shown to counterbalance the intoxicating effects of THC.
Isolating specific cannabinoids is becoming a huge part of the industry. Currently, interest is primarily focused on THC and CBD but that’s evolving as legalization sweeps the country and research dollars pour into the industry.
