5 myths & 5 facts about cbd
Everyone seems to be talking about CBD, but there are still a lot of questions about what it actually does and how it impacts the body. That’s why we’re here to finally clear the air and separate CBD fact from CBD fiction. Here are 5 myths and 5 facts about CBD that everyone should know.
myths
1. cbd is psychoactive
Because CBD can help to lift your mood, improve focus or reduce stress, it can sometimes be perceived as psychoactive. This is simply not true. Instead, CBD is an adaptogen – a substance used in herbal medicine to help stabilize physiological processes and promote homeostasis. Adaptogens do not cause an intoxicating feeling, make you feel high, or affect you in the way that psychoactive drugs (like marijuana) do.
This idea may also stem from the misconception that CBD is marijuana. While CBD and marijuana both come from the plant species, cannabis, CBD is derived from hemp. Hemp is actually very different than the psychoactive drug, marijuana. Hemp must contain less than 0.3% THC, while marijuana contains 5-20% TCH.
2. cbd is a sedative
Believing that CBD is a sedative substance is an understandable mix-up. Since many people use CBD to aid in sleep, it’s easy to see why people think this. But it’s just not true.
CBD helps improve sleep in a roundabout way. Instead of making you drowsy, CBD improves your mood and helps you relax. When your mood is low, it's difficult to get a good night’s rest, and that’s if you can even get to sleep at all. Better mood means better sleep, and CBD can help make that happen.
3. all cbd is the same
There can be huge differences in quality and safety in CBD products between brands. If you’re not careful, you might even get tricked by deceiving marketing to think something has CBD in it, even when it doesn’t. Look for brands that have their CBD products third-party tested and that don’t use any unsavory additives.
4. more cbd is better
If a little CBD is good, a lot of CBD is great, right? Not quite. There are certainly times when high doses of CBD are necessary, like for patients suffering from particular medical conditions. But if you’re looking to soothe sore muscles, or to help you unwind at the end of the day, a little CBD can go a long way.
5. cbd oil and hemp oil are the same
Since many brands use hemp to make their CBD oil, you might think that it’s the same thing as hemp oil. There are some key differences between hemp oil and CBD oil, though. The biggest difference between CBD oil and hemp oil is in how it’s made. Hemp oil comes from cold-pressed hemp seeds. Alternatively, processing the stems and leaves of either cannabis or hemp plants produces CBD oil. This is significant because hemp seeds don’t contain CBD and, therefore, neither does hemp oil.
And even better than a CBD isolate is full spectrum or broad spectrum hemp extract. The key difference between these three kinds of CBD oils is that full and broad spectrum hemp extracts contain cannabinoids other than just CBD. While CBD by itself is a great wellness tool, bringing it together with other cannabinoids greatly improves its effectiveness. The synergy that exists between CBD and other cannabinoids is called the entourage effect, and the way CBD and other cannabinoids work together is a big part of what makes CBD so healing.
facts
1. cbd won’t get you high
As we mentioned earlier, CBD is not psychoactive and will not get you high. That’s right, CBD isn’t intoxicating. So you don’t have to worry about showing up to work high if you choose to take a little CBD as part of your morning routine by microdosing.
2. cbd is legal nationwide
This is a bit of a tricky topic. Yes, CBD was legalized nationally when the federal government passed the 2018 Farm Bill, but there's a catch. Only CBD products made from hemp and not marijuana are legal on the federal level. The key difference here is that the federal government only considers cannabis plants bred to contain less than 0.3% THC as hemp. That means only CBD products with less than that amount of THC are federally legal in all 50 states.
3. cbd has real benefits
Unfortunately, misleading marketing has left some people with serious doubts about the effects of CBD. Because of CBD’s current popularity, it shows up in a lot of products that don’t need it. Despite this, CBD does have a lot of benefits. As mentioned above, CBD is a safe and a natural way to improve your mood. Studies have also shown that CBD may help exhibit regular sleep patterns as well
4. cbd isn’t addictive
Despite what you might have heard, CBD isn’t addictive. This makes CBD a great alternative to common habit-forming remedies and sleep aids. And that’s not to mention all the other health benefits you’d gain from getting a few drops of CBD to help you unwind at the end of the day over other alternatives.
5. cbd takes many forms
These days, you can find CBD in just about anything. You can find relaxing CBD lattés at your favorite cafés, discrete CBD oils at health food stores, and even CBD-infused topicals to help soothe sore muscles. All you need to do is choose which form of CBD is best for your needs and understand what the right dosage is for you.