Introduction
Medical cannabis has received recent attention due to its numerous medical benefits like improvement of inflammation, pain, sleep, anxiety, depression, stress, and skin health. These benefits may be owed to the two main cannabinoids present in leaves of medical cannabis: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Various formulations of CBD and THC oils are available however, CBD oil is preferred due to its safety and better efficacy. This article describes the two most popular forms of CBD oil, along with their uses to help to make an informed decision about the most suitable CBD oil for you.
What is CBD?
CBD is a phytocannabinoid present in medical cannabis leaves. CBD interacts with receptors like those present in the nervous system and endocannabinoid system (ECS). The most studied interactions are with cannabinoid (CB) and serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptors.
CBD has been shown to decrease the expression of inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, IL-1B and TNF-α (Oláh et al., 2014; Ribeiro et al., 2015) thus decreasing inflammation, possibly via interaction with CB2 receptors (Vučković et al., 2018). Thus, CBD also reduces inflammatory pain. Moreover, CBD seems to have a role in decreasing neuropathic and cancer pain (Vučković et al., 2018).
Apart from this, CBD helps in the management of anxiety and depression symptoms through interactions with CB1, CB2 and 5-HT1A receptors (García-Gutiérrez et al., 2020), with one study even reporting at least a 15% reduction in anxiety-related symptoms (Dahlgren et al., 2022).
CBS is extracted from hemp leaves through various extraction procedures like CO2 extraction, steam distillation and solvent/cryogenic extraction. Post extraction, CBD can be purified and further isolated to make either full-spectrum or isolate CBD oil.
What is Full-Spectrum CBD Oil?
Full-spectrum CBD oil is the least-processed, most natural form of CBD oil. It contains all the natural compounds from medical cannabis leaves including CBD, THC (less than 0.3% dry weight), other minor cannabinoids and all terpenes (Berthold et al., 2023). Many reputed brands like Cannazo India offer full-spectrum CBD oil in varying formulations like Cannazo India’s Vijaya Amrit.
Research suggests that since full-spectrum CBD oil consists of all compounds from medical cannabis it causes an entourage effect, meaning that all the different kinds of compounds present in full-spectrum CBD oil activate the endogenous cannabinoids of the body, leading to greater efficacy (Russo, 2019).
What is Isolate CBD Oil?
As the name suggests, isolate CBD oil consists only of one active metabolite, that is CBD. Manufacturing isolated CBD oil is similar to that of full-spectrum CBD oil, with additional purification and refinement steps. Thus, isolate CBD oil contains no THC, other cannabinoids and terpenes, making it the purest form of CBD oil (Berthold et al., 2023).
Although isolated CBD oil might not provide an entourage effect, it has important applications in scenarios where an occupation might mandatorily require 0% THC in the system due to THC’s potential to cause hallucinations. Moreover, isolate CBD oil is more concentrated so it can be easily mixed with foods and drinks.
Comparing Full-Spectrum vs. Isolate CBD Oils
Full-spectrum and isolate CBD oils differ from each other in various aspects:
- Composition: Full-spectrum CBD oil contains CBD, THC, minor cannabinoids and all terpenes. Whereas isolate CBD oil is purer and consists only of CBD.
- Efficacy: Due to the presence of a variety of compounds, full-spectrum CBD oil can confer an entourage effect leading to greater efficacy than isolate CBD oil (Russo, 2019).
- Bioavailability: Since full-spectrum CBD oil has THC, it leads to an increase in the oral bioavailability of CBD by increasing the permeability and decreasing the removal of CBD through the gut (Berthold et al., 2023).
Factors to Consider When Choosing CBD Oil
The effect of CBD oil varies slightly depending on various factors. Some of the factors you should consider are:
- Quality check: Many reputed brands like Cannazo India get their products checked through third-party laboratories to certify the safety of their products, ensuring the highest product quality.
- CBD concentration: Depending on the route of administration your medical expert might suggest a higher or lower dose.
- Medical condition: Different conditions might require different doses to show efficacy, e.g., CBD has better anxiolytic properties at intermediate doses (García-Gutiérrez et al., 2020).
Conclusion
The benefits of CBD oil are plenty: improvement in inflammation, pain, anxiety, depression, sleep, etc. Since CBD oil is available in various formulations, it is important to understand which will suit you the best and take into account the quality of CBD oil and the purpose of use.
If confused about how to start with CBD oil, it is best to consult a healthcare expert. Book an appointment today at https://cannazoindia.com/doctor-consultation/ to get started.
References and Further Reading
- Berthold, E. C., Kamble, S. H., Kanumuri, S. R. R., Kuntz, M. A., Senetra, A. S., Chiang, Y.-H., McMahon, L. R., McCurdy, C. R., & Sharma, A. (2023). Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Commercially Available Cannabidiol Isolate, Broad-Spectrum, and Full-Spectrum Products. European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, 48(4), 427–435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13318-023-00839-3
- Bhaskar, A., Bell, A., Boivin, M., Briques, W., Brown, M., Clarke, H., Cyr, C., Eisenberg, E., De Oliveira Silva, R. F., Frohlich, E., Georgius, P., Hogg, M., Horsted, T. I., MacCallum, C. A., Müller-Vahl, K. R., O’Connell, C., Sealey, R., Seibolt, M., Sihota, A., … Moulin, D. E. (2021). Consensus recommendations on dosing and administration of medical cannabis to treat chronic pain: Results of a modified Delphi process. Journal of Cannabis Research, 3(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-021-00073-1
- Dahlgren, M. K., Lambros, A. M., Smith, R. T., Sagar, K. A., El-Abboud, C., & Gruber, S. A. (2022). Clinical and cognitive improvement following full-spectrum, high-cannabidiol treatment for anxiety: Open-label data from a two-stage, phase 2 clinical trial. Communications Medicine, 2(1), 139. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-022-00202-8
- García-Gutiérrez, M. S., Navarrete, F., Gasparyan, A., Austrich-Olivares, A., Sala, F., & Manzanares, J. (2020). Cannabidiol: A Potential New Alternative for the Treatment of Anxiety, Depression, and Psychotic Disorders. Biomolecules, 10(11), 1575. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10111575
- Habib, G., Khazin, F., & Artul, S. (2021). The Effect of Medical Cannabis on Pain Level and Quality of Sleep among Rheumatology Clinic Outpatients. Pain Research and Management, 2021, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/1756588
- Ikarashi, N., Shiseki, M., Yoshida, R., Tabata, K., Kimura, R., Watanabe, T., Kon, R., Sakai, H., & Kamei, J. (2021). Cannabidiol Application Increases Cutaneous Aquaporin-3 and Exerts a Skin Moisturizing Effect. Pharmaceuticals, 14(9), 879. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14090879
- Kicman, A., & Toczek, M. (2020). The Effects of Cannabidiol, a Non-Intoxicating Compound of Cannabis, on the Cardiovascular System in Health and Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(18), 6740. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186740
- Kwiecień, E., & Kowalczuk, D. (2023). Therapeutic Potential of Minor Cannabinoids in Dermatological Diseases—A Synthetic Review. Molecules, 28(16), 6149. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28166149
- Oláh, A., Tóth, B. I., Borbíró, I., Sugawara, K., Szöllõsi, A. G., Czifra, G., Pál, B., Ambrus, L., Kloepper, J., Camera, E., Ludovici, M., Picardo, M., Voets, T., Zouboulis, C. C., Paus, R., & Bíró, T. (2014). Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 124(9), 3713–3724. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI64628
- Ribeiro, A., Almeida, V. I., Costola-de-Souza, C., Ferraz-de-Paula, V., Pinheiro, M. L., Vitoretti, L. B., Gimenes-Junior, J. A., Akamine, A. T., Crippa, J. A., Tavares-de-Lima, W., & Palermo-Neto, J. (2015).
- Cannabidiol improves lung function and inflammation in mice submitted to LPS-induced acute lung injury. Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, 37(1), 35–41. https://doi.org/10.3109/08923973.2014.976794
- Rong, C., Lee, Y., Carmona, N. E., Cha, D. S., Ragguett, R.-M., Rosenblat, J. D., Mansur, R. B., Ho, R. C., & McIntyre, R. S. (2017). Cannabidiol in medical marijuana: Research vistas and potential opportunities. Pharmacological Research, 121, 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2017.05.005
- Russo, E. B. (2019). The Case for the Entourage Effect and Conventional Breeding of Clinical Cannabis: No “Strain,” No Gain. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 1969. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01969
- Safakish, R., Ko, G., Salimpour, V., Hendin, B., Sohanpal, I., Loheswaran, G., & Yoon, S. Y. R. (2020). Medical Cannabis for the Management of Pain and Quality of Life in Chronic Pain Patients: A Prospective Observational Study. Pain Medicine, 21(11), 3073–3086. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa163
- Vučković, S., Srebro, D., Vujović, K. S., Vučetić, Č., & Prostran, M. (2018). Cannabinoids and Pain: New Insights From Old Molecules. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9, 1259. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.01259