A Deep Dive Into Hemp CBD Products

The Cannabaceae family of plants (cannabis, hemp, hops) and their derived plant compounds are some of the most fascinating in the natural world, but they’re also some of the most misunderstood.  There is a global stigma towards cannabis, and for valid reasons – it remains an illicit, controlled substances across most of the world.  However, with the 2020’s on the horizon, the global consciousness is awakening to the potential benefits of this plant and its close cousin Hemp.  The United State’s close ally and Northern neighbor, Canada, recently became the first G7 country to Federally legalize both medical and recreational cannabis, with USA’s Southern neighbor Mexico set to Federally legalize later this month.  With these larger players sitting at the table, it seems like only a matter of time before others follow suit and join the resurgence of cannabis & hemp cultivation.

When it comes to CBD today, we are mostly concerned with hemp-derived Cannabidiol products.  There are a number of cannabis CBD products throughout the U.S., but these are not considered legal or approved by the FDA in a Federal sense.  Many States, like Washington, Colorado, California and many others have legalized cannabis at the State-level, but until cannabis legality is deliberated and approved by the U.S. Federal Gov’t there’s too much risk involved with this kind of sourced product.  

Another feather in Hemp CBD’s cap is the fact that the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) recently removed CBD from its List of Prohibited Substances in 2019.  What does this mean? Well for starters, olympic and professional athletes of all nations can include CBD in their training & diet regiments.  This has always been one of the bigger hurtles for CBD – if the pros can’t make use of it, why would people who look up to these pinnacle athletes try it in their stead? While WADA conducted its thorough review of the risks and rewards of CBD use for professional athletes, many professional sports leagues have started on the path to incorporating CBD as well.  The National Hockey League (NHL), National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have all made announcements, partnerships and commitments to Cannabidiol access for their athletes.  These developments are in the early stages, but they’re collectively a very positive sign that the demand for CBD is there, the results are coming in steadily, and we’re fast approaching a terminus for CBD becoming another household health & fitness supplement. 

Have you ever tried CBD? If so, what kinds of products? Maybe you’re new to the whole idea of plant-based, natural healing? There’s never been a better time to try CBD, as more products hit the shelves and a wealth of research & data surfaces each day.  Cannabidiol isn’t just for active people or professional athletes – CBD can enhance many lifestyles in many different ways.  If you feel like there’s just something missing in your daily routine, these three little letters might just spell out a whole new reality of health & wellness for you. Do you struggle with the daily grind? Ever experienced a lack of energy, mental fatigue, poor quality of sleep, anxiety or stress? Of course you have, we all do.  CBD is well-suited to helping you conquer the everyday pressures of life, while also helping your body overcome some more serious conditions like pain, inflammation, nausea, and sickness.

Let’s climb the ladder, get in our stance at the edge of the platform, and take a deep dive into the world of Hemp CBD products and how they can be a positive change for your health & fitness.  Taking sport daily CBD capsules can lead to increased performance and more efficient recovery periods.

Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol definitely have their own benefits, but what are the real differences? The big distinction between these cannabinoids has to do with the “high” you feel: THC has psychoactive effects (can cause a “high”), whereas CBD is non-psychoactive.  This is one of the major reasons why people choose CBD over THC – both can fight pain, help you sleep or work to ease your nausea, but only CBD has no “high”.  In fact, Cannabidiol actually works to reduce or negate the psychoactive effects of THC, when they’re consumed together.  This was a determining factor in the Federal U.S. Government’s decision to legalize Hemp, and not Cannabis. Hemp has a very low average THC content level (typically <0.3%), but can have high amounts of CBD.  Hemp is also a multi-use crop – it is cultivated for many different industrial uses, such as textiles (hemp fiber clothing), nutrition & health (hemp seeds, oil, CBD), and construction (‘hempcrete’, hempen rope).  Hemp supports you in terms of a literal, stable foundation for your house as well as the foundation for a healthy body & mind.  There’s no crop out there quite like hemp – except, maybe cannabis – and the more we explore its versatility the more we learn how truly beneficial hemp can be for our health, our societies, and our futures.

There is a lot of stigma against cannabis use, mostly due to the dangers of THC and its association with “stoner culture”.  Unlike in the past when your only source for CBD was a “mixed bag” of unknown levels of other cannabinoids like THC, today you can find numerous products specifically formulated for your specific needs.  Many people start using Cannabidiol products for their pain or inflammation – a very common problem for people of all shapes and sizes. 

Even if you’re a health-nut, you keep yourself in top notch shape, and you eat all the right foods you can still suffer from a muscle tear or sore joints from pushing yourself too hard.  We often forget that pain is not itself a condition, but a reminder from our body that rest, recovery and relaxation can’t be overlooked.  For many people, the idea of allocating time (the most precious of all resources) to doing nothing but resting or recovering is difficult to do in their busy day-to-day.  Add to this “no time to rest” mentality the negative impacts of stress, anxiety, lack of sleep and imbalanced nutrition and you’ve got yourself a ticking time bomb of sickness or injury.

The best way to beat pain or inflammation to the finish line is to include CBD in your daily routine.  Hemp Cannabidiol products like roll-on applicators or topical CBD creams work just fine for when soreness or swelling occur, but to help reduce the onset of these symptoms you should take CBD as a daily supplement.  This is one of CBD’s claims to fame: it can be beneficial both in the short and long term maintenance of good health & fitness.  We obviously recommend utilizing CBD for both sudden injuries as well as preventing conditions from affecting your health in the long run, but however you introduce CBD into your life just make sure that you do.  Many active individuals are reluctant to change up their regiments; once you strike that delicate balance of nutrition, fitness and wellness it can be difficult to introduce any change.  This sentiment is understandable, but as the popular mantra goes: “No risk, no reward”.  With hemp CBD, there are no risks, so really you can experience all the benefits without any of the uncertainties of many other health & fitness supplements.  This is another major reason why sport daily CBD capsules are so popular for athletes or sports enthusiasts because they do not addle the brain.

All right, all right… you’ve convinced me.  Now where do I get these fabled CBD products, and what kinds are there? We knew you’d come around to giving CBD a chance, but what should you try? How much? When? And where do you get CBD? Let’s look at the range of CBD products on the market today and figure out which one fits your lifestyle.

There are a number of different ways to consume hemp CBD, but there’s two distinct groups of products: Full-Spectrum (FSO) & CBD Isolate (ISO).  As their names suggest, Full-Spectrum contains the entire range of cannabinoids, such as CBD and THC in a formulated balance.  On the other hand, CBD Isolate is indeed Cannabidiol singled out on its own (THC free).  We’ve reviewed the advantages/disadvantages of THC, so many of you might be thinking: why would anyone bother with Tetrahydrocannabinol when Cannabidiol has many of the same benefits without similar downsides?

This a valid question, but there’s a lot of people who have come to rely on THC for a variety of reasons: sleep, relaxation, pain, injuries, nausea and many more.  Nevertheless, the fact remains that THC is not a Federally legalized substance in the United States, so you have to check with your State’s regulations on THC consumption before you decide to try this kind of product. if your State has approved medical & recreational cannabis, then you can experiment with FSO products such as Full-Spectrum Oil, THC-CBD topicals, or even FSO supplements like THC/CBD protein powder.  As we mentioned, CBD actually works to reduce the effects of THC when they’re taken together, so if you do choose to try Full-Spectrum products you will assuredly have a lesser “high” (if any) than you would when just consuming THC products.

ISO, or Isolated forms of CBD, are a much more popular option for many Cannabidiol advocates.  These kinds of products deliver a potent concentration of CBD and CBD-only.  You can think of FSO & ISO products like the different sources of Vitamin C: when we want to ward off the cold that is rampaging through the office, you can eat an orange everyday for the benefits of Vitamin C; or if you’re already feeling the onset of being sick then a high-dose of Vitamin C powder or capsules might do the trick.  CBD Isolate is very much in the same realm as the Vitamin C supplement in this example – extracted from the source to be the highest concentration possible, but isolated from the other nutrients that might also be beneficial.  If you know what level of CBD you need, and you absolutely have to get consistent effects (i.e. sleep aids, anxiety, seizures) then an Isolated Cannabidiol product makes the most sense.

There’s definitely benefits to taking cannabinoids together as well as isolated them on their own for specific benefits.  Consuming products with a Full-Spectrum of cannabinoids can tap into what’s known as “the entourage effect“.  Just like the cast of the hit TV show from HBO relied on each other in many different ways to succeed as a group, cannabinoids can work synergistically when consumed together, boosting one another’s positive properties in addition to reducing the negative impacts they might cause on their own (i.e. psychoactive effects, slow activation, etc).  This is one of the major reasons FSO products flooded the market in the early days of certain States’ cannabis legalization.  On the flip side, there’s also a large contingency of users who advocate only taking Isolated cannabinoids for regulated, targeted and controllable effects.  If you have a THC ISO and a CBD ISO product in your medicine cabinet, you can interchange between the two depending on your needs.  Have some pain & inflammation slowing you down, but you need to be able to drive your car to-and-from the gym? CBD Isolate is the product for you.  Are you home for the night, had a very stressful and tiresome day, and need to just hit the hay? THC oil or capsules should have you snoozing before you can even say “psychoactive effects”.

In the end, what kind of cannabinoids you rely on is up to you, but there’s definitely risks/rewards to either FSO or ISO.  The important thing is to do your research, discuss the advantages & disadvantages with people you trust, and make sure you start with a low dose and continue slowly until you understand how each kind of product effects you.

So we’ve defined the different kinds of products on the market into Full-Spectrum or Isolate CBD, but how can you get Cannabidiol into your system? Just like with FSO & ISO, the delivery method is up to you, it’s simply a matter of convenience, cost, and concentration.