4 Key Differences Between Hemp Oil and CBD Oil

What is the Difference between Hemp Oil and CBD Oil? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

As cannabis gets legalized in more and more places around the world…

It’s interesting that a plant which has been criminalized for years, is now freely available for you and me.

This legalization process has led to the cannabis industry coming out with all sorts of new cannabis and hemp-based products.

2 popular products however, that were sold long before cannabis laws changed and are often thought to be the same, are:

Hemp (seed) oil, and;
(Hemp) CBD oil.

These oils are some of the healthiest foods that mother nature has to offer.

They’re packed with rejuvenating and anti-inflammatory compounds, which not only prevent disease…but can even help with the symptoms of a long list of conditions.

Now:

Although they look and taste similar…these 2 oils are definitely not the same.

Today, we’ll discuss these 2 oils in detail.

What’s the Same?

Yes, both these oils are produced from the plant species Cannabis Sativa. But the species Cannabis Sativa comes in 2 different variations:

Marijuana, which is the ‘drug’ plant with THC and strong medicative effects.
Hemp, which has very little psychoactive compounds like THC and mostly has industrial applications.

Now keep up. To make things complicated, each species also has many different strains. This is a natural occurrence, but also happens when humans breed certain plants that exhibit certain traits.

CBD oil can be produced both from marijuana and hemp (in most cases, it’s produced from hemp though).

Hemp seed oil is only produced from the seeds of the Hemp plant.

So, the only thing in common these oils have is that both are produced from the same plant species: Cannabis Sativa. But usually also from the same variation of the Cannabis Sativa species: the Hemp plant.

The Differences

Now you know what’s the same about these oils, let’s get into the 4 key differences.

Difference 1: The Natural Source of the Product

If you go back far enough, both these plants always have the same source: Cannabis Sativa.

And even though most CBD oils indeed get produced from the Hemp plant…

Hemp (seed) oil, is produced from the seeds of the Hemp plant. The seeds are (cold) pressed to extract oil from them. This produces an oil which has many health benefits, which we’ll get to later.

CBD oil is produced from the Cannabis Sativa plant (this can be Hemp or Marijuana).

All parts of the plant—stalks, flowers and leaves—can be used to produce CBD oil. Solvents or high-tech extraction methods are used to draw CBD from the plant.

Now, since the source is quite different (seeds vs plant), you can understand why the chemical make-up of both these oils will be different as well.

Difference 2: The Chemical Makeup

If you you’ve ever smoked or vaped weed, you’ve probably heard about a compound named ‘THC’. Well, THC is a cannabinoid that gets you ‘high’ and is found in Cannabis Sativa (more so in Marijuana than Hemp).

But what most people don’t know is that there are many different cannabinoids aside from THC…and CBD is the second well-known cannabinoid, which isn’t psychoactive.

Over the years, research has shown that CBD has tremendous potential as an agent to prevent and potentially cure a variety of conditions and their symptoms, like inflammation, depression and insomnia.

CBD oil, contains high amounts of, you guessed it: CBD.

This means properly manufactured and full spectrum CBD oil has countless of powerful health benefits, which can’t be found in any other oil!

Now, if we’re talking about full spectrum CBD oil (which means all the other compounds found in Cannabis Sativa are present in the oil as well), you have to understand that plant matter contains many different compounds which can’t be found in the seed, and vice versa.

While the distinguishing compounds found in CBD oil are: CBD, other cannabinoids like CBC and CBN, terpenoids and flavonoids…

Hemp seed oil mainly contains, compounds which can be found in many other healthy oils as well: fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

This doesn’t mean CBD oil is ‘better’ than Hemp seed oil…but it does mean CBD oil is a unique oil, with unique properties.

What does all of this mean for your body?

Difference 3: Differences in Effects

In your brain there are natural cannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors. These cannabinoids have the responsibility to regulate communication between your neurons.

But what happens when the receptors are connected with other—externally ingested—cannabinoids? This is what happens when cannabinoids from the cannabis plant enter your system. Your endocannabinoid-system gets activated, which can result in hundreds, probably even thousands of different effects (many positive, some negative).

While some effects—if you ingest too much THC for example—can cause highs and hallucinations, many positive effects also exist. CBD for example can make you experience less pain because it ‘numbs’ your pain receptors.

Are you starting to see how CBD oil is a unique oil, with very unique effects? Companies like CBDfx clearly explain what CBD oil is and what makes in unique.

The endocannabinoid-system only gets activated by cannabinoids (most benefits associated with CBD are related to the activation of the endocannabinoid-system), and these can only be found in Cannabis Sativa plant-based products like CBD oil.

Both Hemp seed oil and CBD oil have low levels of THC, but their differing levels of CBD mean they won’t affect you the same. Because Hemp oil’s CBD levels are so low, there’s almost no chance of it affecting your cannabinoids receptors. It’s quite different with CBD oil where the cannabinoid levels turn it into a medical treatment for pain and other problems.

In short:

Hemp oil is healthy, but won’t influence your health in any other way another healthy oil with healthy fatty acids, vitamins and minerals would.
CBD oil has a direct impact on your endocannabinoid-system, which means it can directly help you with a variety of conditions like pain, depression and insomnia.

Since they have different effects on your body, you will understand why they have different uses.

Now, let’s talk a bit about the differences in their uses.

Difference 4: What They’re Used For

You can imagine these vastly different effects mean the two oils’ applications are very different.

Many years ago, people realized Hemp seed oil could be beneficial in these industries:

Food: Because of a high Omega 3 and 6 content it’s a healthy ingredient which can be used in healthy food-products like healthy protein-bars for example.

Health: It contains various minerals such as Magnesium, Potassium and some Vitamins. This means Hemp seed oil can be used in a healthy diet.

Industrial application: The oil is used in many consumer goods such as soaps and shampoos. But even the fuel and plastic industries benefit from using it.

Now let’s look at CBD oil. With an enhanced level of CBD, while the effects can be extremely beneficial—such as bringing relief from pain—its use must be monitored as it can make you sleepy for example.

But the medical uses of CBD are many, compared to any other oil.

Here’s what it can be used for effectively:

Pain management

Curbing inflammation

Managing blood sugar levels

Anxiety and other psychological disorders

Treating negative symptoms of cancer

To stop vomiting

Manage seizures and muscle spasms

The uses are manifold and diverse, as the effect the cannabinoids have on neurons can benefit many different functions in your body.

This unfortunately means it can make you tired and sleepy too, if you take too much, which can be a danger while driving for example.

The bottom line is:

Hemp seed oil is a very healthy oil, with regular fatty acids, vitamins and minerals…as such it’s a healthy addition to any diet.

CBD oil is an unique oil, which can be used to treat the symptoms for a variety of medical conditions.

So, the difference in use is mainly dietary vs medical.

Conclusion

Do you now know which of these products you need? Do you simply need to live healthier, or do you need to address a serious health problem? It’s encouraging to know nature can help us deal with some of life’s challenges. Both these oils have countless positive health benefits.

If you need a healthy oil as an addition to your regular diet, get Hemp seed oil!

If you need an oil to treat the symptoms of a condition, which CBD oil has shown to be effective for, get CBD oil!

If you liked this post and want to learn more about CBD, marijuana in general and its benefits, check out Herbonaut where we review the best CBD oils and write extensive user guides.

What is the Difference Between Hemp Oil and CBD Oil?