You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about or used CBD at least once in your life. It’s practically impossible to ignore the popularity of this compound in the USA, Europe, Japan, and many other big economies. The global CBD industry is expected to grow at a staggering 43% CAGR between 2024 to 2032.
The major reason behind its popularity is the growing demand for natural healing aids which don’t come at risk of overdosing and dependence. For dealing with everyday anxiety, stress, pain, and sleep issues, CBD provides a stop solution, reducing the dependency on traditional prescription meds.
But it comes in so many varieties, and choosing the perfect product for your needs can be a confusing task. While shopping online you must’ve come across full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolate products. But which one is better and stronger for you? What’s the difference between them? Well, that’s exactly what we’ll explore in this article.
Source:arvanna.com
What is CBD Isolate?
The term itself is the answer here, CBD isolate products don’t have anything else in them other than CBD. Yep, they are purely made from one cannabinoid i.e. Cannabidiol. In a way, you can say that Isolate is the purest form of CBD. CBD isolate products have approximately 99.9% CBD concentration in them.
The most common and widely used Isolate products you can buy are CBD powders, Creams, salves, isolates, and Oils. CBD isolate products are completely free from terpenes, flavonoids, and all other cannabinoids that are typically found in hemp extract. But to understand it fully, we’ll have to take a look at how CBD isolates are made.
How is CBD isolate made?
All the legally sold CBD products that you can buy today in America are made from Industrial hemp plants. These industrial hemp plants naturally have higher concentrations of CBD, and only trace amounts of psychoactive cannabinoid THC.
As per the federal farm bill, CBD products can not have more than 0.3% THC in them, but in isolate products, even that amount is completely removed. First, a cannabinoid-rich extract is drained out from hemp plants using the C02 extraction method. In this method, molecules are slowly heated and separated using complex machinery and supercritical carbon dioxide.
Some brands also use alcohol-based extraction, but C02 is deemed the gold standard in the industry. Once this extract is ready, further filtration is done to strip off fats, lipids, impurities, waxes, other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, and you are left with just CBD in its purest form. It’s mostly in crystal formal which are then dried and converted into powder.
Who can benefit from CBD Isolate?
CBD isolate is not for everyone, especially for those who like to consume deliciously flavored and pleasant-smelling CBD products. However, general CBD oils have an odd and earthy hemp taste/smell, which many people don’t like. So if you are from that group, isolated products can be a good choice for you.
Next, it can be beneficial for people who have an upcoming blood test. With regular CBD products, there’s a risk of getting flagged with some THC amount, which is not acceptable in many places. So if you want to pass your medical test with flying colors without giving up on your relaxation source, CBD isolate can be a good choice.
How are regular CBD products different from CBD isolate?
Generally, the products we see on the web and offline stores have the full spectrum of a broad spectrum written on the label. Full Spectrum CBD products contain a full cannabinoid profile including 0.3% THC, flavonoids, terpenes, and other hemp compounds. Broad spectrum is the same as full spectrum but without THC.
These products are known to create an entourage effect due synergic effect of all the healing and therapeutic plant compounds involved. With full/broad-spectrum CBD, you get to experience the healing powers of all major cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, CBC, CBD, and more, there’s like 110+ types. Plus, terpenes and flavonoids also have therapeutic properties.
So who should buy them? Well, you, me, and probably every normal Joe. Like if you love amazing flavors and want to experience the whole cannabinoid spectrum, regular CBD products must be your top choice. They are also more pocket-friendly because Isolate CBD is usually expensive due to additional extraction processes involved in making it.
Isolate vs Regular CBD, Which one is stronger?
Well, there’s no straightforward answer to it, and it will depend on your use case, the kind of effects you are seeking, and your overall tolerance levels. If you’re strictly speaking about the anxiety, pain, and stress-relieving effects of CBD, then Isolate is stronger because it’s the purest form of the compound.
But if we zoom out a little, there’s no doubt that full spectrum/broad spectrum or regular CBD products will provide a more holistic effect. By using just isolate, you are missing the entourage effect caused by the synergy of all the compounds found in the hemp plant.
So even if Isolate is deemed as stronger, most people prefer full spectrum or broad spectrum products. You can go on any CBD discussion forum and you’ll notice that people feel that regular CBD products work better for them as compared to isolate.
Let’s say you need CBD for chronic pain, chances are you’ll need high amounts of the isolate as compared to regular CBD to experience the same kind of relief.
So it suffices to say, Yes isolate is technically stronger, but opt for it only if you have a problem with the smells and flavors of regular CBD products, or have an upcoming blood test.
The Final Part
To sum it up, Yes, CBD isolate is technically stronger than regular CBD products. However, most people feel that regular CBD products provide a more holistic or full body relief from pain, anxiety, stress, sleep, appetite, and several other health issues.
Isolate is usually preferred by those who have an upcoming blood test or have an allergy to specific kinds of cannabinoids and flavorings used in CBD products. When it comes to making the best CBD isolates, Arvanna a US-based contract manufacturer is a top choice for most brands.
