CBD Education

What is CBD Flower?

The term CBD flower refers to cannabis bud that is rich in CBD and low in THC. CBD flower is usually obtained from hemp which is known for its high CBD content and minimal THC (less than 0.3%). Since CBD hemp flower contains almost no THC, it cannot be used for recreational purposes. Instead, CBD flower from hemp is used purely for medicinal purposes. 

Is CBD Flower Legal?

In addition to its therapeutic uses, hemp has numerous industrial uses such as paper, textiles, and even fuel. Because of these many uses, Congress legalized hemp at the federal level in 2018. The legalization of hemp in the United States means CBD flower is entirely legal nationwide, as long as it is derived from hemp. 

Can You Smoke CBD?

Yes, you can! In fact, smoking CBD flower is becoming increasingly popular among new and experienced CBD users due to its familiar consumption method and various benefits associated with it. Besides the medical use of CBD, it is used as a natural support to our overall health, body, and skin

Benefits of CBD Cigarettes

Hemp cigarettes made with CBD-rich flowers are packed with benefits that can promote overall wellness. As years of scientific research show, CBD can help balance our systems by supporting a healthy endocannabinoid system. Through its interaction with receptors in our endocannabinoid system, CBD may improve ECS functions related to:

• Anxiety: CBD is known to promote feelings of relaxation and calmness. If taken during or before stressful and challenging situations, CBD can help ease the mind and minimize any feelings of anxiety momentarily. 
• Sleep Problems: By calming the mind and relieving feelings of anxiousness, CBD can help users fall asleep faster at night. Over time, a nightly CBD regimen can improve your sleep cycles so that you achieve a deeper rest every night.
• Joint and Muscle Pain: One of the main reasons CBD became so popular in the first place was because of its ability to interact with pain receptors in the endocannabinoid system. Smoking CBD flower may reduce feelings of discomfort associated with muscle and joint pain.
• Lack of Focus: Thousands of users have begun to turn to CBD to help them improve concentration and productivity levels at work or school. CBD may improve focus thanks to its ability to relax away feelings related to anxiety and stress. 
• Other Conditions: Since CBD is a relatively new industry, research is still being conducted to determine all of its benefits. However, most studies so far suggest CBD may be able to help with symptoms related to conditions like fibromyalgia, diabetes, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases 

Using CBD Flower to Replace Tobacco

Perhaps the most common reason people are choosing CBD joints over other forms of CBD is that smoking CBD flower may help users quit tobacco and marijuana. 

CBD hemp flower has a similar look, aroma, and taste like marijuana, giving marijuana smokers a similar sensory experience without the “high.” Many users report the best way to replace marijuana with CBD flower is to incorporate CBD joints into your routine while slowly phasing out marijuana.

Most importantly, CBD may help users quit tobacco cigarettes which are responsible for almost half a million deaths every year in the U.S. alone. Cigarettes are filled with dangerous chemicals known to cause cancer and increase the risk of developing heart and lung disease. Tobacco also contains nicotine, the habit-forming ingredient responsible for cigarettes’ addictive properties. In contrast, CBD has no harmful ingredients or addictive chemicals. 

In fact, research suggests, CBD can reduce the amount of “reward” we experience when smoking tobacco or marijuana making them an excellent option to help you begin the quitting process.

What Does Smoking CBD Feel Like?

Because most CBD flower products contain trace amounts or no THC, smoking CBD flower will not get you high. Smoking CBD is known for producing calming and relaxing effects on the body and mind without any of the signs related to marijuana. That means no red eyes, slow reaction times, or impaired movements. 

On average, if you are smoking CBD flower, its effects will kick in after 10-15 minutes. Once in your system, the effects may be felt for about 4-6 hours. Since CBD is not psychoactive, you may continue with your daily routine normally during those hours.

Will Smoking CBD Make You Fail a Drug Test?

As is the case with other medications, small traces of CBD may stay in your system days after smoking. But, does this mean CBD can show up on a drug test?

While CBD may be found in your bloodstream days after initial consumption, it will not make you fail any drug tests. Nowadays, cannabis drug tests only check for moderate to high amounts of THC, not CBD. Even professional athletes are using CBD for muscle recovery without having to worry about drug tests or doping control agencies.

If you are new to CBD, there are many things you need to consider before making your first purchase. One of the most important choices that you will need to make when choosing a CBD product is whether to go with full-spectrum CBD or isolate CBD. Even though both types of CBD extract offer significant benefits, understanding the difference between these two types of CBD is crucial to experience the best results.

What Is CBD Extract?

CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is one of the dozens of organic compounds found in hemp. In recent years, CBD has been proven to have an array of medicinal benefits such as relieving pain, alleviating anxiety, and promoting sleep. In fact, CBD is so effective and has become so popular among medical professionals and their patients that it is now being extracted and manufactured into products like oils, edibles, and creams.  

Is Full Spectrum Hemp Oil Legal?

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp in the United States last December. The bill established different norms and regulations that benefit the hemp industry including removing hemp from the federal list of controlled substances and taking away the DEA’s power to treat hemp as an illicit drug.

Industrial hemp is now classified as an agricultural commodity and is regulated by the Department of Agriculture and individual state agencies. The bill has encouraged many to look into hemp-derived CBD as a medicinal supplement and/or financial investment since experts project the CBD industry will surpass the $20 billion mark in the next four years.

CBD Full Spectrum vs Isolate: What’s the Difference?

When searching for CBD products online, you will often come across the terms full-spectrum and isolate. These define the content of hemp products. Learning about these two main types of hemp products will help you make a smarter choice when purchasing CBD online.

What Is CBD Isolate?

CBD isolate is a crystalline powder containing 99% pure cannabidiol from hemp. All other components of the hemp plant are removed to achieve pure CBD extracts. Pure CBD isolate is obtained through a purification process where all plant material minus CBD is filtered out of the extracts. After filtration, the extracted substance goes through a more rigorous process called winterization.

Winterization removes all remaining elements that might have stuck around after filtration. This leaves a fine, white powder consisting of only CBD.

How to Use CBD Isolate?

The white powder known as CBD isolate is entirely odorless and tasteless. Because of its lack of taste and odor, users around the world have learned to use CBD isolate in a variety of ways.

By far the easiest and most effective way to take CBD isolate is through sublingual consumption. Simply, place a dose of CBD isolate under your tongue and hold it there for 30 to 60 seconds. This allows the CBD to be absorbed by the capillaries under your tongue which deliver CBD directly to your bloodstream.

Since CBD isolate is 100% tasteless, it also makes for the perfect additive to your foods and drinks. Try it in smoothies, acai bowls, or your morning coffee. You can also use isolate powder in baked goods like cakes, cookies, and brownies. A daily dose of CBD isolate in your foods is the best way to benefit from the properties of CBD in a delicious and familiar way.

What is Full Spectrum CBD?

As opposed to CBD isolate, full-spectrum CBD contains a combination of all other cannabinoids found in hemp. However, only minimal amounts of these cannabinoids are included in a full spectrum solution– CBD is still the main ingredient. Some compounds in full-spectrum CBD include CBN (cannabinol), CBG (cannabigerol), and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Even though THC is often included in full-spectrum solutions, it comes in very low concentrations (less than 0.3%), resulting in no psychoactive effects.

What Is Broad Spectrum CBD?

Another common term you may come across in your CBD journey is broad-spectrum CBD, a term often erroneously used in place of full-spectrum CBD. So, what is the difference between broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD products?

As the name implies, broad-spectrum CBD contains more compounds than just CBD. However, unlike full spectrum CBD, its formulas do not contain all compounds found in hemp.

What Are the Benefits of Full Spectrum CBD?

As mentioned before, both isolate and full-spectrum CBD offers numerous benefits. It was previously believed that products made with pure CBD were more potent than full spectrum CBD.  However, recent studies suggest full and broad-spectrum formulas may provide stronger relief over time because of the entourage effect.

The Entourage Effect

This phenomenon refers to the way different cannabinoids work together to deliver more potent benefits than one specific cannabinoid alone. Traces of cannabis compounds like CBN, CBG, and terpenes enhance the effects of CBD due to these compounds also having significant medicinal properties. Broad and full-spectrum formulas even contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which can also help improve how CBD works without causing any psychoactive effects.

How to Use Full Spectrum CBD

Like pure CBD isolate, full-spectrum CBD is also extremely versatile. Dozens of brands online offer full-spectrum products like full-spectrum CBD oil, CBD gummies, capsules, and even beverages. Most importantly, brands selling broad and full-spectrum CBD products today have close to zero percent THC in their formulas, meaning they are completely safe and legal.

How Is CBD Extracted?

Compounds from hemp, such as CBD, can be extracted using different methods; however, the best by far is CO2 extraction.

CO2 extraction refers to a method that uses pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) to create a highly concentrated form of CBD that is suitable for human consumption. This process pulls the desired phytochemicals like CBD out of the plant material isolating the substance and forming an extract that is free of harmful chemicals, fertilizers, and other undesired substances.

How Does the CO2 Extraction Method Work?

Under certain conditions, carbon dioxide acts like a solvent that is capable of creating a variety of end products. By manipulating temperature and pressure, manufacturers use this method to force CO2 into a state that is somewhere between liquid and gas. This state is known as a “supercritical” state.

In its supercritical state, CO2 works as a highly effective extraction solvent that has been used for years by food companies. For example, supercritical CO2 extraction is used to remove caffeine from coffee and extract essential oils from plants.

When it comes to CBD extraction, supercritical CO2 is passed through a high-tech chamber where it pulls all of the desired chemicals (in this case CBD) out of the plant material. After the CBD is extracted with supercritical CO2, the temperature is changed back to room temperature, so all the CO2 evaporates leaving behind a substance that contains no solvents or unwanted chemicals.

Pure CBD Provides Pure Relief

Supercritical CO2 extraction is the industry’s best practice for pure CBD extraction. However, this method requires top-of-the-line high-tech equipment making it an expensive alternative to other less effective extraction methods used by many CBD companies.

If you are considering CBD for your daily routine, it is essential to buy from a CBD company like Pure Relief that gets the extracts through supercritical CO2 extraction. All Pure Relief products are made using CBD obtained through supercritical CO2 extraction. Additionally, our products are formulated by a pharmacist with years of experience in the industry ensuring each CBD item in our collection is safe for your consumption.