Hemp Oil or CBD Oil? How do I know what I’m getting?

December 01, 2019

As the CBD market continues to grow in popularity, there’s a lot of confusion between hemp oil and cbd oil. More people are being exposed to the compound CBD and its accompanying research. However, with this rampant growth in popularity, the amount of information available can often be overwhelming and difficult to process. There are so many acronyms, terms and variations of phrases. There are also opinions and misinformation to sift through. One area where the information can be confusing is trying to figure out the difference between CBD Oil and Hemp Oil. Here are some facts to help you compare and contrast these two compounds available to the public.

HEMP OIL

While CBD is new on the mass market (thanks to the Hemp Farming Act), Hemp Oil has been in many products for years. A reason for this is because Hemp Oil (or, “Hemp Seed Oil”) is an oil that is cold pressed from the seeds of the hemp plant. This is the same process that creates products like Sunflower Seed or Jojoba oils. Hemp oil is in the category of “superfoods” and it is often found at your local health food store. It is rich in protein and omegas but there are no cannabinoids (CBD) in it. This is how it has been available in the market while CBD is just now emerging. Hemp seed oil is used most often as a carrier oil (for essential oil fragrance or other blends) or in products like Hemp seed milk and lotions. Some seeds are even packaged as whole, dried, salted and in granola. If you’re looking to get cannabidiol (CBD) and its potential benefits, Hemp Oil will not accommodate.

CBD OIL

CBD, on the other hand, is one of the compounds in the entire hemp plant, not the seeds. CBD (Cannabidiol) is removed from the hemp plant using a C02 extraction process. When extracted, the result contains CBD, Terpenes and the small amount of natural THC (.3%) that is found in the plant’s genetic makeup. At Medterra, we pull just the CBD from the plant to create something called “CBD Isolate”. [For more on isolate, CLICK HERE] This CBD isolate is just the CBD, by itself. It is the legal, hemp-derived compound that is found in all Medterra products. This means that our products are rich in CBD but they don’t have any other parts of the hemp plant (like THC and Terpenes) so you’re only getting the CBD you’re looking for. This is important for those who are searching for the highest quality CBD-based products but don’t want to fear what may be associated with the other compounds of the plant, like THC. When shopping for CBD for the first time, the labels and similarities can be confusing. How do you know the difference between CBD and Hemp Oil products on the store shelves? Many natural stores are carrying both CBD and Hemp Oil items (ever since hemp cbd was rendered legal on the Federal level) and they’re often displayed near each other. How do you know what you’re looking at? The best thing to do is to take a moment to read the labels. On the labels of the products you should find certain indicators that can help you know what you’re potentially getting. For hemp oil, the ingredients will say “hemp oil” or “hemp seed oil”. On CBD products, you’ll usually find “CBD” and / or “Cannabidiol”. CBD products will also have a milligram indicator (mg) which will detail the number of milligrams of CBD in the entire bottle. Another way to be able to know that you’re getting the CBD you’re looking for is to purchase from a reputable company who is in compliance with the Hemp Farming Act and carries the U.S. Hemp Authority seal of approval. The U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certification Program is our industry's initiative to provide high standards, best practices and self-regulation, giving confidence to consumers and law enforcement that hemp products are safe, and legal. Medterra is proud to be U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified in an effort to provide our customers the highest-quality CBD and customer service. In addition to the U.S. Hemp Authority seal, reputable companies like Medterra will also post their third party testing. These are usually published on websites (find ours here) and will detail the CBD levels contained in the isolate used in the manufacturing. This is designed for your peace of mind. When you purchase from a certified, legal, tested and compliant company like Medterra, you know what you’re getting. With clear labeling and reachable customer service, you can rest knowing that what you’re enjoying is what you were searching for.