What is the difference between hemp oil and CBD oil?

Although cannabidiol (CBD) and its products appear to be taking over the world, there is still a high level of confusion and lack of knowledge surrounding this cannabinoid by the general public. However, another area that can cause confusion is the differences between Hemp oil and CBD oil, both of which come from the cannabis plant, but how are they different? With all these CBD products appearing in the shops, the confusion can heighten to a point where you have so many questions, and you don’t know where to look for the answers. But let’s try to ease the overwhelm when it comes to these two different types of oils.

Sometimes the words “cannabis”, “marijuana” and “hemp” are used interchangeably, which is not correct, as cannabis is a class of genus of plant, whereas hemp and marijuana are varieties of the cannabis plant. Within all varieties of the cannabis plant, there are naturally occurring chemical compounds called “phytocannabinoids”, and the most notable of those are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the psychoactive phytocannabinoid that creates the well-known “high” effect. Whereas CBD is the non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid, these two chemical compounds are two of many that are produced naturally in the hemp plant, with each phytocannabinoid having its own therapeutic benefits.

Although CBD products can be made from hemp extract oil, there are also products that are termed hemp seed oil, which although sound very similar, they are actually different things. Both CBD oil and hemp oil bear their own health benefits, but they are fairly different from each other in this respect. Hemp seed oil, or hemp oil, comes only from the seeds of the hemp plant, and in the seeds, there are no phytocannabinoids, which in turn means there are minor traces if any CBD content at all. Hemp seed oil is flush with omega-3 fatty acids and is used mainly in food and skincare products, and therefore is used widely in the cosmetic industry, for products such as shampoos, conditioners, lotions and soap. Whereas CBD oil is made from the leaves, flowers and stalks of the hemp plant variety, as those are the parts of the plant where cannabidiol can be found. The main uses of CBD oil is as an alternative medicine to help balance the body’s internal systems such as the endocannabinoid system.

If you are unsure of how to recognise if a product is CBD oil or hemp oil then you will need to look at the ingredients on the product packaging. If you are looking for a hemp oil product you will see descriptions such as “hemp oil”, “hemp seed oil”, “cannabis seed oil” or “cannabis sativa seed oil”. Whereas for CBD oils look for ingredient descriptions such as “cannabidiol” or “CBD”.