The cannabis plant is a family tree of CBD, THC, and hemp oil, but each of them works in different ways.
CBD and THC are like unidentical twins; they are twin siblings but look and behave differently. While the hemp oil is like their cousin. It’s related to them but behaves a lot differently from CBD and THC.
They all come from cannabis plants, and each one has different effects and use cases.
Then what’s the difference between CBD, THC and hemp oil?
Let’s break down the differences between them one by one.
What is CBD?
CBD is a compound present in the cannabis plant. This compound is associated with many wellness benefits and used to help with many lifestyle ailments such as stress, depression, insomnia, epilepsy, and anger management, and also used during cancer treatment to reduce the treatment-induced insomnia, nausea, and pain.
Danni Gordon, the author of the book “The CBD Bible”, mentions the medicinal properties of CBD as follows:
- Anti-Tumour effects
- Neuroprotective qualities
- Analgesic properties
- Anti- anxiety and antidepressant
- Antipsychotic effects
- Anticonvulsant (to treat seizures)
- Antioxidant
- Anti – nausea
- Anti – sebum
- Anti – acne
- Counters THC intoxication (useful where medical cannabis is prescribed for patients who may need some THC for severe symptoms but who don’t want to feel intoxicated.
CBD is well known in the wellness space for its qualities to solve modern lifestyle ailments and much more.
CBD can be used in different formats like oils, capsules, gummies, and more.
3 types of CBD-based products :
- Full Spectrum CBD – They contain all the cannabinoids along with CBD and 0.3% of THC as well. The Full spectrum works on the concept of the entourage effect, meaning all the compounds work together to give a greater effect than just one compound working on its own.
- Broad-spectrum CBD – They contain CBD and other cannabinoids, but they also contain THC. Works well for people who don’t want the effects of THC
- CBD Isolate – This is CBD in pure form and does not contain any other cannabinoids.
What is THC?
THC (full form) is a compound also found in the cannabis sativa plant. It is psychoactive, but it also helps with many problems. Danni Gordon also mentions THC in detail in the same book, he mentions THC’s medicinal properties:
- Pain relief (analgesic)
- Anti- Inflammatory action
- Brain protection from toxins (neuroprotection)
- Muscle relaxant (anti – spasmodic), anti nausea
- Appetite stimulant
- Helps with PTSD (dampens the fear response)
- Sleep promotion
- Calming/relaxing (in smaller doses, usually with CBD)
- Antioxidant
- Anti- tumour effects (for some cancers, mainly animal models so far. research is promising, but too early to translate this into humans)
- Reduced eye pressure in glaucoma
Pure THC products are not legal in India.
THC can be acquired through Full Spectrum products or pure THC products
What is Hemp Oil?
Hemp oil, also known as hemp seed oil. It is taken from the seeds of the hemp/cannabis plant, and it does not contain CBD, THC, or any other cannabinoids.
However, the hemp seed oil is packed with nutrients such as:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Vitamin E
People consume the hemp seed oil with their food, mainly for their salads and get better skin, hair and bone health with the help of hemp seed oil.
Conclusion
Even though CBD, THC, and Hemp seed oil come from the same plant, they are different in their effects and have different use cases.
The cannabinoids CBD & THC are used for wellness reasons to help with lifestyle ailments, while the Hemp seed oil is like a nutritious food source, which helps with skin issues and brain health.
