Ignorance in CBD Land

Let me start at the beginning. I'm going to try to explain that there are differences in production, and the effects of cannabidiol, or CBD. 

CBD, who has not heard of it, everyone knows it and hears the most incredible stories about this product. But when we ask the question how and from what it is made, we get the strangest answers. 

Like, that the THC is in the flowers and the CBD is in the leaves. THC is in the female plants and CBD in the male. In short, there is a big cloud of ignorance in CBD-land.

To clear up any confusion, only the female cannabis plants produce the so-called trichomes on the flowers and on leaves around the flowers. In these trichomes the THCa and CBDa are formed. The male plants produce almost no trichomes and are not used. 

For industrial hemp cultivation, CBD is only a by-product

In Europe, only European Certified is officially allowed at this time   Industrial hemp is grown. This hemp is grown for its seeds and fibers and naturally contains very few cannabinoids and terpenes. 

In addition, the cultivation is intended for the production of fibers and seeds, and the CBD is only a by-product. 

In this cultivation, the top layer of the crop is collected separately and then dried mechanically in about four hours. The biomass thus obtained has a percentage of approximately 2.5 to 3% of cannabinoids, the terpenes have then almost disappeared. 

At that point, industrial hemp can actually only be used for the production of CBD crystals , as the plant has been virtually destroyed.

High-quality extract from Fiber Hemp does not actually exist

A high quality  extract of the hemp grown and processed in this way is impossible. From a commercial point of view, it is also not profitable for the hemp grower, who is after all working for hemp fiber and seeds and does not manually harvest and dry the female plants. 

However, if we were to harvest only the female plants and let them dry slowly, we could still make a reasonable extract from these plants. But remember: we can't get out what isn't in there. And adding extra terpenes and/or crystals usually does n't give any extra effect.

CBD oil from cannabis plants, as Mother Nature intended

The production of CBD oil from normal cannabis plants is a completely different story, with the important difference that these cannabis flowers also contain a maximum of 0.3% THC  contain, just like industrial hemp. Only these plants contain more than 21% cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and other very useful components. 

In other words, this is the medical weed that won't get you stoned.

By expertly processing and extracting these high-quality CBD plants, we can extract amazingly beautiful extracts that would be impossible to make from industrial hemp. 

A very important difference with industrial hemp is that this high-quality CBD hemp is chock full of cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. These plants are naturally grown  dried  in about 14 days, while retaining as many terpenes etc. as possible. 

When we can freeze-dry, it is the very best way to harvest and process the plant material. A very promising installation is the CRS 2000 CryoMass  from America.

Unpurified NOT decarboxylated Full-Spectrum extracts made from these plants  are (HTFS) extracts containing the full spectrum of cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids from the plants.  Just as Mother Nature intended, completely in balance. And responsible for the many success stories.

Unfortunately, large-scale cultivation of thisCBD cannabis is not officially (yet) permitted in Europe; since it is NOT European Certified Industrial Cannabis , it is prohibited.

Decarboxylation is creaming

What is decarboxylation , why, when not, when yes?

If we want to retain the full medicinal potential in cannabis extracts, it is in my experience very important not to decarboxylate at all. This may sound stubborn, but my extensive experience and own findings are now increasingly scientifically proven . 

There have now been several scientific reports released stating that the non- decarboxylated extracts are 1.7 times more effective than the same extract but decarboxylated.

is even so that in various scientific studies it has already been shown that THCa and CBDa are many tens of times more effective than THC and CBD! This certainly gives reason to think. Especially when one realizes that in the fresh plants only THCa and CBDa can be found.

The THC and CBD are actually degradation products of a dying plant.

Endocannabinoids and the Endocannabinoid System

To make this a bit clearer, it is important to know what our endocannabinoid system is, and what endo-cannabinoids are. 

Very simply explained; we produce cannabinoids in our own body: the so-called endo-cannabinoids. These are used by our endocannabinoid system (ECS) to repair and heal our body.

Our lifestyle, poor diet, stress, alcohol etc. cause deficiencies in our own endocannabinoid system. Fortunately, the cannabis plant as a nutritional supplement can help us tremendously with that.

The phyto-cannabinoids of the cannabis plant are seen and accepted by our body as the body's own (endo)cannabinoids, and our body can immediately replenish its deficiencies with them, hence the rapid effect and problem-free acceptance in our body.

If one then realizes that our body produces barely measurable endocannabinoids and can heal itself with them, then in my opinion there is absolutely no need to decarboxylate. 

During processing and extraction, there is always a certain form of decarboxylation, which provides our body with more than enough THC and CBD. The big advantage is that these extracts are packed with all the very important acids, flavonoids and terpenes that would normally be lost due to heating. 

And believe it or not, THC and CBD are not the main components in the plant.

Cannabis plant not to be copied or patented!

Science has now also discovered this and is urgently looking for a stable form of these acids , which is essential for the production of medicines (patent).

But luckily, the cannabis extracts gifted by Mother Nature are completely balanced, cannot be copied, and cannot be patented!

Decarboxylation is good for activating the non-psychoactive THCa into the psychoactive substance THC, so that you can get nice and stoned from it. But for obtaining high-quality CBD (food) supplements, I personally strongly advise against it. 

Why one CBD oil is definitely not the same as another CBD oil

I have a lot of experience with decarboxylated and non-decarboxylated extracts, and my experience is that the pure non- decarboxylated oil from the cannabis plant works many times more effectively than the decarboxylated form. 

The CBD as an isolate (crystal) form certainly has only a limited effect. An additional problem is that the Synthetic CBD Crystals can hardly be distinguished from plant-based CBD Crystals.

In the many scientific trials, over 80% of users of real full-spectrum extracts experience clear improvements. In contrast, only a score of 35% with extracts based on isolates (crystals). 

What is interesting to know in this regard is that several extensive placebo studies have shown that the placebo effect on medication is around 30%…

Peter Vermeul, Owner CBD Spain (June 15, 2021)