Ignorance in CBD Land

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

CBD, who hasn't heard of it? Everyone knows about it and hears the most incredible stories about it. But when we ask how and what it's made from, we get the strangest answers. 

For example, THC is in the flowers and CBD in the leaves. THC is in the female plants and CBD in the male ones. In short, there's a huge cloud of ignorance in the CBD world.

To clear up any confusion, only the female cannabis plants produce the so-called Trichomes on the flowers and on the leaves surrounding the flowers. THCa and CBDa are produced in these trichomes. Male plants produce almost no trichomes and are not used. 

For industrial hemp cultivation, CBD is only a byproduct

Up to now, only European Certified is officially allowed in Europe   Industrial hemp is cultivated. This hemp is grown for its seeds and fiber 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 approximately 2.5 to 3% cannabinoid content, by which time the terpenes have almost completely 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  Extracting hemp grown and processed this way is impossible. Commercially, it's also unprofitable for the hemp grower, who, after all, is working for hemp fiber and seeds and doesn't manually harvest and dry the female plants. 

However, if we only harvest the female plants and let them dry slowly, we can still make a reasonable extract from these plants. But remember: we can't extract what's not in there. And adding terpenes and/or crystals generally doesn't provide any additional benefits.

CBD oil from cannabis plants, just 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. However, these plants contain over 21% cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other very beneficial 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 from industrial hemp is that this high-quality CBD hemp is chock full of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. These plants are naturally  dried  in about 14 days, while retaining as many terpenes etc. as possible. 

When we can freeze-dry, it's the best way to harvest and process plant material. A promising system 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 balanced. And responsible for many success stories.

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

Decarboxylation is creaming

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

In my experience, if we want to preserve the full medicinal potential of cannabis extracts, it's crucial to avoid decarboxylation entirely. This may sound conceited, but my extensive experience and personal findings are increasingly being 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.

In fact, various scientific studies have already shown that THCa and CBDa are dozens of times more effective than THC and CBD! This certainly gives food for thought, especially when you consider that only THCa and CBDa are found in fresh plants.

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 endocannabinoids are. 

Simply put, we produce cannabinoids in our own bodies: the so-called endocannabinoids. These are used by our endocannabinoid system (ECS) to repair and heal our bodies.

Our lifestyle, poor diet, stress, alcohol, and so on, all contribute to deficiencies in our endocannabinoid system. Fortunately, the cannabis plant, as a nutritional supplement, can be a great help.

The phytocannabinoids of the cannabis plant are seen and accepted by our body as endogenous (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, some form of decarboxylation always occurs, which provides our bodies with more than enough THC and CBD. The major advantage is that these extracts are packed with all the essential 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 cannot 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. However, 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 in my experience, the pure non- decarboxylated oil from the cannabis plant works many times more effectively than the decarboxylated form. 

CBD in its isolate (crystal) form certainly has only limited effectiveness. An additional problem is that synthetic CBD crystals are virtually indistinguishable from plant-based CBD crystals.

In numerous scientific trials, over 80% of users of true full-spectrum extracts experience significant improvements. In contrast, only 35% of users experience improvements with extracts based on isolates (crystals). 

It is interesting to know that several extensive placebo studies have shown that the placebo effect on medication is around 30%…

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