Is Hemp Oil the Same as CBD?

The hemp plant is an incredibly versatile one, with essential oils, fibers, rich proteins, and an abundance of natural CBD. Today you can find a number of food and beauty products on the market that are infused with hemp ingredients. However not all hemp products are the same. In fact, not all hemp oils are the same.

Consumers can often be led astray due to vague marketing around hemp products. Especially when discerning the difference between hemp seed oil and CBD infused goods.

Is hemp oil the same as CBD? In this article we breakdown the facts on what makes CBD different from hemp oil.

Hemp seed oil comes directly from the seeds

Though both types of oils come from the same plant, they are actually found in very different parts of the hemp plant. Hemp seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the plant, via cold pressing or other methods of solventless extraction. The final product is a consumable plant based oil, great for a number of uses.

Hemp has been cultivated for its fibers and oil for over 20,000 years, becoming popularized in Europe around the 16th century. This seed based oil has been used in cooking and skin care products, as it is rich in vitamins and beneficial ingredients.

Hemp seeds contain roughly 25-30% oil, along with proteins, fiber and some water. Each cultivar varies in their seed composition, but all are nutritious and great for a number of applications.

CBD oil is extracted from the resin of the hemp plant

When exploring the differences between hemp seed and CBD oils, one of the most obvious distinctions is where they are found in the hemp plant. While hemp seed oil comes directly from the seeds of the flower, CBD oils come from a less obvious part of the plant – its pubescence.

Pubescence refers to the glandular trichomes that coat the leaves and flowers of the plant. They look almost like a sparkling and frosted hair that covers the body of the plant, expressing during the flowering phase of its life cycle.

These resin glands secrete an aromatic oil, potent with cannabinoids like CBD and other active plant compounds found in CBD oils. Exposure to heat and sunlight cause this oil to mature and develop active CBD. This can then be extracted from the plant using solventless or hydrocarbon extraction techniques, resulting in a CBD concentrate or isolate.

The big difference between hemp seed and CBD oils

When choosing between hemp seed oil and CBD oils, it’s important to keep in mind what sets them apart from one another. Both have nourishing but unique benefits.

Hemp seed oil does NOT contain CBD, only CBD oil contains medicinal concentrations of CBD. If you are looking for the anti-inflammatory or relaxing effects of CBD, you must use a CBD oil that contains a higher amount of cannabinoids than hemp seed oil.

CBD oil may contain trace amounts of THC, while hemp seed oil contains none. In the legal market, all CBD products must contain 0.3% or lower THC. Though this amount will not have any noticeable effects, it may still show up on standard drug screenings.

Though CBD has more medicinal potential, hemp seed oil is composed of different botanical compounds with health benefits. Hemp oil is rich in omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and stearidonic acid. These essential fatty acids play a key role in in the following bodily functions: