Many people new to using CBD wonder if there is CBD in hemp seed or hemp oil. The answer is confusing because there is indeed CBD in the hemp plant, but not in the hemp seed itself. Also, many underhanded companies have purposefully blurred the line between CBD oil and hemp seed oil, so sometimes people buy hemp seed oil expecting the benefits of CBD and are disappointed. This is too bad because both CBD oil and hemp seed oil have many great benefits, even though they are different.
CBD, aka cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid extracted from the flower buds and leaves of the hemp plant. It can also be extracted from marijuana, but because hemp was made legal in the federal 2018 farm bill and marijuana is not legal except for a state by state basis, most CBD products you see available are derived from the hemp plant. So, this would be products such as CBD-only tinctures, creams, or edible products.
The only difference between hemp and marijuana is that hemp only contains minuscule amounts of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the only compound in the cannabis plant that creates an intoxicating, psychoactive effect. CBD from the hemp plant can be experienced by smoking the flowers of hemp itself. This is called “smokable hemp” or “CBD flower.” Or via CBD oil. CBD oil is processed in a laboratory from hemp biomass.
No matter how you use CBD, it is becoming a popular solution for many common and chronic health ailments. Many studies have revealed the wide variety of health benefits of CBD use, and many more are in the works. Studies indicate that CBD is helpful for patients suffering from anxiety and stress-related mental health issues. It is useful for easing chronic pain, like anxiety. CBD can help with insomnia, and skin conditions like acne, eczema, and psoriasis. CBD has been shown to help with cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, and it has even shown promise as a treatment for cancer.
Scientists are still working to understand how CBD (and the other cannabinoids in hemp) can provide many health benefits to humans. The main reason seems to be CBD’s ability to interact with our natural endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a natural system of receptors present in our brains, nerve ends, and throughout our bodies. Humans naturally produce endocannabinoids and they work in our body to promote “homeostasis.” Homeostasis is the body seeking a natural balance, regulating stressors like pain, anxiety, tiredness, and outside forces like a disease.
Scientists discovered that the cannabinoids in the hemp plant, like CBD, can interact and “speak” with our natural endocannabinoid system and this can help bring relief to many common health complaints. Interestingly, the cannabis plant is not the only plant that has cannabinoids in it. Many plants we commonly associate with herbal medicine — like echinacea and kava — also have cannabinoids. However, no plants produce as many or as potent cannabinoids as the cannabis plant.
So, as you can imagine, many people get CBD oil, which is made from the hemp flower and leaves confused with hemp seed oil which is cold-pressed from just the hemp seeds. The first thing to understand is that hemp seed is produced in the hemp flower bud when fertilized and allowed to produce seed. Although there will still be some CBD in the remaining flower bud itself, even if it is fertilized, the seeds themselves do not contain any noticeable amounts of CBD.
Generally speaking, however, hemp growers producing hemp for CBD production work very hard to prevent their plants from being fertilized because that will significantly diminish the percentages of CBD in the final hemp flower harvest. Hemp is a dioecious plant, which means some plants are natural females and some are naturally males. Hemp growers have many techniques to avoid having male plants in their hemp grow, including planting ‘feminized” seed or roguing and removing male hemp plants before they have a chance to fertilize the female plants.
Meanwhile, there are still many reasons to use hemp seed itself and specifically hemp seed oil that is cold-pressed from hemp seeds. Hemp growers looking to grow hemp for its fiber, and often harvesting as well hemp grain specifically for the hemp seed oil market.
Hemp seed oil can be used in place of other conventional oils in your kitchen, like olive oil, vegetable oil, or fancier oils like avocado or coconut oil. You can use it for cooking with, as a salad dressing, or simply any of the reasons you might reach for “oil” in your daily menu. But reaching for hemp seed oil is also great for your health. Hemp seeds are incredibly rich in essential fatty acids like linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). They are also a great source of protein and have other health benefits like Vitamin E, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Hemp seeds and hemp oil are so good for you that many consider them a “superfood” for human nutrition. Specifically, the hemp seed oil is excellent for skin orders, preventing dryness and itching and it shows promise in decreasing the inflammation many women experience with PMS and menopause. The hemp seed oil also has high levels of anti-oxidants.
The bottom line, there are loads of benefits for both CBD and CBD oil, derived from the hemp plant. And, hemp oil derived from hemp seeds. But, remember, that despite what some companies may advertise, oil that comes from hemp seeds alone does not have CBD or other cannabinoids in them so will not provide the more specific health benefits that cannabinoids do. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use hemp seeds or hemp seed oil! After all, it would be costly (and probably not that tasty) to sauté your healthy vegetables in CBD oil.
It just goes to show what an amazing, versatile, human-positive plant hemp truly is. And of course, you can always plant hemp seeds to grow hemp and harvest hemp flower yourself for the CBD. But, if you do want to try your hand at growing hemp yourself, make sure to talk to our professional growing staff at Colorado Breeders Depot about the best hemp varietals for you. Whether you are a backyard grower or looking to put in an extensive, professional grow planting. We breed and sell premium quality, low-THC, high-CBD varietals for the hemp industry as well as often smokable hemp and other products derived from the amazing, versatile hemp plant.
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