About CBD
CBD 101
What is CBD?
CBD, otherwise known as cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring cannabinoid found in the hemp & cannabis plants. While hemp and cannabis are the same from a botanical standpoint, a distinction is made between the two plants due to the levels of the controlled cannabinoid, THC. Hemp plants typically have higher levels of CBD with trace levels of THC. The opposite is true for the cannabis plant, which typically has higher concentrations of THC.
CBD can be extracted from both cannabis or hemp plants. In Europe, there is still a lack of harmonisation on the allowable THC limits in CBD products. Generally the limit is 0.2% THC, although this varies on a country by country basis. For example, Switzerland sets a 1% limit and Czech Republic sets a 0.3% limit.
The hemp plant contains over 100 different kinds of cannabinoids, all with varying effects and uses on the human body. Two of the most well-known compounds are CBD and THC.
THC is often seen as the older brother of CBD and is widely known for its psychoactive properties that produces a high effect for the user. Unlike THC, CBD has no psychoactive properties and has been growing in popularity due to the wellness benefits associated with the compound.
CBD has overtaken Vitamin C and D as one of of the most popular wellness supplements on the market.
Reported benefits of CBD products are typically around supporting and helping to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is important to note that CBD products will affect every individual differently so there is not a one size fits all approach.
CBD is not to be confused with lower quality hemp oil derived from hemp seeds. These products are sold frivolously across the internet and it is important to ensure that your product outlines exactly how much CBD is in it, alongside a valid Certificate of Analysis.
At Savage Cabbage, our commitment is to whole plant CBD products. We believe in representing the hemp plant through a full spectrum of beneficial plant compounds, including other minor cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals. The highest quality CBD oil products are derived from whole hemp or full spectrum plant extract, which contains the full range of hemp compounds, not just CBD.
It is important to note that cannabinoids and hemp nutrients are not exclusive to hemp. These compounds can be found in other plants, like hops, rosemary, black pepper and cacao. However hemp and cannabis contain the highest concentrations and variety of phytocannabinoids.
How does CBD work?
The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is an important modulatory system in every human (and mammal!). First discovered in the 1980s, this system plays an important role in helping our body and its cells stay in balance. CBD may assist in supporting the human body in achieving balance through its interactions with the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).
What is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
Every human has an internal nervous system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS) which supports a broad range of physiological processes that affect our everyday lives. Our body naturally produces endocannabinoids, which interact with the body’s ECS to support homeostasis. A cannabinoid is the name given to any compound that interacts with the ECS, including the cannabinoids made naturally by your body (called endocannabinoids, “endo” meaning inside) and the ones found in plants (called phytocannabinoids, “phyto” meaning plant).
The most well-known phytocannabinoids are CBD and THC. However, there are more than 120 in the cannabis plant alone, and they’re all unique in their effect. This is an oversimplification, but you can think of cannabinoids like vitamins and minerals. When we don’t get enough from nutrition, or the body doesn’t make enough of its own, you can end up with a deficiency; your endocannabinoid system doesn’t work as well as it could.
The ECS is one of the body’s largest receptor systems, with receptors spread out around the body. There are two primary types of receptors:
CB1 receptors: Mainly found in the central nervous system
CB2 receptors: Mainly found in the peripheral nervous system
What to know before buying CBD
Traceability is an important factor to take into consideration when looking for a product to buy. In the past, the hemp plant was renowned for cleaning soil and was used in the process of cleaning the contaminated soil around Chernobyl in 1986.
The results have been so remarkable that Japanese scientists considered using it as part of their clean up process for the Fukushima disaster, however, the difficulty obtaining hemp licenses prohibited them from using this miraculous plant.
Why mention this? It is important to remember that whey buying hemp products, they need to be responsibly grown and produced according to quality standards that ensure a clean and effective product for you as the consumer. There is an abundance of hemp in the world due to its multitude of uses across industry, manufacturing, healthcare and wellness and the reality is that all hemp and CBD is no made equal.
At Savage Cabbage, we rigorously vet our products to ensure that they meet internationally recognised quality standards and have a valid Certificate of Analysis (COA) for every batch that is produced. The Certificate of Analysis should cover cannabinoid analysis, heavy metals, residual solvents and pesticides testing at a minimum to ensure safety of products. For this reason, we have intentionally kept our product line small and limited to ensure full traceability of the product from farm to bottle.
There are a huge number of hemp and CBD products on the market, however brand transparency, testing and ingredient traceability are crucial to an effective and safe product. The reality is that a lot of of the CBD products on the market are generic and do not control the full production process.
At Savage Cabbage, we focus on quality over quantity with our CBD products and only represent products that offer full traceability through the production process. This means understanding where the product was farmed and ensuring consistency through the whole production process every time to give our customers a consistent product. And one that represents the botanical benefits of whole plant hemp products.
Every product comes with a full specification certificate of analysis from third party laboratories. Charlotte’s Web are the most world’s most well-known CBD brand in the world with over 20 rounds of testing during their production process.
Before you buy a CBD product consider using the following checklist:
Is the manufacturer transparent? Is it easy to find out information about their manufacturing process, starting from the hemp raw materials used to created CBD products?
Ask if they do their own extraction. If they don’t do their own extracting, ask who does and what method/solvent they use for extracting? CO2 and ethanol extraction are typically the safest and most common extraction methods
Request batch testing Certificates of Analysis (COA) carried out by independent third party analysis, to make sure there are no traces of contaminants, toxins or heavy metals. This is incredibly important and any quality product will be able to provide a full gamut COA for your products.
Does the product contain a full array plant compounds or simply CBD? There is purported to be a difference in quality between CBD isolate products and full spectrum CBD products,.
What are terpenes and flavonoids?
While Terpenes and flavonoids are not cannabinoids, they are compounds found in hemp and other plants. All the component parts working together produce what scientist have named the “Entourage effect”.
What is the Entourage Effect and why is it important?
When researching the benefits of cannabinoids, or CBD and whole plant extracts, you may have seen mention of the “entourage effect” but what does that mean, and why is it important? The phrase was first coined by scientists in 1999 as a proposed mechanism by which CBD acts synergistically with other plant compounds including naturally occurring levels of THC, terpenes and flavonoids to support a synergistic, complimentary approach between plant compounds. Simply put, the entourage effect believe cannabinoids and other beneficial hemp compounds are more effective in combination rather than in isolation. At Savage Cabbage, we are supporters of whole plant, full spectrum products that contain more than just CBD.
What dosage of CBD should I take
Click image to view larger
There is no ‘one size fits all’ for CBD dosages and the optimal dose for each individual consumer can depend on many factors, including CBD tolerance, body weight, exercise plan, age, the type of CBD product and its concentration. The method of finding your sweet spot is a personal journey, and we have put together the below guide to help you establish your required dosage for oil-based products. The general rule of thumb is to start low and slowly build up dosage as required. While CBD is thought to have a relatively safe toxicology profile, the current recommendations daily dosage in the EU is 70mg CBD per day.
