CBD (Cannabidiol)
What is CBD (a.k.a. Cannabidiol)
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the naturally occurring cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. CBD is typically the second most abundant Cannabinoid in most medical and recreational cannabis strains, and the most abundant cannabinoid in hemp plants.
How is CBD Made from Hemp or Cannabis?
CBD is commonly extracted from the specially bred high CBD hemp cultivars.
CBD is found on the cannabis and hemp flowers (buds) and leaves of cannabis plants. It is widely used as a therapeutic compound for a range of conditions.
To make CBD for use in food or medicine, hemp must be cultivated, harvested, dried, processed, extracted, refined and purified using specialised equipment and processes.
CBD Isolation from Hemp
CBD Isolation from hemp is a complex process. To produce medical grade CBD there must be clear provenance and quality standards throughout the process:
- Cultivar selection – High CBD Hemp Cultivars
- Cultivation – High CBD Medical Hemp Cultivation
- Processing – Hemp Post Harvest Processing
- Selecting Quality Extraction Material – CBD Processing from Hemp
- Extraction – CBD Hemp Extraction
- Refinement – CBD Manufacture from Hemp
- Isolation – CBD Isolation from Hemp
CBD Products
CBD is available in a range of forms, from CBD extracts such as CBD oil and distillate, through to finished CBD products such as tinctures, capsules and vape products.
CBD Technical Information
CBD is a 21-carbon terpenophenolic compound which is formed following decarboxylation from a cannabidiolic acid precursor, although it can also be produced synthetically. CBD can be converted to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) under experimental conditions; however, this does not appear to occur to any significant effect in patients undergoing CBD treatment. In experimental models of abuse liability, CBD appears to have little effect on conditioned place preference or intracranial self-stimulation. In an animal drug discrimination model CBD failed to substitute for THC. In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential. CBD has been demonstrated as an effective treatment of epilepsy in several clinical trials, with one pure CBD product (Epidiolex®) currently in Phase III trials. There is also preliminary evidence that CBD may be a useful treatment for a number of other medical conditions. There is unsanctioned medical use of CBD based products with oils, supplements, gums, and high concentration extracts available online for the treatment of many ailments. CBD is generally well tolerated with a good safety profile. Reported adverse effects may be as a result of drug-drug interactions between CBD and patients’ existing medications. Several countries have modified their national controls to accommodate CBD as a medicinal product. To date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.