What is CBD?

Cannabidiol

Whether you take CBD for pain, stress, anxiety, inflammation, mental clarity, or sleeplessness, Sara Benjamin has a product that’s right for you. From pills and tinctures, to creams and bath bombs, and patches. Sara Benjamin has it all. We even have CBD products created specifically for your furry friends.

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol or CBD is a component of the cannabis plant with enormous healing potential. According to Project CBD, “Scientists refer to CBD as a ‘promiscuous’ compound because it offers therapeutic benefits in many different ways…tapping into how we function physiologically and biologically on a deep level.”

Specifically, CBD acts on the Endocannabinoid System, a recently discovered biochemical communication system in the human body that plays an important role in regulating our physiology, mood, and everyday experience.

Endocannabinoid receptors respond to cannabinoid compounds that our own bodies make and they respond to similar compounds in cannabis.

What About THC?

Some people like the “high” from cannabis (marijuana) while others find it uncomfortable. CBD can lessen or remove the intoxication of THC, the hallucinogenic part of CBD products.

As CBD has become more popular, THC is often looked at as the black sheep of the cannabinoid family. Many describe CBD as the “good” healing cannabinoid, and THC as the “bad” psychoactive or “high” cannabinoid. But this is patently untrue. In fact, CBD and THC appear to work best together.

For example, CBD is believed to boost THC’s painkilling and anticancer properties. CBD can also lessen the side effects of too much THC like anxiety and rapid heartbeat. CBD and THC both stimulate neurogenesis, the creation of new brain cells, in adult mammals, which may prove helpful for stroke and Parkinson’s patients.

Scientists call this the “entourage effect” where the sum is greater than its parts. 

Full Spectrum: Full Spectrum with less than 0.3% THC

Full Spectrum means the inclusion of all cannabinoids. Typically, this includes THC, Cannabinoids such as CBDA and CBDG, and more. When all the cannabinoids are present, they work synergistically and provide better products and enhanced benefits.  All products are at or below the 0.3 % THC legal limit allowed for all 50 states.

Broad Spectrum: Full Spectrum without THC

Broad Spectrum is a type of CBD in which the Cannabinoids have been separated from one another during the extraction process, and all except THC is added back to the final product. In lab tests, the THC content is so low that it cannot be detected.

The benefit of a Broad Spectrum is that the user can receive the health benefits of most of the Cannabinoids, but also remove the concern over THC.

Broad spectrum contains CBD, all the other components like terpenes and flavonoids and other cannabinoids but no THC.

There is a percentage of the population who don’t want even the smallest amount of THC in their CBD.

For many it’s because they are subject to drug testing for work or their pain management clinic. Others are simply sensitive to THC. So broad spectrum gives you all the benefits of a full spectrum without having to worry about the THC.

Dosage

There’s no single dosage that’s right for everyone or every condition. You’ll want to find the balance of CBD that works for you.

Cautions

Medical cannabis and CBD, in particular, are very safe, but patients taking other medications should check with their doctor about drug interactions.

CBD is a more potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 than the grapefruit compound Bergapten, so ask your doctor if grapefruit interacts with your medication. If it does, then CBD probably does, too. Your doctor may need to monitor blood levels of prescription medications and make adjustments.

If You’re Still Buying Random CBD at the Convenience Store, You Need to Stop!

Given all the purported health and wellness benefits of CBD, you might think it’s a good thing that you can now buy CBD products just about anywhere. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most of the time, the selection of CBD products available at any one retailer is extremely limited, and the products they do carry are often of dubious quality.