What Does CBD Stand For?

CBD stands for ‘Cannabidiol’ and this compound is just one of the 100’s of cannabinoids that are found in the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids are completely natural compounds that are found in hemp and cannabis. CBD happens to be one of the most researched cannabinoids, although you may have heard of cannabinol and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
CBD oil is used to help relieve or even treat a wide range of medical conditions, and it is made from hemp which includes very small amounts of THC.

How CBD Oil is Made
There are two ways in which CBD oil tends to be made, and they involve either CO2 extraction or alcohol extraction.

CO2 Extraction
This method involves using a high amount of pressure to make carbon dioxide travel through a hemp plant. This method is created in specialized chambers and the CO2 itself causes all the cannabinoids to separate from the hemp plant. This allows cannabinoids to be collected in the chambers.

Alcohol Extraction
This method involves placing hemp in ethanol or another type of solvent. This method causes cannabinoids and CBD to leech out of the plant. The solution is heated and evaporation takes place without damaging any of the cannabinoids. Once evaporation has taken place there will be a cannabinoid-rich residue left behind.

While both of the above methods can produce some great quality CBD some people think that the CO2 method is the best one to use. This is because there’s a chance it can improve the CBD oil’s purity as the different cannabinoids are separated making it slightly easier to control CBD’s ratio.


When you Should be Careful about Using CBD Oil
While CBD has been proven to work well on relieving a lot of the side effects associated with a lot of conditions you will need to be careful if you have a physical or mental health condition. This is particularly the case if you have been prescribed medication. While CBD oil does not tend to counteract with many medications you should always speak to your doctor if you are thinking about using CBD oil.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding you should speak to your healthcare provider before you take CBD oil for the first time. While there is no indication to make users think that using CBD oil while you are pregnant or breastfeeding could be harmful, further studies are needed before it CBD oil can be considered safe to use in these circumstances.