CBD Oil vs Hemp Oil: Are They the Same?

From the color of the contents inside, to their taste and fragrance and even the bottles they come packaged in, hemp oil and CBD oil can look deceptively similar. And sometimes, the two words are even incorrectly, interchangeably used. But they are not the same thing. Navigating the hemp and CBD marketplace to determine what’s what, what can potentially offer the results you are looking for, and what you should put your money towards can be very confusing. 

So, to break down the difference between CBD oil and hemp oil, let’s first more closely examine each individually to understand what they are. 

Hemp Oil and Hemp Seed Oil  

You may see the term “hemp oil” used as a shorthand for hemp seed oil. However, they are not the same thing. Hemp seed oil is an oil that is harvested from cold-pressing hemp seeds. While CBD is known to help enhance wellness and well-being in various ways, hemp seed oil also offers a number of benefits of its own with applications in cosmetics, medicinal uses, and even food supplements. However, hemp oil does not typically contain any CBD or THC. 

Hemp oil is extracted from one or multiple parts of the hemp plant, such as the stems, leaves or flowers. Raw hemp oil would be considered a full spectrum oil since it contains all the compounds found in the plant including CBD and THC. The amount of CBD in hemp oil depends on the plant material it came from. 

What is CBD Oil?

CBD oil is a kind of hemp oil that is purposely meant to contain cannabidiol (CBD), one of the many cannabinoids produced by the Cannabis Sativa plant. Cannabinoids are naturally occurring compounds found in the Cannabis sativa plant. Of over 480 different compounds present in the plant, only around 66 are termed cannabinoids. The most well known among these compounds are CBD and THC. The leaves, stems. flowers and buds of the Cannabis Sativa plant are all sources from which CBD can be extracted. Here’s the thing. There are many different types of CBD oil that are differentiated by their level of refinement. Let's take a look at the most common types of CBD oil.

Raw CBD Oil

Raw CBD oil undergoes no further processing after extraction from the plant. Raw CBD oil is the purest form of full-spectrum CBD oil since the compounds contained in the oil directly mimic the plant material it came from, including terperenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids. 

Concentrated CBD Oil

Concentrated CBD oil has been filtered and processed to increase its potency. To further complicate things, there are many different types of concentrated CBD oil. The most common are refined full-spectrum CBD oil and broad-spectrum CBD oil, which use secondary processing techniques to remove THC, and CBD isolate, which is a pure form of CBD that is extracted from raw CBD oil. 

At River Organics, we utilize cutting-edge extraction equipment and techniques to produce a raw CBD oil that contains quantities of CBD comparable to that of concentrated CBD oil, without having to undergo any additional processing. This is crucial, as secondary processes require heat and pressure that have been shown to degrade, alter or even eliminate beneficial compounds in CBD that are extremely sensitive to such types of manipulation. 

Will CBD Get You High? 

Now that you know that CBD is extracted from the Cannabis Sativa plant or marijuana, you may be wondering if CBD can potentially get you high. CBD, which is known as a natural therapeutic remedy for stress, helping to ease tension and promote wellness does not contain THC. THC which stands for 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is a compound from marijuana that is known for producing psychoactive effects in its user. CBD oil is derived from hemp plants which by law cannot exceed .3% THC. In many cases, products containing CBD oil have THC levels well below the .3% limit  — not enough to produce a euphoric high. 

All River Organics products are third party laboratory tested to insure compliance. We also make all of our testing reports available to our customers so they can be as informed as possible.

So, there is no need to worry about CBD oil having such an effect on you. You can enjoy its therapeutic benefits, without worrying about any psychoactive side effects.