Written by: Kendall Tardy

Full spectrum, broad spectrum, isolate, cannabis sativa seed oil, what’s the difference? Why should you even care? Each of them describes various types of extractions of CBD. Each of them has its benefits, but it's up to you to decide what is best for you.

First, I’ll discuss full spectrum. It is the least processed and is an attempt to capture as much of the cannabinoids (both major and minor), terpenes and flavonoids found in the cannabis plant as possible. This is the ultimate powerhouse extract people turn to for medical use as it utilizes the “Entourage Effect,” which was a term that I can best describe as a community of unique individuals working together towards a common goal vs. a solo warrior in battle. People shy away from this extract because it usually does contain THC, a compound that many employers still have on their no-no list when conducting drug tests.

Next, we have CBD isolate, which is stripped of everything other than, you guessed it, pure CBD. This extract is very much the solo warrior of the group and is typically extracted from hemp due to the low THC content. In the past, it was believed that isolate was more effective than full spectrum until a study that was conducted in 2005 in Jerusalem at Lautenberg Center for General Tumor Immunology debunked it. The study found that test subjects that used full spectrum CBD were claimed higher levels of relief compared to isolate users. The benefit of this extract is that there is no chance it contains THC, making it safe for those worried about drug tests.

Broad spectrum, the golden child here at WLDKAT, is our personal favorite because its a specialty crafted extract that works to preserve all the significant compounds you can find in full spectrum, but it doesn’t contain THC. Since we know that full-spectrum extracts are indeed more effective than isolate alone due to the Jerusalem study, broad-spectrum is an excellent option as its right in the middle between the two previous extract types isolate and full spectrum. Like isolate, it does not contain THC, but like full spectrum, this extract meets the standards of the “entourage effect.” The idea that the sum of the parts is more effective than the individual because it contains multiple other cannabinoids like CBG that work together without the psychoactive effects.

Now, what the heck does it mean when you see a product that lists in its ingredients cannabis sativa seed oil? You’ve probably seen this popping around all over the place, and it may cause confusion because it is the most commonly mis-marketed ingredient in the cannabis world right now. Don’t get me wrong, it has tons of incredible properties like being low on the comedogenic scale (meaning it doesn’t clog pores) and has some anti-inflammatory properties, but it’s no CBD. Brands often use this to lead consumers to believe that this is the same as putting CBD on your skin, but it actually doesn’t contain any CBD at all and is more so marketing fluff. If you’re looking for the perks of adding CBD to your routine and see cannabis sativa seed oil on the packaging, do some further investigation and make sure the brand lists the MG’s of CBD on the website or packaging in the product. WLDKAT even offers consumers the ability to request the lab results for our products to be truly transparent.

In conclusion, it’s up to you as the consumer to decide what’s best for you, but if you try CBD isolate or cannabis sativa seed oil and find that there are little to no effects on you in an ingestible form or as a topical, I encourage you to seek full or broad spectrum CBD products and give em a try.