What’s the Difference between CBD Oil and Hemp Oil?

It wasn’t until the last year or two that CBD oil became all the rage, but most likely you’ve heard of hemp. In the last decade, hemp products have been stocked all over the natural food store shelves and sold as a food and beauty product that has magical health benefits. Marketing aside, hemp really is magic. It has so many industrial and practical uses, but also serves as a nutritional food and is where CBD comes from. You can do so much with this extraordinary plant. However, when you look at CBD products on the store shelf, it can be confusing parsing through all the buzz words and marketing. CBD products aren’t regulated as of yet, so there are no standards by which companies are held to, making it even more challenging to choose a CBD product for your needs. This article sheds some light on the differences between hemp oil and CBD oil to end any confusion you may have.

What Is Hemp?

Hemp has a long history dating back 10,000 years. It is a varietal that comes from the Cannabis Sativa family of plants —making hemp a relative of marijuana. For decades, this close relationship caused the average person to confuse hemp and marijuana when in fact they are very different. For unlike marijuana, hemp was used for building materials, rope, clothing, and fuel before science discovered hemp seeds were high in omega-3 and -6 — making them nutritious and great for health.  

It wasn’t until the Farm Bill in 2014 and 2018 that hemp was allowed to be grown in the United States. Most hemp products sold in the US were manufactured in Canada or the UK. Now that regulations have loosened, more farmers are growing organic hemp. We are proud that our CBD comes from organic hemp grown in Colorado.

Hemp oil, or hemp seed oil, comes from the seeds of the hemp plant and has no CBD or THC. It is similar to olive oil in that you should store it out of the direct sun and it is not a high heat cooking oil. Hemp seeds are considered a nutritious superfood because they are a “complete protein” with an excellent amino acid profile comparable to meat, and 50-70% more protein than chia or flax. One ounce of hemp seeds can provide ten grams of protein and much of your daily vitamin E needs, not to mention a ton of fibre, vitamins, and minerals. But if you are trying to get the wellbeing benefits that we know CBD can bring, hemp seeds and oil are not going to provide it.

Where Does CBD Come From?

We find the most cannabidiol (CBD) in hemp plants, which naturally are very low in THC —the compound in marijuana that gets you high. Marijuana, on the other hand, is grown for its psychedelic properties because of its high THC level — but it is also low in CBD. It is also quite different from hemp, anatomically and biologically speaking. You can also see the difference by looking at the plants.

The main difference between hemp oil and CBD oil is that CBD is extracted from the whole plant — stalk, flower buds, and leaves — not just the seeds. The resulting CBD oil is used to make the CBD products you find today. Confusion between the two arises because CBD oil is mixed with a carrier oil — and this is often hemp oil. So your favourite CBD oil may say hemp oil on the bottle. 

Hopefully, this clears up in confusion you have between CBD oil and hemp oil. If you have any questions feel free to contact our customer service team and we are happy to help.

CBD Hemporium is your one-stop shop for high quality, lab-tested CBD oil products. Sign up for our newsletter today and get 10% off your first order.