Taking your first steps into the wonderful world of CBD can be tough. Between all the jargon and the fact that you can find a CBD-infused version of almost anything, knowing where to start can be hard. In our opinion, the best place to start is at the beginning, and the beginning for many people is the classic CBD tincture.
But even when you pick up your first tincture, you’re faced with a choice that can also be tough to navigate when you’re new: broad-spectrum vs. full-spectrum CBD. If you don’t know what that means, we have the translation for you.
A Note on THC
To understand the difference between broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD, you should have a little background in THC and what it has to do with your hemp-based products. THC—or tetrahydrocannabinol, for those looking for a guaranteed way to win Scrabble—is the compound found in cannabis products that gets you “high.” For a CBD product to be legal, it must be produced from hemp made with less than 0.3% THC content. This amount is far from enough to get you high, but its presence makes a difference in your CBD product.
Full-Spectrum and Broad-Spectrum: The Difference
There aren’t very many differences between broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD. They both contain a wide range of cannabinoids and terpenes, which are compounds found in CBD that may offer a host of benefits. The one difference worth writing home about is the THC content. Full-spectrum CBD may contain trace amounts of THC, but broad-spectrum CBD doesn’t contain any.
Which One Should I Choose?
When you’re choosing between the two types of tinctures, the biggest question to keep in mind is whether you want the THC. If you believe you’re sensitive to THC or you’re afraid of it showing up on a drug test for work, you may want to lean toward a broad-spectrum CBD oil tincture.
You might choose full-spectrum if you’re not worried about the small amount of THC and you want to experience the full “entourage effect.” The entourage effect is the theory that when cannabinoids, terpenes, and THC work together, they work more effectively. Because both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD products have cannabinoids and terpenes, they both have the entourage effect, but full-spectrum may exhibit the effects more due to the presence of THC.
Every journey has to start somewhere, and the same is true for using CBD. There really is no wrong choice between broad- and full-spectrum CBD. In fact, the best way to decide which you like better is to try both!
