Cannabis is all the rage right now, especially for its phytocannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD).
Many people are turning to CBD products to alleviate their pain, stress, balance out their hormones, and for their overall wellness. Of course, if you’re new to the CBD game, all of those products out there can be a little overwhelming, especially CBD isolate with terpenes.
CBD isolate with terpenes—also known as terpsolates—is the newest product to make waves on the cannabis market. To learn more about CBD isolate, terpenes, and the combination of the two, keep reading.
What You Need to Know About CBD Isolates
So, what is CBD isolate?
In short, CBD isolate is the isolated or, singular form of cannabidiol. In a sense, it’s the purest form of CBD because it’s only CBD.
Basically, it all comes down to the extraction process. CBD is one of over a hundred phytocannabinoids within the hemp variety of the cannabis plant. It’s also not the only phytocannabinoid or chemical compound. There are also terpenes, flavonoids, enzymes, amino acids, and a whole bunch of other cannabinoids, including trace amounts of THC.
When CBD is extracted from the cannabis plant, so are all of the other chemical compounds. When a CBD extract containing all of its chemical compounds is sold, it’s referred to as a “whole-plant extract” or “full-spectrum CBD.”
The same goes for a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a CBD extract containing a whole-plant extract minus the THC. This is done by either stripping the THC from a full-spectrum CBD oil or creating a CBD isolate and adding the other components after the fact. Broad-spectrum CBDs are fit for those concerned about the THC concentrations within their product.
Legally, CBD products can contain up to 0.03% THC or less. While this is nowhere near enough THC to get you high, the entire market is heavily underregulated. That means you can end up with a product that has more than these trace amounts. The main concern here, however, isn’t about getting high—it has more to do with workplace laws and regulations
As for the creation of pure CBD isolate, it’s created by undergoing a purification process post-extraction. CBD isolate comes readily available in all forms and provides the main benefits of being THC-free and easier to dose correctly. It’s also a much more potent form of CBD compared to whole-plant extracts.
CBD Isolate With Terpenes Aka: Terpsolates
Terpsolates, which is CBD isolate infused with terpenes, is the newest cannabis innovation coming to the market. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds found within all plant life, and they also attribute to flavor profiles and other characteristics of each plant. The combination of pure, potent CBD and aromatic terpenes will provide even more therapeutic benefits for CBD isolate users.
While terpenes are found in all plant life, they are most commonly associated with the cannabis plant. Terpenes can be divided into different classes, types, and composition, which also serves to differentiate between cannabis cultivars. Each variety of cannabis contains several different terpenes, however, there’s always one prominent terpene that provides the plant’s individual characteristics.
There are well over 20,000 different types of terpenes among all plant life. So far, scientists have identified over 100 organic terpenes within the different cannabis varieties. Among those numbers, there are a handful of terpenes that are most commonly found in cannabis and tend to have the highest concentrations.
Those terpenes include:
- Myrcene: Earthy, musky; has relaxing and anti-inflammatory properties
- Pinene: Earth, piney, evergreen; has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties
- Linalool: Lavender, woodsy, citrusy; has relaxing, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant properties
- Limonene: Citrusy, lemony, turpentine; has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and mood-enhancing properties
- Beta-Caryophyllene: Woodsy, peppery, spicy, herbal; has anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and anti-depressant properties
- Humulene: Earthy, woodsy, spicy, herbal, beer-like; has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and appetite-suppressant properties
As you can see, terpenes play a subtle yet large role in cannabis and cannabis products. Adding terpenes to CBD isolate products can give isolate users a more natural and better experience overall. Additionally, a quality CBD company will only use natural, organic terpenes to flavor their CBD tincture.
Why Terpenes Matter
Terpenes provide more than just the flavoring and aromatic components of cannabis. If you take a look at the list above, you’ll see that they’re jam-packed with therapeutic properties as well. These are the same types of terpenes found in essential oils that have been used for centuries thanks to the effects they have on our mental and physical state.
Using CBD isolate products alone are beneficial but only as beneficial as the CBD allows them to be. When you use a full-spectrum product, a broad-spectrum product, or even a terpsolate product, you’re reaping the benefits of the entourage effect. The entourage effect is the term coined to describe how the cannabis plant’s cannabinoids and other chemical compounds work together synergistically to have a more powerful effect on its users.
Since terpenes also have physiological effects on the body, they are known to enhance the work of CBD and the other cannabinoids. For example, myrcene is known to speed up the rate of cannabinoid absorption in the body. Limonene is known to influence our dopamine and serotonin levels, thereby enhancing the effects that cannabinoids have on our neurotransmitters.
By combining CBD isolate with terpenes, isolate users can experience the fruits of the entourage effect. Additionally, understanding the medical value of terpenes and how to use them will allow cannabis growers and manufacturers to create—and re-create—more strains with specific effects.
More Terpenes More Options
While more studies need to be done on the entourage effect, CBD isolate with terpenes opens up a whole new door in the cannabis world. Now we can now look forward to more CBD and cannabis products available on the market to help target more specific problem areas. It also gives us more of a variety to suit our personal preferences.
What a time to be alive!
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