Cannabinoids are the chemicals found in cannabis, which are responsible for marijuana’s many effects — the most commonly known ones are THC and CBD. Most people are familiar with THC, as it causes the psychoactive “high” experienced when using cannabis. CDB, on the other hand, does not have these effects on its own, but it has great applications for healing.
CBD isolate is essentially pure CBD extracted from the cannabis plant in crystalized form. The crystals contain no THC, and bulk CBD isolate is sold to many companies, often for the purpose of making edibles. But you may still be wondering what makes CBD isolate so special.
Mixing recipes
On their own, cannabinoids are considered hydrophobic substances, and as such, they are not naturally water soluble. That said, it is possible to formulate them to be water compatible and appear to be water soluble, which has led to an increase in use of the term “water soluble CBD.” The chief reason for this formulation is to make CBD easily dissolvable in beverages, as well as compatible with a larger variety of substances.
Medical benefits
CBD isolate is a fantastic option for those with a purely medical interest in cannabis. It can simply be ingested to gain the full benefits, and the isolate delivers a more concentrated form of the cannabinoid is a smaller dose. This means users can experience the wide variety of general uses for the compound without any psychoactive effects.
These can range from pain relief and controlling seizures to preventing and combating chronic diseases such as diabetes. It can even be a preventative measure against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which could be instrumental in preventing diseases like multiple sclerosis, and it could also have applications in skin therapy.
Ultimately, CBD isolates could help a great deal with controlling prescription drug abuse, since the cannabinoid can be a great alternative to some of these. For example, it shows promise in treating schizophrenic patients who have not responded to antipsychotic medications. It also shows great potential in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders. Many are likely already familiar with its use in treating nausea in chemo patients.
Entourage effect
While the benefits of CBD isolate can be great, it’s worth pointing out the benefits of the “entourage effect” as well. This is basically the idea that plant based medicine is most effective when the entire plant is being used in treatment rather than just an isolated part of it. Cannabinoids have a synergistic effect, meaning that they have a stronger effect together than any lone component. This means that, when taken as a whole, the cannabis plant can more potently affect negative symptoms.
This is because cannabis actually contains over 80 compounds, even though we typically only mention a few of them. While a plant with higher concentration of THC results in the user feeling “high,” a plant bred with equal amounts of THC and CBD has less of a psychoactive effect and can be more effective medicinally than the CBD isolate on its own.
Unfortunately, the DEA still classifies cannabis as a schedule 1 drug — meaning it’s legally considered a substance with no medical value and great potential for abuse — and it still remains illegal for any purpose in many states. This is clearly not the case, and it is more difficult in certain states to acquire CBD to supplement treatment plans. Hopefully this will be recognized soon, and further studies will lead to more breakthroughs.
