CBD is short for cannabidiol, one of the many cannabinoids present in cannabis plants. The isolated compound is most often extracted from cannabis sativa plants, commonly referred to as industrial hemp.
Not to make things confusing on purpose, but marijuana can also be a cannabis sativa plant. However, the plants used to make CBD usually aren’t the ones by the same name that produce psychoactive marijuana flower a.k.a. buds. Industrial hemp is most often the source for CBD found in many CBD products such as oil, capsules, vape pens, edibles, or candy gummies.
Industrial Hemp
CBD is made from industrial hemp, the same plant used to make hemp fabric and rope. Industrial hemp contains virtually no THC or tetrahydrocannabinoid, the mind-altering component in cannabis. If it did, growing this type of cannabis wouldn’t be legal in many places either and we probably would not see as much products made with hemp fiber!
High CBD Marijuana Strains
This is not to say that only industrial hemp plants poor in THC can be used to extract CBD oil from. The other cannabis – let’s call it the pot producing one for clarity’s sake – can also be a source for CBD, and a very good one at that.
The amount of CBD present in pot plants is very much strain specific. Some strains are high in THC and extremely low in CBD, while others are more balanced. High CBD marijuana strains are for example the famous Charlotte’s web, harlequin, CBDream and CBDutch treat.
Unhindered by Legislation
As you can imagine, when the goal is to end up with CBD only, it is not all that interesting for companies to harvest it from THC containing cannabis plants. Using industrial hemp to extract CBD oil means they don’t need to worry about the legal aspect of dealing with a controlled (and in many places still illegal) crop.
Basically, the same goes for CBD oil as for the things made of hemp fiber mentioned earlier. Industrial hemp can be grown freely because it contains no THC – actually, it contains barely any: somewhere around 0.3%.
That’s not enough for any kind of high, and also not enough to cause legal issues. As a result, the cannabinoid CBD present in the industrial cannabis plants can be extracted for use in products without treading on the law. The mere fact that CBD containing products can be freely sold and used is in itself a good indication that CBD doesn’t alter the mind.
Effects of CBD Oil
Many people have positive experiences using CBD oil. For kids for example, the use of CBD without the psychoactive effects of THC, can be very valuable. That being said, when deciding on whether to use CBD alone, you should probably know there is something called the synergistic effect.
The Synergistic Effect
How this works is not precisely understood, but there is some evidence that cannabinoids working together achieve better results than one isolated cannabinoid by itself.
If you absolutely want or need to avoid getting high, CBD is the best option. On the other hand, if getting high is not necessarily a big problem, you may want to give the full-spectrum of cannabinoids present in a high-CBD strain a try. There are quite a few high CBD strains with either medium or low amounts of THC, so it should be fairly do-able to find a good match.
Speaking of kids, this father has some very interesting comments on how his child was much better off taking Cannabis (full-on, not just CBD) than pharmaceutical drugs.
Bottom line: Does CBD oil get you high?
No, CBD oil does not get you high. It is quite possible that you’ll feel nothing at all. Some people report feeling increasingly relaxed. If you have a clear and specific concern, for example migraine or pain, it’s easier to actually notice the effect of CBD by this getting better. Without any direct, poignant issues to target, you’ll probably just feel a bit more mellow, if anything.
Does that mean CBD isn’t working? Not necessarily – cannabidiol is an adaptogen. Adaptogen herbs are known to improve and balance out bodily functions and the body as a whole, instead of helping with specific ailments (and only those). As an adaptogen compound, CBD (cannabidiol) works discreetly and in the background. If the results aren’t glaring, be sure to look for less obvious signs of feeling better or more at ease.
