CBD Education & Cannabis Advocacy
We felt it was important to help educate people on cannabis cocktails, hemp products, the benefits of CBD, and the different types of CBD available. After all, there’s a lot to learn if you’re new to CBD. All these terms and dosages and products. Heck, we’ve been doing this for years and we still learn something new every day! So here’s a head-start cheater’s guide with all the important stuff you need to know…
Types of Hemp Extracts & CBD Isolates
Many people are confused by the terminology surrounding CBD, and for a good reason…it can be confusing!
First off, let’s start by defining hemp versus marijuana. They’re both cannabis sativa actually, the exact same plant. The only key different is in the % of THC present in the plant when its harvested. Hemp is defined as cannabis with less than .3% THC in the flower, and anything with more THC than that is considered marijuana. Pretty straightforward.
So legal hemp is harvested and then CBD, along with other cannabinoids (THC, CBG, CBN…there are over 113!), are extracted from the plant. From there it can be processed in a few different ways, and here is a brief glossary of the important terms to know:
CBD Isolate: Isolate refers to CBD that has been completely isolated from all other cannabinoids in the plant. It’s 100% CBD with nothing else in there.
Full Spectrum: This is a method of processing whereby the extract contains ALL of the cannabinoids found in the hemp plant, including .3% THC. It’s the combination of all these cannabinoids that is said to encourage the “entourage effect” and maximize the effectiveness of the extract.
Broad Spectrum: This is basically the same process as Full Spectrum, but they purposefully target and remove the THC to make it 100% THC-free. All the other cannabinoids are left in the extract though.
Water Soluble: CBD in it’s natural state is a lipid, so like oil on water it doesn’t like to mix with other things. Luckily, smart people have found ways to “emulsify” those fatty cannabinoids so they’ll mix well in beverages instead of separating and floating.
Nano CBD: This is referring to nanotechnology where the CBD is broken down into extremely small “nano” particles which enhances bioavailability, meaning it improves the way it’s absorbed and delivered in the body.
Types of Hemp Extracts & CBD Dosages
There really isn’t any set standard for CBD dosages because there are a lot of variables at play, including your age, weight, experience with cannabis, the strength of the extract, etc. People using CBD for medicinal purposes or more serious conditions can take dosages of up to 1500mg daily.
However, as a guideline we will say that most people find 20-25mg to be an acceptable dose with noticeable benefits. That also seems to be sort of the industry standard when it comes to the cocktail mixers, sodas, and other CBD beverages you see out there. And from our collective experience, if you have a few cocktails with 20mg of CBD in each drink then that should do the trick, you’ll feel much better the next morning than you would have without it.
CBD for Hangovers
This is actually one of the main reasons the Cannabis Cocktails Collective and this website exists in the first place. We’re all true believers that CBD can help to prevent and cure hangovers, and we’re all speaking from experience.
We’re also not alone. Anecdotal evidence and the testimony of numerous users would all have us believe that CBD and other cannabinoids ARE in fact good to help with preventing and curing hangovers. Now, it’s hard to find straight up scientific studies on the subject, but using CBD for hangovers is growing in popularity and many people swear by it.
What little scientific evidence we have all points towards CBD and cannabinoids having very positive effects on the body, helping you to cope with the negative affects of drinking alcohol. CBD can help to prevent hangovers if it’s ingested while you’re drinking, and it can also help to fight and relieve the symptoms of a hangover once it’s set in (including headaches, nausea, and fatigue).
We find CBD works best if ingested WHILE drinking…save yourself the headache the next day!
That’s why we love CBD cocktail mixers and hemp drinks so much. All the good stuff we need is already in there and we don’t have to think about it.
To help you weed out the fact from fiction, we found a good article that quotes some actual scientific research on the subject of CBD for hangovers:
Hemp CBD for Hangovers?
How to Choose the Best CBD Products
There are definitely a few things you want to look for when purchasing CBD products, especially CBD drinks and hemp beverages. Probably the most important thing is that the company is 100% up front with where they source their CBD. You want something that is grown sustainably in the US. No exceptions. Grow local!
You also generally want to buy products that have Certificates of Analysis (COAs) available. A COA is a the result of a laboratory test that shows the products potency, purity, and quality. This is important because it shows the consumer that the product doesn’t have any impurities and that it has the dosages claimed on the label. Now, due to the volatile nature of CBD, not every product is going to be 100% right on the nose for these tests. But the goal is to get close, so if they’re in the ballpark then they’re doing pretty good. Like we’re not angry if a company claims 100mg in their bottle but the test only shows 98mg. That’s close enough. But beware of companies who do not offer COAs. Most likely, they’re hiding something. Or their not quality checking their own products. Either way, a reputable company will offer full transparency to it’s customers and also answer any questions you have about their products.
For a lot of people, full spectrum and broad spectrum extracts are the only way to go too. There has been a lot of talk about the “entourage effect” and basically what that means is that all the different cannabinoids in the hemp plant, and in full/broad spectrum, interact and interplay with one another to create a more holistic healing effect. If you just had CBD isolate, you might be missing out. So in theory (and by some scientific claims) full spectrum and broad spectrum are better for you than CBD isolate.