Purified CBD versus whole plant CBD extracts: is there a difference?
There is growing scientific evidence to suggest that CBD may be useful in the treatment of inflammation, pain and anxiety leading the public to seek relief using various CBD products. However, people often find that one CBD product seems to help them but not another and they wonder why. Many people are unsure of what amount of CBD to take to get a desired effect. Others are under the common misconception that more must be better. There is good reason for people to be confused given the vast amount of information available, much of which may be misleading and unhelpful with making decisions on which product to buy, what questions to ask before purchasing and how much to take.
Most scientific studies to date have been conducted in cell cultures and in animals making it difficult for people to know how the results from these studies translate to humans. Rodents used in animal studies have faster metabolisms and may metabolize cannabinoids and other phytomolecules differently than humans. To address some of these issues, more controlled clinical trials in humans are needed particularly related to the development of pharmaceutical drugs. This will all take a long, long time, especially without federal legalization. In the meantime, the public will continue to use CBD and other cannabis products recreationally and to assist them with certain health conditions in their daily lives. Hence, the public needs more reliable information to be educated consumers.
Unlike controlled animal studies where the group of research animals are all alike, we as humans are not. As such, we all respond differently to what we put in our bodies due to our genetic and physiologic makeup, our diet, as well as our lifestyles and environmental exposures. It’s not as easy as “one size fits all.” This is why when using cannabis products, we need to play an active role in determining what dose works best for each of us. We also need to understand that not all cannabis products are alike even if they state the same CBD concentration on the label.
There are many factors that can distinguish one CBD or other cannabis product from another that may affect its efficacy or even its safety such as the quality of the ingredients, whether contaminants are present, whether the cannabis was grown indoor or outdoor, etc. Today we’re limiting our discussion to whether the product contains purified CBD or is made with a CBD whole plant/crude extract.
Most research studies are conducted using purified CBD meaning isolated CBD is used, stripped of all other cannabinoids and other natural plant compounds found in the Cannabis sativa plant. Not only do almost all studies use CBD isolates, but CBD isolates or highly processed distillates are used in a majority the products sold in the marketplace whether online or in dispensaries.
Studies using purified CBD show that its therapeutic effects exhibit a bell-shaped dose-response curve meaning that its effective dose is limited; too little or too much has little or no effect. Simply stated, if you don’t know your “sweet spot” (the dose that’s effective for you), then you will likely not experience the desired outcome.
A 2015 study from Israel helps to shed some light on differences between purified CBD and a standardized high-CBD plant extract that the researchers called clone 202. Using mice, they studied the anti‐inflammatory and anti‐nociceptive (pain-relieving) activities of both the CBD extract and purified CBD. As expected, the purified CBD exhibited a bell-shaped dose-response when given either intraperitoneally or orally. However, the CBD plant extract exhibited a linear dose-response providing a clear correlation between the anti‐inflammatory and anti‐nociceptive responses and the dose, with increasing responses upon increasing doses. However, there was a maximum effective dose, after which higher doses did not significantly lead to further reductions in inflammation or pain.
The researchers also found when animals were treated with purified CBD, nearly three times more CBD was needed than the amount of CBD in the plant extract to produce the same anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects. That’s right - three times more! So what this study tells us is something you may already know. There are other components in whole plant extracts (i.e. cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, alkyloids) that synergize with CBD to address pain and inflammation that may contribute to overcoming the bell‐shaped dose‐response of purified CBD products. This synergy is commonly called the entourage effect which makes whole plant extracts more effective at a lower dose than purified CBD. Moreover, studies show that these phytocompounds, which are not present in purified or highly processed distillates, have a number of other significant health benefits.
At Cosmic View, we always advise consumers of our tinctures and edibles (which are all made from full-spectrum crude cannabis extracts) to start low and go slow with increasing dose until the desired effects are met. Sometimes various CBD:THC ratios, as well as products made with other cannabinoid-rich extracts such as THCV need to be tried to find what works best for you. If you are taking a CBD product that is made with CBD isolates or a heavily distilled CBD extract, you’ll likely need more and you will be missing out on the added health benefits of using products made from truly full-spectrum, crude extracts.
Gallily et al. (2015). Overcoming the Bell-Shaped Dose-Response of Cannabidiol by Using Cannabis Extract Enriched in Cannabidiol. Scientific Research.