Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum, or Isolate: Which Form of CBD Is Best for You?

One thing that new consumers find both daunting and exciting about the cannabis market is just how large it is. There are all kinds of cannabis products, from traditional blunts and vape pens to edibles, tinctures, and capsules. Such products incorporate either cannabidiol (CBD), the cannabis ingredient responsible for its pain-relieving and anxiety-relieving properties, or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabis’s psychoactive ingredient. Some items contain a mixture of both.

That said, if you’re a new buyer, how can you distinguish the different products from each other? Moreover, how do you decide which one is best for your needs?

This article details the differences between three types of CBD products that you may see in shops today: full-spectrum CBD, broad-spectrum CBD, and CBD isolate. Here’s what you should know before you plan your first herb delivery.

Which Form of CBD Is Best for You?

Full-Spectrum CBD, Broad-Spectrum CBD, and CBD Isolate: Key Differences

Consumers who gravitate towards cannabis’s anxiolytic and analgesic properties may know to seek CBD over THC products. But even if you narrow it down to wanting CBD, there’s still a broad umbrella of CBD products to choose from. They typically fall under one of these three types:

Full-Spectrum CBD

Products advertised as having the “full spectrum” CBD contain more than one component of the cannabis plant in their formulation. This includes THC, the psychoactive ingredient that induces cannabis’s high.

Full-spectrum CBD products that fit US federal laws will always contain less than 0.3% THC by dry weight, and consuming these won’t get you high. But if cannabis is entirely legal in your state, you’ll be able to find products with a THC formulation higher than what’s federally permissible.

Broad-Spectrum CBD

What full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD products have in common is that they both contain several components of the cannabis plant at a time, like flavonoids and terpenes. That means that neither can be considered 100% CBD.

However, unlike full-spectrum products, broad-spectrum products do not contain THC. That accounts for the semantics of the labeling: several compounds are present in a broad-spectrum CBD product, which makes its formulation broader, but it does not contain the “full” spectrum that includes THC.

CBD Isolate

CBD isolate, in simple terms, is CBD in its purest form. A product advertised as “CBD isolate” will contain no other compound or component of the cannabis plant except CBD. Save for products labeled as such; a CBD isolate item will come with no additional flavors or odors.    

For buyers who want to experience the relieving qualities of CBD—and nothing more—pure, unadulterated CBD isolate is likely what they’re looking for.

What Are the Benefits Associated with the Different Forms of CBD?

How you experience CBD depends on which form you choose to take it in. Below are the benefits that are unique to each type of CBD product:

Full-Spectrum CBD Products: The Entourage Effect

Many fans of full-spectrum CBD products attribute their enjoyment to the “entourage effect.” They believe that the different components of a cannabis product interact in a certain way, heightening the overall experience.

Are you comfortable about introducing a little THC into your system as well as CBD, and are you looking to savor the taste and smell of cannabis as well as its analgesic and anxiolytic properties? If so, then full-spectrum CBD products may be for you.

Broad-Spectrum CBD Products: A Little Bit of Everything, Save for the High

Sans THC, a broad-spectrum CBD product, may help you enjoy the different qualities of the cannabis plant, including its unique aromatic and flavor profiles. Broad-spectrum CBD products are the safe middle ground between full-spectrum products and CBD isolates. For a little bit of everything but the high, you may want to explore broad-spectrum CBD products.

CBD Isolate Products: Nothing but CBD, Plain, and Simple

Lastly, if all you’re after is the effects of CBD and you can live without additional trimmings—and if you’re avoiding introducing THC into your system—it would be best to choose CBD isolate products. Even without experiencing terpenes and flavonoids, you’ll be able to get the stress relief and pain relief you’re after. 

Making Informed Choices about Your CBD Consumption

In the end, learning more about the different types of CBD products will help you make a more informed choice about what to buy. You’ll be able to curate the CBD experience you want, regardless of whether that involves THC and other cannabis components—and as a result, you’ll be comfortable knowing what’s in your system and how particular ingredients will affect you.

Today’s huge CBD market may initially intimidate you, and that’s a normal feeling, especially if you’re a first-time buyer. But once you find the products you want, it won’t be too hard to enjoy yourself while discovering everything interesting about the herb.