Chapter 1 – The History of the Cannabis Plant
Ancient Cultures Use of Cannabis
CBD has garnered a high level of interest in recent years. Though it may seem fairly new, research on the cannabinoid has continued since the 1940s. To go back even further, cannabis, the plant CBD is derived from, contains a history that has grown simultaneously with some of humanity’s most prominent civilizations.
Cannabis was first domesticated around 12,000 years ago in Central Asia. Migrating with the nomadic peoples of the time, it was primarily cultivated to be used as fibers for ropes or nets, with the seeds being used for food and various oils.
It wasn’t until around 2900 BC that cannabis was first referenced for its medicinal qualities by Chinese emperor Fu Hsi. Referring to it as “Ma”, Fu Hsi believed cannabis contained the properties of Yin and Yang, establishing the basis that the plant potentially had healing properties.
In 2700 BC, legend dictates that Emperor Shen Nung sampled 365 different herbs to study their effects, with cannabis being one of them. He would utilize the plant in a medicinal tea to aid in various ailments. His various findings were eventually compiled and became known as the Pen T’sao, the book that would lay the groundwork for the studies of Chinese medicine and is still utilized by practitioners today, albeit a more modern version. Though there is no actual record of Shen Nung’s existence, and with much of history having still been recorded orally during his findings, what remains consistent is that interest in cannabis and its properties have been evident since the dawn of modern civilization.
As history progressed, cannabis became prominent in many other territories and cultures, even holding religious merit amongst some. In India, The Vedas, sacred Hindu texts recorded as early as 2000 BC, mention cannabis as a vessel for happiness, given to humans as a source to find joy and lose fear. In another ancient text, the Atharvaveda, cannabis is referred to as “sacred grass,” considered one of India’s five sacred plants. While these texts recognized the plant’s psychoactive properties, it is evident that practitioners still utilized the plant primarily to treat a variety of ailments.
Cannabis Use in the West
The history of cannabis cultivation in America dates back to early colonists. This multipurpose plant was used for textiles, rope, clothing, paper, and sails. It was such an essential resource that colonial farmers were required to grow it or be fined. Cannabis is one of the crops America was built on. By the 19th century, cannabis was used as an ingredient in many medicinal products sold in pharmacies and doctors’ offices. In fact, 1850 was when cannabis was added to the US pharmacopeia, making its healing capacities officially recognized by the medical community.
Modern uses of cannabis
The historic passage of Proposition 215 in 1996 made California the first state to bypass federal law and legalize the use of medical cannabis. This is the first piece of legislation passed that took a step in the right direction for cannabis legalization. In 2012, Colorado voters took things to the next level and passed the nation’s first recreational cannabis law. Many other states soon followed suit.
The 2018 Farm Bill made massive progress for the legalization of CBD products. Hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act. This means CBD is legal in all 50 states if it contains less than .3% THC.
Chapter 2 – CBD 101
What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?
Hemp and marijuana are the same plant species; they’re just two different names used to describe cannabis. Legally the only difference between hemp and marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. Hemp is a term used to classify cannabis plants that contain 0.3% or less THC content, whereas marijuana is used to classify cannabis plants with more than 0.3% THC.
THC is the compound in cannabis that produces intoxicating effects. We remove all trace amounts of THC in our products. You will pass a drug test as long as you take a CBD product with zero THC. Products that contain trace amounts of THC can cause the THC to build up in your system over time and result in a failed drug test. Pure Spectrum’s products are 100% THC-free, so you can confidently use our products and test THC-free.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Unlike its better-known counterpart, THC, there are no intoxicating effects, meaning you won’t get high from consuming CBD. CBD works directly with the Endocannabinoid system, which all animals with a vertebra have.
What is the difference between isolate, broad-spectrum, and full-spectrum?
What is CBD Isolate?
Isolate refers to pure CBD. A product made with CBD isolate will contain no other cannabinoids. Isolate is the purest form of CBD available.
What is Broad-Spectrum Hemp Extract?
Broad-spectrum extract is an extract rich in CBD, with zero THC but still has the presence of other cannabinoids.
What is Full-Spectrum Hemp Extract?
Full-spectrum hemp extract contains most of the components found in the hemp plant. A full spectrum extract implies the presence of THC. Customers that are drug tested or want to avoid THC should avoid products made with a full-spectrum extract.
What are Pure Spectrum products formulated with?
Our products (excluding CBD isolate and isolate-based products) are formulated with a broad spectrum hemp extract. This means our products are 100% THC free but may contain other minor cannabinoids.
What is the Endocannabinoid System?
The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is a communication network that transmits information to and from all systems throughout the body. The ECS works to maintain homeostasis- the body’s optimal state. The ECS is essentially the motherboard of all the systems in your body and works to create balance and harmony. It is a complex system responsible for regulating a range of primary bodily functions, including sleep, memory, reproduction, hunger, and mood.
What are cannabinoids?
Cannabinoids act as the messengers for the ECS. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that can be separated into three categories.
Phytocannabinoids: Originating from plants (EX: CBD, THC)
Endocannabinoids: Originating from within the body (EX: Anandamide, 2-AG)
Synthetic cannabinoids: Man-made (EX: K2, Spice, Delta-8)
What are CB receptors?
CB receptors act as command portals. The receptor receives information from the cannabinoid messenger and then decides what it needs to do.
CB1 Receptors: Found primarily in the brain and central nervous system.
Primarily involved in higher thought function, motor function, mood, sleep, appetite, and pain.
CB2 Receptors: Found primarily in the peripheral nervous system and gastrointestinal system.
Mostly involved in immune function and inflammatory response.
The ECS is made to be self-sufficient by producing endocannabinoids, 2-AG, and Anandamide; however, scientists have found that the ECS can be supplemented with additional phytocannabinoids like CBD to optimize homeostasis.
When the ECS is out of balance, any system within the body can become compromised. Disruption may be caused by a range of things from diet, lifestyle, genetics, trauma, injury, toxins, and even daily stress. A balanced Endocannabinoid System is key to a balanced body and mind.
Chapter 3 – How to Get Started with CBD
What are the types of CBD products?
CBD products come in a multitude of delivery methods. No one product will work better than the rest. Everybody is different, which is why we offer a variety of delivery methods so you can find a product best suited to your lifestyle.
What is CBD Oil/ Elixir? – CBD oils/elixirs make a perfect everyday product. The dropper is measured out to each .25ml so you can completely customize your serving size and fine-tune how much CBD your body needs.
What are CBD Gummies? – Our gummies are a delicious way to get your daily serving of CBD. They work similarly to CBD oil as both these products are taken orally. The gummies come in four all-natural flavors, conveniently pre-portioned out with 25 mg of CBD in each.
What are CBD Softgels? – Softgels are the perfect grab-and-go product featuring 30mg of CBD each. As softgels are taken orally, they function similarly to CBD oils or gummies. Perfect for the customer who likes to lay their weekly supplements out ahead of time or who needs a convenient preportioned product to fit their busy lifestyle.
What is CBD Isolate? – For a fast-acting product to provide quick on-the-spot relief, try our CBD Isolate. Isolate is over 99% pure CBD and comes in powder form. Isolate can be taken on its own by holding it under the tongue for 30-60 seconds before swallowing or added to food and drink.
What are CBD Mints? – Perfect to take on the go to keep you cool, calm, and collected. Each tin contains 30 mints with 15mg CBD each. Restore fresh breath and your sense of calm with our fast-acting, convenient-to-consume mints.
What are CBD Topicals? – For relief from localized aches and pains or for the perfect workout recovery tool. Our topicals come in a variety of strengths and formulations. Lotions/creams are water-based, whereas salves are oil-based. Water-based lotion/creams will absorb quickly. Oil-based salves will stay on the skin longer, making them perfect for massaging thoroughly over an area.
What type of CBD product should I use?
So you want to try CBD, but you aren’t sure where to begin. Getting started with CBD can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help simplify that process. Most customers begin with our Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil. Taking CBD orally is the most effective way to interact with our bodies through our Endocannabinoid System (link to info on ECS).
How to use CBD Oils
Each carrier oil has its own beneficial properties, and between the two, it’s mostly up to personal preference.
MCT oil is clear and virtually tasteless. It is a popular choice for athletes due to its ability to boost athletic performance by improving stamina, reducing lactate build-up, and allowing you to exercise for longer. During exercise, lactate build-up can impact athletic performance. The production of lactate during muscle exertion is responsible for the burning sensation you feel while working out. MCTs may help reduce lactate build-up. MCT oil is also an excellent energy source for your brain. MCT molecules are smaller than those in most fats, making them easier to digest. MCTs travel more quickly to the liver and do not require bile to break down as longer-chain fats do. Due to this, they can be used as an immediate energy source.
Hemp seed oil is green in color and has an earthy flavor. It is an excellent source of three polyunsaturated fatty acids: linoleic acid (omega-6), alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). These compounds are essential for many functions in the body. Consuming polyunsaturated fats helps reduce harmful cholesterol levels, reduce hypertension, and help reduce inflammation. Oral consumption of hemp seed oil also has benefits for the skin. Consuming hemp seed oil may help improve eczema, psoriasis, and acne symptoms.
How much CBD should I take?
After choosing your preferred carrier oil, your next step is to decide which strength CBD oil you want to begin with. Our regular strength oils are the 250mg (15 serving) and 500mg (30 serving) bottles. This formulation contains 17mg of CBD per 1ml. Our extra strength oils are the 1250mg (30 serving) and 2500mg (60 serving) bottles. This formulation contains 42mg of CBD per 1ml. Most customers start with our regular strength 500mg oil or extra strength 1250mg oil, taking 1-2ml (droppers full) per day. The 1250mg oil makes a great starting place because you can start by using ½ dropper full at a time, which is equal to 1 dropper full of the 500 mg CBD oil. The bottle will last longer while assessing how much CBD you like to use daily.
How to take CBD Gummies or Softgels
Our gummies and softgels also make an excellent starting point that many people find more approachable. When starting with our preportioned products, start with 1 per day and gradually increase your serving size as needed until you achieve your desired results.
Combining Products
Your next step is to decide what you want to complement your daily product. Combining different CBD products with varying delivery methods will help maximize your results. For example:
Localized pain: 1 softgel per day + Roll-on used as needed
Stress: 2 gummies per day + Isolate used as needed
Workout recovery: 1 full dropper of Black Label CBD oil + Recover salve used post-workout
These are just a few of the many possible combinations. Reach out to us for suggestions on which CBD products you should combine for your specific imbalances.
How to Use CBD
CBD has a cumulative effect, so it is crucial to take it consistently. It can take a few weeks for the CBD to build up in your system. If you are not getting the results you are looking for after one month of consistent use, this is a good indicator that you should try a higher strength product or take a larger serving size.
When taking CBD oil or isolate, it is vital to hold it under your tongue for at least a minute before swallowing. This allows the CBD to absorb faster by absorbing directly into the bloodstream via the capillaries in the mouth.
There is no “one size fits all” serving for CBD. Everybody processes CBD differently, so you will need to play around with your serving size, frequency, and time of day. The key to finding what works best for you is through experimentation. Most customers start by taking 1-2 full droppers of CBD oil per day for a few weeks, then adjust as needed. You can even try splitting your CBD into multiple smaller servings, for example, taking ½ a dropper in the morning and ½ a dropper at night. You may need a larger serving on some days. It is normal to need varying amounts as your pain levels, stress, lifestyle, etc., change on different days.
CBD is known to be biphasic. This means that it can create different effects within the body at different serving sizes. Small servings can help you feel alert and focused, whereas larger servings promote relaxation. This is why it is important to start low and increase your serving size as needed. You may need different serving sizes in the morning than you do at night. By experimenting with your serving size and time of day, you can find what works best for you!
Chapter 4 – Benefits of CBD
What are the benefits of CBD?
Benefits to CBD include faster recovery time, better sleep, pain relief, reduced stress and anxiety, improved focus, reduced inflammation, and much more.
CBD for Workout Recovery
The World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from the list of prohibited substances in 2018. Since then, CBD has become increasingly popular among athletes. Athletes use CBD to manage pain, inflammation, and swelling from injuries.
CBD can enhance workouts by helping you recover from intense workouts faster and with less lingering pain. That way, you can get back in the gym sooner and keep crushing your fitness goals.
Black Label products are the most popular choice among athletes. These high-potency products can keep up with even the most grueling workout routines. Black Label CBD oils are formulated with organic MCT oil for even more recovery-boosting power.
CBD for Sleep
A good night’s sleep is essential to your overall health and wellbeing. Taking CBD may help to regulate sleep cycles and promote more restful sleep. Most customers find that taking their CBD 1-2 hours before bedtime helps them wind down for the night.
CBD for Stress
Stress is detrimental to the body and can affect all areas of life. CBD helps improve the body’s response to stress and maintains lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone).
CBD for Energy and Focus
Skip your morning coffee and try CBD. A small serving of CBD in the mornings can help provide energy and focus without the crash that comes from caffeine.
CBD for Pain and Inflammation
Chronic inflammation can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other severe conditions. One of the most common uses for CBD is pain and inflammation. CBD is an excellent natural choice to alleviate daily aches, pains, and inflammation.
Chapter 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
Why Pure Spectrum?
Choosing a quality CBD product is paramount. The hemp that the CBD is extracted from should be of the highest quality. Low-quality hemp may be treated with toxic chemicals and pesticides that can appear in the finished products. How CBD is extracted from the hemp plant will also have a massive impact on the quality of the final product. When CBD is extracted with solvents such as butane, chemical reactions alter the genetic profile of the compounds. This drastically reduces the overall quality of the product. Knowing you’re taking a quality product is crucial with the abundance of CBD companies on the market. Not all CBD products are created equally.
Quality Hemp
A quality CBD product starts with quality hemp. It is essential to know where the hemp is sourced and the growing conditions. Hemp is a bioaccumulator, which means it absorbs materials from its surroundings. In fact, it is so effective at absorbing material from the soil that it was used in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area to absorb dangerous radionuclides from the ground after the explosion.
Pure Spectrum only grows our hemp plants on sustainable family farms in the United States that must provide test results to prove the purity of cannabinoids. Our hemp plants are USDA certified organic, and our products are rigorously tested for heavy metals, microbial, and pesticides.
CBD Extraction Methods
Various different methods can be used to extract CBD from hemp. In order to create highly effective, pure, and potent CBD products, the CBD must be carefully extracted to preserve the quality of the cannabinoid.
At Pure Spectrum, we use an ethanol extraction method to provide our customers with cannabinoid products of the highest quality.
A CBD company should provide third-party test results to verify their products contain the amounts of CBD and THC claimed. Many CBD companies have been discovered to label their products falsely. According to University of Pennsylvania research, “nearly 70 percent of all cannabidiol products sold online are either over or under labeled.” By reviewing the test results, you can verify the product contains the amount of CBD and THC advertised. The test results should come from an accredited lab and be recent! Look for the date on the test results and a batch ID to ensure that you are provided with your product’s test results. Not an old batch.
Pure Spectrum’s testing procedures are the industry gold standard. Our raw materials and finished products are tested multiple times at every stage of the process. Our test results for each batch are always posted on our website so you can ensure the purity and potency of the products you are taking.
How to Get the Most out of your CBD
We all know how frustrating it is to spend your money on something, only to find out it doesn’t work as expected. Don’t feel discouraged if CBD doesn’t work for you immediately. Try these tips for getting the best results.
Taking your Pure Spectrum products with food, especially healthy fats, can improve the compound’s bioavailability. Bioavailability is the rate at which a substance absorbs into the bloodstream. Taking CBD with food will improve absorption and result in a more potent effect.
Take an internal product
Taking CBD internally is the most effective way for the molecule to interact with our bodies through our Endocannabinoid System. Incorporate our CBD oil, softgels, or gummies into your daily regimen to maximize your results.
Consistent Use
Taking CBD daily will give the best results. It can take up to a month of consistent use for the CBD to build up within your system and provide the relief you are looking for.
Hold under the tongue
When taking CBD oil or isolate, it is vital to hold it under your tongue for at least a minute before swallowing. This allows the CBD to absorb faster by absorbing directly into the bloodstream via the capillaries in the mouth.
Have more questions?
Reach out to us! You can chat with us live on our website or call us (303.674.5759) from 10 am – 5 pm MST M-Th, 10 am – 3 pm F. You can also reach us via email at support@purespectrumcbd.com
We are here to help!