About CBD

 1. What is Cannabis?

Cannabis is a broad term that can include any plant, or product derived from the plant species Cannabis Sativa L.

The Cannabis Sativa plant species contains three varieties: Sativa, Indica and Ruderalis, each with hundreds of their own strains. New strains are continually being bred. Most strains available today are the result of breeding and crossbreeding, rendering most strains as hybrids. 

 2. What is CBD and THC?

The most talked about chemicals that can be extracted from these plants are CBD, and THC. THC is psychoactive and is what gives people a "high". CBD does not make you high. 

3. What is Hemp?

Hemp is a word that can be misleading. Cannabis plants have been bred for different uses and hemp may be distinguished by chemical makeup, use or production practices.  

Hemp usually refers to a group of strains of Sativa with low levels of THC (generally less than 0.3%). THC levels in cannabis plants bred for their psychoactive properties are much higher.

Typically speaking, hemp is very fibrous, with long strong stalks. Hemp plants were generally machine harvested and manufactured into products such as rope, cloth, paper, food and oil. But over the past few years producers have been able to extract CBD from Hemp plants too.

CBD that comes from industrial hemp is still the same compound as CBD that comes from a plant containing higher levels of THC. CBD oil is not to be confused with hemp seed oil which is made by pressing the seeds of a hemp plant. 

Extracts from hemp seeds contain protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega 6 and omega 3. These extracts can be good for the skin (such as in our Healing Hemp Cream) and, taken orally, are certainly nutritious. The seeds do not contain any THC or CBD. Therefore "Hemp Seed Oil" has very limited medicinal value.

Say you have two bottles of CBD oil, one sourced from cannabis and the other from hemp. The CBD molecule is exactly the same. The difference is the terpenes, resins, and other cannabinoids. Finding the right hemp strains for a hemp CBD oil can take some homework in order to get the benefits of everything surrounding the CBD as hemp generally has lower terpene and cannabinoid counts. 

4. Extraction Methods 

Industrial hemp usually contain about 2-5% CBD with trace amounts of THC. To extract CBD, large amounts of hemp is required. The challenge with such large quantities is the extraction method. The cheapest way to extract CBD is to use solvents such as butane or hexane. However, toxic residues can remain in the oil. Project CBD conducted tests in 2014, finding significant levels of dangerous residues in random samples of CBD products. Also, the hemp itself tends to absorb toxins from the soil - it was even used in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster cleanup. This is why it is important that the plants are organically produced. Toxic chemicals tend to accumulate and increase in potency when extraction and concentration is performed. Unfortunately many CBD products use industrial hemp grown in China, and can contain high levels of pesticides and heavy metals. 

For exactly the same reasons, one also needs to be careful about where cannabis plants with high THC are grown.

Our CBD oil is a whole plant (full-spectrum) extract which comes from organically produced Cannabis Sativa L. Not to toot our own horn, but many people who use CBD report that a whole plant extract is more effective. Full-spectrum CBD contains cannabinoids and terpenes and the inclusion of these compounds enhances the natural therapeutic properties of CBD - this is known as the entourage effect.

We use supercritical C02 extraction for all of our products. Supercritical C02 extractions are considered the gold standard as this method ensures a very potent, pure extract that contains the maximum amount of active cannabinoids and does not leave behind residues.

5. Where do we get our CBD extract from?

Holland 

6. Different ways of taking CBD oil:

There are various delivery methods available for taking CBD. Let's take a look at some of these: 

Inhalation: smoking or vaporizing 

Ingestion: swallowing - see our water-soluble CBD products. Please note: our water-soluble BD products have been scientifically converted to make them water-soluble and this allows you to add the products to food or beverages and ingest them. You should not add traditional CBD oils to food or beverages as the majority of the CBD will be degraded during metabolisation. Traditional CBD oils should be taken sublingually (under the tongue)

Sublingual: CBD enters the bloodstream through mucous membranes in the mouth. The oil is held under the tongue for a couple of minutes before swallowing. Traditional CBD products need to be taken sublingually. 

Topical: applied to the skin for local effects only (does not enter the bloodstream)

Transdermal: Patch or gel designed to be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream 

7. Which product should I use?

CBD comes in different forms and strengths. Peach and Moon sells three forms of CBD:

1: Traditional CBD oil - oil is held under the tongue before swallowing

2: Water-soluble CBD - CBD can be added to any beverage or taken directly in mouth

3: Speciality oils - these are mostly special products that go beyond CBD

We also have a range developed specifically for pets

Each of these forms of CBD are available in different strengths. All CBD products will contain a percentage of CBD and this is combined with a carrier oil. Usually the concentration of CBD in a product is shown in percentages, as well as the total amount of CBD in the bottle displayed in mg. For example, our CBD 400 is a 10ml bottle of CBD which contains 400mg of CBD, and this means that 4% of the bottle is CBD. Should a 20ml bottle contain 400mg of CBD, that would be a 2% product. Don’t be fooled by bottle sizes, it is the CBD you are essentially paying for, not the carrier oil. Peach and moon will also advertise how many mg of CBD is in each drop or squirt. For example, our CBD 400 contains 4.2mg per squirt. 

Click here to read more about our product offerings and which product you should choose. 

For serious skin conditions, we suggest external application of CBD 800 (it will stain though) as well as taking CBD 800 or CBD Plus/CBD Plus Pen internally. 

We also have an oil and a powder specifically designed for pets, which you can read about here.

7. Which should I take? Traditional CBD products, water-soluble CBD products or speciality products?

We wish we could give you an easy answer on this! Some people feel the traditional CBD products are more effective for them, and others feel the water-soluble CBD Products more effective. Generally, the water-soluble CBD products are very good daytime product and can be more economical if you require high dosages (since the absorption rates are high, you may end up using less than you would of the traditional CBD products).  Some people find the most economical option is to take one pump of CBD Plus in the morning and micro dose with a traditional CBD oil in the evening. 

Traditional CBD products are absorbed sublingually (held under the tongue for 1-2 minutes before swallowing), whereas water-soluble CBD products can be added to any beverage or squirted directly into the mouth and swallowed.  Our CBD products are whole plant extract with no additives which gives it a strong earthy taste. For those who do not enjoy the taste, we recommend the water soluble products since your can mix these with any beverage and mask the taste. 

Basic guide:

Chronic pain and serious inflammatory conditions: high strength product required, choose either CBD 2500 (traditional oil product taken under the tongue) or CBD Plus Airless Pump (water-soluble ingestible product). 

Anxiety: CBD 600 (traditional oil product), CBD 800 (traditional oil product), CBD Plus (water-soluble), CBG (speciality).

Sleep: people have different reasons for not being able to sleep. For example, for one person it may be anxiety keeping them awake, for another person it may be pain. Generally the best feedback from clients come from those using CBD 800, CBD GOLD and CBG oil. You can find these products here. 

Research published on CBD and sleep and anxiety showed that using 25mg CBD per day, around 80 percent of participants reported lower anxiety; while 66 percent reported improved sleep. This shows anxiety-related sleeping disorders are improved in the majority of cases. You can access the study by clicking here. 

The following study which you can access by clicking here, noted that by reducing pain, CBD may be helpful in improving quality of sleep. 

Furthermore, there is research around CBD and the sleep cycle. The study which you can access here, found that CBD improved the symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) which is associated with poor sleep and nightmares. 

You can read more about which type and strength of CBD you should take by clicking here. 

INTERESTING LINKS:

CBG as an anti-bacterial (study)

Project CBD (resource website)

CBD for anxiety and sleep (study)

CBD for anxiety (study)

CBD for epilepsy (article)

CBD cross-section study (survey)

CBD for athritis (study)

CBD for fibromylgia (FM) (study)

 

CBD for dogs with anxiety (article)

CBD for dogs with arthritis (study)

CBD for dogs with epilepsy (study)

CBD for animals with anxiety (study)

 

Hemp houses and climate change  (article)

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (2006) (study)

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study (2011)  (study)