Hemp oil is a food supplement consisting of vegetable oil to which a CBD extract has been added.
CBD stands for Cannabidiol. This is one of the useful substances from the hemp plant. Hemp oil is often also called CBD oil.
Any vegetable oil would be suitable for the mixture, but hemp seed oil is usually used. For example, all ingredients come from the same raw material: the hemp plant.
Hemp oil is a relatively young product, but the hemp plant has been used for centuries for various applications.
History of hemp
The hemp plant belongs to the plant family Cannabaceae. The Latin name for hemp is Cannabis Sativa.
The plant species we now know as hemp originated in Asia. The first human use of hemp also originates from this part of the world.
For example, it is known from archaeological finds that hemp was used as food and to make clothing in Siberia five thousand years ago.
The ancient Egyptians and the ancient Chinese also had different uses for hemp.
Hemp in Europe
In Europe, hemp was not used until about 700 BC. At the time, hemp was mainly used for its strong fibers. The plant was used to make rope, sail and even paper.
Later, hemp was also used to make canvas for painting. 'Canvas' also literally means 'made of hemp'. The word is derived from Vulgar Latin 'cannapaceus'. That means: 'made from cannabis'.
As European nations such as Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and England sailed further and further from the 14th to 17th centuries with ever larger ships, the production of hemp got a strong impulse. After all, a lot of rope and tarpaulin was needed to sail the world's seas on wind power.
This demand for hemp from maritime shipping collapsed after the invention of the steamship. In the meantime, cannabis had also been used for consumption in Europe. It is not only about the seeds, but also about the flowers.
Pharmacists used the flowers to make drinks that were prescribed for all kinds of ailments. With a little good will, these drinks can be seen as a kind of precursor to cannabis oil.
Ban on hemp
However, a lot of knowledge about the health potential of hemp extracts was lost when Cannabis Sativa was banned worldwide in the XNUMXs. This was enshrined in some international treaties drawn up under the direction of the United States of America.
The US pushed for the ban citing the mind-altering effects of cannabis. Only a small part of the hemp production was used for recreational purposes. The most industrial hemp was not suitable for that either. Nevertheless, those hemp varieties were also banned.
It seems that with the ban the US mainly wanted to protect its own interests in the profitable petrochemical industry. With success, because where hemp fibers were previously used, the prohibition often switched over to plastic. That is why in contemporary clothing there is so often polyester nowadays. After all, it is made from crude oil.
Hemp is back with a vengeance
It was not until the XNUMXs that the cultivation of industrial hemp became legal again in Europe. These are hemp varieties with strong fibers, but which are unsuitable for recreational use because of the negligible amounts of THC.
Allowing industrial hemp was a measure from the EU to stimulate a more varied agricultural production. In the Netherlands, Hempflex and DunAgro are important producers of industrial hemp.
Industrial hemp has a multitude of applications including rope, clothing, building materials, dashboards for cars, animal feed and hemp oil. Today there are even hemp varieties that have been specially bred for the production of hemp oil. These varieties contain more CBD than normal while the amount of THC is still negligible.
Hempflex and DunAgro also grow hemp especially for the production of hemp oil. The hemp grown by these companies first goes to Germany. There they use the hemp to make cannabis oil with a lot of CBD and with less than 0,2% THC.
In the Netherlands it is officially not allowed to make hemp oil. It doesn't even matter that the hemp oil contains less than 0,2% THC. However the sale and consumption CBD oil is completely legal.
No high from CBD oil
In our webshop we only sell hemp oil with less than 0,2% THC. With normal use it is therefore impossible to get high from our hemp oil. We also call this form of hemp oil CBD oil. The trade and use of CBD oil is legal.
For the sake of completeness, we would like to mention here that there is also cannabis oil with more THC. We call this THC oil. THC oil can make you high, although that is not the intention. With the right dosage you can minimize the risk of a high.
We do not sell THC oil in our webshop, because this would be illegal. From us you can buy the resources to make cannabis oil with THC yourself.
You still have to buy the necessary cannabis yourself in a reliable coffee shop. Industrial hemp is not suitable for this. Industrial hemp contains too little THC for this form of cannabis oil.
Production hemp oil with CBD
There are basically two ways to make CBD oil:
Warm extraction
Cold extraction
Warm extraction
During warm extraction, heating takes place, causing other substances from the cannabis plant (CBC, CBN, CBG, CBDA, etc.) to be partly broken down or converted into CBD. We call this form of hemp oil Broad Spectrum CBD oil.
Cold extraction
With cold extraction, no heating takes place and therefore no substances are broken down or converted. This means that in addition to CBD, this hemp oil also contains other useful substances such as CBC, CBN, CBG and CBDA. We call this form of cannabis oil CBD oil Full Spectrum.
CBD oil Full Spectrum or CBD oil Broad Spectrum?
Our personal preference is for a Full Spectrum CBD oil. After all, this oil also contains the legal amount of THC.
Do you absolutely not want there to be a fraction of THC in your CBD oil? Then choose the broad spectrum CBD oil.
More information about hemp oil
If you want to know more about hemp oil, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you.