As the hemp oil industry builds, so are hemp oil misconceptions. It’s hard to know the difference between fact and fiction. Through this guide, we’ll tackle some of the biggest misconceptions and help you understand why they’re false or which might be half-truths.
Our goal is to help educate you about hemp oil, what’s fact, what’s fiction and how to buy the best hemp oil product for your individual needs.
Hemp oil is in the spotlight around the world. Its potential is still being discovered. Misconceptions seem to pop up almost daily.
Hemp Oil is Purely for Medical Use
There are several cannabinoids in the hemp plant. The intoxicating cannabinoid is stigmatized as being merely recreational, but this is not true. All of the cannabinoids in the hemp plant have therapeutic or supportive value. Hemp oil isn’t used only for supportive purposes.
The federal government has recognized that other cannabinoids have healing potential. Even medications that contain intoxicating cannabinoids have been approved for wide distribution.
Hemp Oil Isn’t Psychoactive
It’s often said that hemp oil isn’t psychoactive, but this one of the biggest hemp oil misconceptions. It’s just non-intoxicating, it’s not non-psychoactive. Psychoactive is defined as “altering the mind”. The change that occurs, however, does not need to be one that causes fogginess, impairment or intoxication.
This is why it’s often said that hemp oil is non-psychoactive, but in reality – it is. It’s a positive psychoactivity aimed at supporting appropriate responses. Hemp oil may support better responses to stress, anxiety, depression, inflammation and other actions/reactions in the body. Alterations in response occur.
Hemp Oil Works Best Alone
Some say that the dominant cannabinoid in hemp oil works best all by itself, but this isn’t necessarily true. Sure, a single cannabinoid might work a little bit for some people, but it really does work best when combined with other cannabinoids and terpenes to generate the entourage effect.
Studies have proven that a combination of cannabinoids is superior to a single cannabinoid in terms of efficacy. Every cannabinoid has a unique profile. Those profiles, when combined, sometimes act as double power when supporting systems and functions in the body.
What if your state prohibits specific cannabinoids? Well, this is a rather simple solution. Yes, some states do restrict some cannabinoids (the intoxicating ones), but it’s okay. All you need to do is choose a full spectrum or broad spectrum hemp oil product that also includes plant-based terpenes, like those offered right here at ILGM. The entourage effect is still achievable with a variety of cannabinoids and plant-based terpenes.
Yes, it’s a big one of the hemp oil misconceptions that a single cannabinoid is more beneficial for the body than a combination.
Hemp Oil is a Sedative
Hemp oil itself isn’t sedative, so this is another one of the popular hemp oil misconceptions. In higher doses it might appear more relaxing, but it’s not sedating. Myrcene as an ingredient may induce a sedative effect, but this plant-based terpenes also has a lot of value on its own. It’s a terpene to look for if sleep seems to be the enemy or pain takes over from time-to-time.
Small doses of hemp oil could actually be energizing – debunking this myth.
Single Molecule Pharmaceuticals are Superior
This is one of the hemp oil misconceptions that is laughable. The federal government and Big Pharma have both acknowledged that single cannabinoids have applicable value but they also say that the cannabinoid profile of an entire plant does not. How does this make sense? It doesn’t.
Without multiple cannabinoids being present, the entourage effect is impossible. The entourage effect refers to a variety of cannabinoids and terpenes working together creating synergy in the body. A single molecule cannot do that. This is why whole plant medicine (full and broad spectrum hemp oil preparations) is touted as being superior to isolate options.
Psychoactivity is a Bad Thing
It’s said that psychoactivity is a negative effect, but in the case of hemp oil, this just isn’t true. Psychoactivity just refers to an altering or change in the mind – it doesn’t mean someone has to be impaired by something for it to be psychoactive. Hemp oil is psychoactive, as we mentioned above, but not in a bad way. It promotes healthy responses to stimulants, actions and functions that could trigger negative actions/reactions in the body.
Psychoactivity is often misunderstood. It’s often thought that you have to “feel” the effect of a pharmaceutical or other therapeutic property to induce psychoactivity, and that just isn’t the case. With hemp oil, the psychoactivity noticed could be instances like healthier responses to stress by remaining calm, better responses to pain by inhibiting inflammation and better responses to depression-like responses with happiness and calm.
Hemp Oil is Best Used in High Doses
Everyone has an individual ideal dose of hemp oil. Sure, some people’s bodies might need higher doses, but others might prefer or experience satisfaction with moderate to small doses. The thing about hemp oil is that two people can take the same exact dose and experience different levels of satisfaction. The same goes for pharmaceuticals. For some, a standard dose does just fine and others, a standard dose might cause impairment.
Using hemp oil is just as individualized as using prescribed pharmaceuticals is.
Microdosing is ideal for some people, while it might not be the right approach for others.
Hemp Oil Converts to Other Cannabinoids in the Stomach
This is another one of the laughable hemp oil misconceptions. Hemp oil cannot become another cannabinoid in the stomach. Decarboxylation can cause some cannabinoids to convert to others during heating, but the stomach digests – it does not heat cannabinoids. Every cannabinoid is different and few are capable of converting via degradation or decarboxylation (activation via heat).
Closing Thoughts
We hope you had a laugh at some of these hemp oil misconceptions. We sure did. We also hope that this information has helped clear up any questions you might have regarding things you’ve heard or stories about hemp oil that seem “off”.
Stay tuned for our next article regarding hemp oil and psychoactivity. We’ll go further in-depth regarding why it’s not non-psychoactive.
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