Do Hemp Seeds Have CBD?

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Last Updated on 6 months by Plain Jane

Hemp seed oil ranks as one of the most highly coveted natural oils for wellness and beauty. Used widely for its benefits for skin and hair, hemp seed oil also finds its place in the kitchens of wellness gurus who believe in its antioxidant power.

As a hemp head, you might be interested in giving hemp seed oil a try, especially since it’s so closely related to the ever-beloved hemp herb. But before you buy that bottle of hemp seed oil, you should know it doesn’t contain the same compounds as the plant that it grows.

Understanding Hemp Seeds

For a while, hemp seeds were banned from circulation. The reason? Lawmakers didn’t want people to grow their own hemp.   Back in 1937, the United States government outlawed hemp thinking it worked just like marijuana.

Who could blame them? At the time, the research didn’t explore hemp too extensively. And since hemp and marijuana both come from the same plant, lawmakers believed they had exactly the same effects on people.

That changed however in 2018 when the Farm Bill made hemp federally legal. The law effectively legalized hemp and all of its parts — including the seeds — allowing manufacturers to take advantage of its wellness benefits.

Today, hemp seeds find purpose in the areas of wellness and beauty. The small, brown, corn-kernel-sized seeds appear hard and brown on the outside. But on the inside, they reveal a soft green inner core. Manufacturers press these seeds to extract the oil for use in various areas of daily life.

Do Hemp Seeds Have CBD?

Let’s all face it — CBD reigns supreme as the most talked about the compound in the hemp industry. Making up 20% of hemp’s chemistry, CBD was once believed to be the sole reason for the plant’s benefits, but we know today that that might not be true.

Nevertheless, CBD’s popularity is stuck and people still constantly seek out the organic compound in any form available. So it comes as no surprise that people wonder whether the seeds contain CBD as well.

While that might hold some pretty sound logic, hemp seeds don’t contain enough CBD to cause any real effect. Exactly how much CBD do they contain? Well, studies tell us that hemp seeds hold about 7.19μg/g of CBD, which is right next to nothing.

These studies also explore how many other cannabinoids hemp seeds contain and found that the numbers were even lower for substances like CBN, CBG, and THC. So all things considered, hemp seeds don’t really make a suitable source of cannabinoids.

Hemp Seed Chemistry and Uses

If hemp seeds don’t contain enough CBD, why do people continue to patronize hemp seed products? Sure, CBD might be the miracle wellness substance of the past five years, but it isn’t the only relevant organic compound out there.

Here are just some of the beneficial organic compounds you can find in hemp seeds:

• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
• Gamma-linolenic acid
• Vitamin B
• Vitamin D
• Antioxidants

Rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, hemp seeds support overall wellness and may even provide benefits that target the various organ systems. However, since the research covering these concepts remains insufficient, we can’t draw any conclusions as of writing.

What we do know however is that manufacturers often incorporate hemp seed oils and extracts into various products to benefit people in many different ways. These include:

• Hair health – Brittle, dry, and dull hair can take away from your confidence. According to some studies, hemp seed chemistry may help restore shine and softness, making hair more manageable and smooth.
• Skin appearance – Blemishes and breakouts are no fun. So to target these common skincare woes, manufacturers incorporate hemp seed extracts into their formulations. According to some studies, this may help soothe and nourish the skin to prevent impurities from taking shape.
• Heart wellness – Researchers discovered that hemp seeds contain the ideal ratio of essential fatty acids to support cardiovascular health. It’s no secret that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids work wonders to maintain proper blood pressure, and hemp seeds could help towards that end.
• Overall wellness – Vitamins and antioxidants make up a significant chunk of our daily diet. Meeting our required daily intake means supporting our body’s health and making sure that all physiological processes got underway without a hitch. Hemp seeds might not offer complete micronutrient content, but it has enough of many vitamins and minerals to support your effort.

Can Hemp Seeds Cause a High?

Here’s a question that many people ask. One of the biggest worries that first-time hemp seed buyers have on their minds is whether hemp seeds can cause the same experience as cannabis. After all, it does grow the plant.

The plain and short answer is no, hemp seeds can’t cause a high. Remember that hemp seeds contain negligible, trace amounts of cannabinoids, which means they don’t contain any of the substances that are known to cause a high.

Researchers pinpointed THC as the single culprit for the mind-altering effects caused by marijuana. Making up 40% of marijuana chemistry, THC accounts for only about 0.3% of hemp’s organic makeup.

In hemp seeds, the concentration dwindles even lower to just a little over 1.0μg/g. And since hemp seeds don’t contain enough THC, it won’t and shouldn’t cause any semblance of a high.

Is Hemp Seed Oil Legal?

The reason why marijuana remains outlawed is because of its THC content. When enough THC enters the system, it causes an experience of a ‘high’. These mind-altering effects cause users to lose inhibitions and engage in risky and possibly illegal activity.

In the same vein, the reason why hemp got taken out of the list of controlled substances is that researchers proved that it doesn’t contain enough THC to cause the same effects as marijuana.

According to the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp and all of its parts, including the stalks and the seeds, were effectively made federally legal with the passing of the bill. But keep in mind though — although hemp and hemp seeds are legal on a federal level, some localities levy their own unique restrictions and rules.

Make sure to check with local guidelines to learn more about the hemp seed limitations in your area. Some states, cities, and counties try to control hemp production, making seeds unavailable to just anyone.

That’s because, with poor and improper cultivation techniques, hemp seeds could produce plants with more THC than federally legal. So some localities try to prevent just any Tom, Dick, or Harry from getting their hands on the seed itself.

In the Know

No, hemp seeds don’t contain CBD. But is that all you should be interested in? Rich in a diverse cocktail of different essential fatty acids, micronutrients, minerals, and antioxidants, hemp seeds offer a world’s worth of benefits that explore everything from hair, to skin wellness, and even cardiac health.