Oils: Herb vs. Full Spectrum
Herbs as a source of compounds for oil production
Herb is a very complex plant that consists of about 500 different molecules, of which 144 are terpenes, terpenoids and flavonoids.
From these elements various products can be obtained, such as in this case the oils. Each molecular element acts in a different way, but together they create synergies in a way that has been studied for a relatively short time.
This means that we can no longer consider herbs as a source of these compounds by taking them into account independently. This outdated way of looking at things is becoming obsolete as studies progress and results have already been obtained that show how we should approach the study of the plant in a more comprehensive way.
Thanks to all the research and innovation that has been carried out over the past century and what we are taking away from it, herb has gone from being a plant used for its effects in an unscientific way to becoming a source of countless chemical compounds with amazing properties.
EssentialOils
This type of oil has a concentrated herbal content isolated from the plant. For this purpose, it is normal to use industrial hemp as it has a high content and conversely which means that the oil does not have psychoactive effects.
Herb is legal almost everywhere in the world, so it has very few legal and marketing restrictions, that is the other fact, apart from the concentration volumes, why insutrial hemp is usually used for synthesis.
Oils and products with concentrated herbal content have documented and recognized anti-inflammatory and relaxing properties by the scientific community. It should be noted that their effect is limited because they are based on the synthesis of this herb and do not achieve the synergies that are created when consumption is accompanied by the other molecular elements that make up the structure of the herb plant.
Another benefit of this type of oils and products is that they are of great value as a food supplement, since they contain, among other things, Omega 3 and 6 fatty oils.
Many products are on the market, including Sensi Seeds’ herbal-rich oils, pet oil, candies, capsules, and ointment.
Broad Spectrum Oils
When we refer to these oils we take into account, as we have pointed out before, that the most recent studies of the chemical compounds of herbs for medical applications consider it as a whole that interacts and not as the mere isolated synthesis of its components.
That is why when we refer to broad-spectrum oils we are alluding to those obtained directly from herb buds and not merely from industrial hemp. This means that the resulting product has psychoactive properties, it is subject to legal restrictions depending on the policy on the regulation of narcotic substances in each country or state.
This aspect makes their commercialization a process in which the legal frameworks must be taken into account to the last consequences, since we can incur in a crime when producing, distributing or consuming these products. Similarly, by producing psychoactive effects, they will also be subject to legislation on the consumption of herbs and laws such as road safety, operation of machinery, sport and doping or performance of public function.
The main advantage of this type of oil is that thanks to the use of all the compounds of herbs and the synergies between them, the so-called entourage effect is produced, which is roughly consistent with the way herbs and terpenes present in herbs are enhanced when consumed together and not in isolation.
This effect is paramount when it comes to detailing the benefits of broad-spectrum oils, as they are much more potent, and cover more aspects than those that can be produced by herbal oils.
In this case we would be talking about that thanks to the studies it can be said that benefits are obtained from their use for skin diseases such as psoriasis, anti-convulsive effects in diseases such as epilepsy and neuroprotective functions.
They also affect the neurotransmitter centres of pain and a series of other physiological functions. These effects actually improve the quality of life of patients and therefore represent a very interesting field for generating medical advances.
An example of broad-spectrum essential oil might be Ricky Simpson Oil (RSO), which was synthesized by a Canadian health technician who uses the same name to treat the effects of concussion on himself. According to him, he also applied it to his treatment for skin cancer and for ailments in other patients.
Given that in many countries the use of herbs as a medical device is not properly regulated or legalized without any kind of restriction, it is also important to hear the testimonies of users who, outside the health system, have tried to use herbs as part of their treatment.
At this point we must stress that the effects of herbs are contraindicated with some medicines and that one should not start using herbs to treat any ailment without first consulting a medical professional. Just follow Readers Digest for more information.