The CBD shopper's glossary

The 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized hemp by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act. It defines hemp as cannabis with under 0.3% delta-9 THC.

AAFCO is the private, nonprofit Association of American Feed Control Officials, which writes model standards, ingredient definitions, and labeling guidelines for animal feed and pet food, but does not approve or certify individual products.

Anandamide is the body's own cannabinoid, a fat-based messenger your cells make on demand that binds the same CB1 receptors THC acts on, and an enzyme called FAAH breaks it down within minutes.

Broad spectrum CBD contains the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of the hemp plant with the THC removed.

Bioavailability is the percentage of a dose that actually reaches your bloodstream. CBD's bioavailability varies dramatically by delivery method.

A batch number identifies a specific production run of a CBD product. Batch numbers let you match a bottle to its specific COA.

CBD is one of more than 100 naturally occurring compounds called cannabinoids found in the hemp plant. Unlike THC, CBD does not produce a 'high.'

CBD isolate is pure cannabidiol with all other cannabinoids and terpenes removed — typically 99%+ pure CBD.

Cannabinoids are a class of chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. The plant contains more than 100 of them.

A COA is a document from an accredited third-party lab certifying what is — and isn't — in a CBD product.

cGMP is an FDA-enforced manufacturing standard that ensures products are consistently produced and controlled to quality standards.

CBG is a minor cannabinoid often called the 'mother cannabinoid' because other cannabinoids are synthesized from its acidic form (CBGa) in the plant.

CBN is a mildly psychoactive cannabinoid that forms when THC ages and oxidizes.

CBC is a non-intoxicating minor cannabinoid found in trace amounts in most hemp varieties.

CO2 extraction uses pressurized carbon dioxide, held in a supercritical state between liquid and gas, to pull cannabinoids and terpenes out of hemp without a chemical solvent.

CBDA is the raw acid form of CBD that the living hemp plant actually produces. Heat strips off one carboxyl group and turns it into CBD.

A carrier oil is the edible plant oil, such as MCT, hemp seed, olive, or grapeseed, that hemp extract is dissolved in to make a CBD tincture, because CBD is fat-soluble and does not mix with water.

CBD distillate is a refined hemp extract, made by heating crude oil under vacuum (short-path distillation) to separate the cannabinoids from most terpenes, waxes, and plant matter, leaving a thick, golden oil that is mostly CBD.

A cannabinoid profile is the part of a certificate of analysis that lists which cannabinoids a batch contains (CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN, CBC, THC, THCA) and how much of each, in mg/g or percent by weight.

CB1 and CB2 are the two main cannabinoid receptors in the human body: CB1 sits mostly in the brain and nervous system, CB2 mostly in immune cells and peripheral tissue, and both are docking sites for the body's own endocannabinoids and for plant cannabinoids.

A CBD:THC ratio is the amount of CBD in a product compared with the amount of THC, written as two numbers, so 20:1 means twenty parts CBD for every one part THC.

A consumable hemp product is the legal category several states use for a finished hemp product made to be swallowed, tasted or put on the skin, such as an oil, gummy or topical, and regulated separately from smokable hemp.

Decarboxylation is the process of converting raw cannabinoid acids (like CBDa) into their active forms (like CBD) by applying heat.

Workplace drug tests typically screen for THC metabolites. Pure CBD is not on standard drug-test panels — but full-spectrum CBD with trace THC can produce positive results.

Delta-8 THC is an intoxicating cannabinoid, a close chemical cousin of the delta-9 THC in marijuana. Nearly all delta-8 sold is made by chemically converting hemp-derived CBD.

Delta-9 THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis, and it is the specific THC that the federal 0.3% hemp limit measures: hemp is cannabis with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight.

The entourage effect is the theory that cannabinoids and terpenes work synergistically — that whole-plant extracts produce different effects than isolated compounds.

The endocannabinoid system is a body-wide signaling network involved in pain, mood, sleep, immune function, and many other processes.

Ethanol extraction is a method of pulling cannabinoids and terpenes out of hemp by soaking the plant material in food-grade ethanol, then filtering the liquid and evaporating the ethanol away to leave a concentrated extract.

Epidiolex is the only prescription medicine whose active ingredient is purified plant-derived CBD, approved by the FDA in 2018 and made by GW Pharmaceuticals, now part of Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Full spectrum CBD contains all cannabinoids and terpenes naturally present in the hemp plant, including up to 0.3% THC.

A full-panel COA is a third-party lab report that covers potency plus contaminant testing (heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents and microbials, sometimes mycotoxins and terpenes), while a potency-only COA reports cannabinoid levels and nothing else.

First-pass metabolism is the liver's breakdown of a swallowed compound before it reaches general circulation, which is why less CBD makes it into the bloodstream when you swallow it than when it absorbs under the tongue.

Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that contains less than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight — the legal definition under the 2018 Farm Bill.

Hemp seed oil is pressed from hemp seeds and contains essentially no CBD or THC. It is NOT the same as CBD oil.

Hemp flower is the smokable bud of hemp varieties bred for high CBD and low THC content.

A heavy metals panel is the section of a certificate of analysis that reports how much lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury a hemp product contains, measured by a lab and compared against a set limit.

HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) is an intoxicating cannabinoid made by adding hydrogen to THC, usually in a lab from hemp-derived cannabinoids, and its legal status in the United States is contested and varies by state.

Homeostasis is the process by which a living body keeps internal conditions such as temperature, fluid levels, and energy supply within a narrow, workable range, and researchers describe the endocannabinoid system as one of the signaling networks involved in that regulation.

ISO 17025 is the international quality standard for testing and calibration laboratories. CBD COAs should come from labs accredited under this standard.

MCT oil — medium-chain triglycerides, derived from coconut or palm — is the most common carrier oil for CBD tinctures because it improves absorption.

A microemulsion is a stable mixture of CBD oil and water created by reducing CBD particle size to under 100 nanometers, dramatically improving absorption.

mg per mL is CBD concentration: the milligrams of CBD in each milliliter of oil, found by dividing the bottle's total CBD milligrams by its volume in milliliters, so 1,500mg in 30 mL is 50 mg per mL.

A microbial panel is the section of a certificate of analysis (COA) that tests a hemp product for living contaminants, usually yeast and mold, E. coli and Salmonella, and often the toxins molds leave behind, called mycotoxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A).

A nanoemulsion is CBD oil broken into droplets tens to a few hundred nanometers wide and held evenly in water by a surfactant, which is what most "nano CBD" and "water-soluble CBD" products are.

ND (non-detect) and <LOQ (below limit of quantitation) are the two ways a lab report says a compound such as THC was not found, or was too faint to measure reliably, in your sample.

Non-GMO on a CBD label means the product contains no genetically modified ingredients, and because the hemp plant itself is almost never the question, the claim mostly covers the carrier oil, flavoring, and other additives.

A phytocannabinoid is a cannabinoid produced by a plant — distinguishing it from endocannabinoids, which the human body produces.

PCR hemp oil is a hemp extract that is "phytocannabinoid-rich": a whole-plant extract holding CBD plus minor cannabinoids and other hemp compounds, and a label term used in place of the word "CBD".

Potency is the measured amount of cannabinoids, usually CBD in milligrams, in a product, and the only way to verify it is a lab report (COA) that tests the actual batch.

A pesticide panel is the section of a hemp certificate of analysis (COA) that screens a finished batch for residues of dozens of agricultural pesticides and reports each one as not detected or as a measured amount against a set limit.

Residual solvents are traces of the liquids or gases used to pull cannabinoids out of hemp, such as ethanol, butane, propane, and hexane, that remain in the finished extract and are measured on a certificate of analysis (COA) in micrograms per gram.

Sublingual means 'under the tongue.' CBD oil held under the tongue absorbs through the rich blood vessels there, reaching the bloodstream in 15-45 minutes.

A CBD salve is a topical product where CBD is suspended in a fat-based balm and applied to the skin for localized effect.

A CBD serving size is the amount of product you take at one time, printed on the label as milligrams of CBD per dropper, per milliliter, or per piece.

CBD oil shelf life is how long an oil keeps its potency, smell, and taste before it degrades, and the sources we read put it at roughly one to two years when the bottle is stored cool, dark, and closed.

A synthetic cannabinoid is a cannabinoid-like compound made in a lab, while a converted (semi-synthetic) cannabinoid is one made by chemically changing a plant cannabinoid such as CBD, and neither is the same as a phytocannabinoid the hemp plant makes on its own.

THC is the cannabinoid responsible for the psychoactive 'high' associated with marijuana. Hemp-derived CBD products may contain up to 0.3% THC under federal law.

Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in cannabis (and many other plants) that give each strain its distinctive smell and flavor — and may contribute to its effects.

A tincture is a liquid herbal extract, traditionally made by soaking plant material in alcohol. Modern CBD 'tinctures' usually use a fat-based carrier (MCT oil) instead.

Third-party testing means a CBD product was analyzed by an independent, accredited lab — not by the manufacturer themselves.

Total THC counts the delta-9 THC already in a product plus the THC its THCA would become if heated — calculated as (0.877 x THCA) + delta-9 THC.

THCA is the raw, non-intoxicating acid form of THC that the living hemp plant actually produces. Heat converts it into delta-9 THC.

Titration is the practice of starting with a small CBD serving, holding it for several days, and raising it in small steps until you find the smallest serving that suits you.

USDA Organic on a hemp or CBD product means a USDA-accredited certifier has verified that the hemp was grown, and any extract made from it was handled, under the National Organic Program rules, which limit synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically engineered seed.

Winterization is a purification step that removes plant fats, waxes, and lipids from a crude hemp extract by dissolving it in ethanol and chilling it until the waxes drop out.