Sifting Through the Clutter: A Practical Guide for Spotting Quality CBD


We all have heard of these terms floating around these past couple of years - “Full Spectrum”, “Broad Spectrum” & “Isolate” are just some of the terms used nowadays that are seemingly synonymous with CBD products and are emerging ever so often. I tend to see a lot of these terms misrepresented or used more often than not, even when in actuality they don’t fully live up to the name. I’ll explain what this means in a moment, but for now let’s go over the basics of how and when these terms are currently being used. First, let’s talk about “Full Spectrum” – Now, typically, to the everyday consumer this sounds like the full benefits from the hemp/cannabis leaf, so this term mostly represents products that are supposed to have all of the chemical compounds from the leaf included in it- Such as CBD, CBG, CBN, CBL, CBT, THC etc. The next commonly used term is “Broad Spectrum” – This term refers mostly to products that contain all of the chemical compounds, minus the THC. Granted, every company and every manufacturer vary slightly in the way that these terms are represented and there is no classification set in stone for these terms, so their meanings tend to shift slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Lastly, there is the term “Isolate” which currently refers to CBD Isolate, and basically means the isolated CBD chemical compound from the leaf. Out of these 3 commonly used terms, “Isolate” is probably the most reliable of them all. The reason for This is that it’s a pretty straight forward term to describe the isolated compound CBD and cannot be confused with the others. Isolate Is basically the CBD chemical compound mixed with either mct oil (coconut oil) or Olive Oil, which are the two most commonly used oils to make isolate tinctures. The only variable that can be different in this case is the purity of the CBD itself, which can essentially determine the quality of the end result. I think that most people that are familiar with CBD are aware of all or most of the above said. And would also agree, that not all “Isolates” are created equal, for the same reasons mentioned above. Ok great, now that the basic understanding is out there (which most of you reading this already know), let’s get to the interesting part.

This is where I tell you that Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum and everything named in between is not actually full, broad or mostly anything near that. If you take a closer look at what you are buying when you see these terms on the packaging, you will see that most products that include one of these two terms are not really that at all. One of the quickest ways for you to fact check this, is look at it’s lab test. Most of the time, you will find a lab test that says 40-50% CBD and 1% CBG 2% CBN and several other single digit percentages of other compounds (if any) that in fact don’t mean much. The main included compound will always be CBD, for the simple fact that CBD counts for 40%-70% of the compounds in the leaf, by volume and the minute amounts of the others have little to no effect on the endocannabinoid system in our body’s. In my few years of delving into research alongside my partners and team of scientist which have decades of experience in our industry, it’s become more and more apparent that these minute amounts of compounds from the leaf (minus the CBD) have little to no effect whatsoever and the bubble terms of “full spectrum”, “Broad Spectrum” or “entourage effect” hold little to no weight. They are merely just a selling point (some of which I have admittingly and innocently used in the past). What does this all mean? It’s very simple, about 90% of the distillate (condensed cannabis flower extract) is made from the whole plant including stems, leaves and seeds. The stems and leaves of the cannabis plant contain little to none of the main compounds mentioned above and are mostly rendered non effective on the endocannabinoid system. The seeds are rich in omegas, but this is irrelevant to the cannabinoids and their effect on the body’s endocannabinoid system. Unfortunately, they are marketed this way by most but are inadequate in terms of effectiveness. During the time which I have been lucky enough to be involved in these studies, I have found that most people feeling this “entourage effect” are really just feeling these minimal compounds from the leaf for the first time, so their bodies and endocannabinoid system are reacting to it. It feels good. It imposes a sense of wellness, which is not a false sense by the way. This is the endocannabinoid system reacting to receiving the cannabinoids for the first time. But after several uses, the effects are rendered null and the continued use of these oils are simply a misapprehension of the mind, and the body’s initial recognition of the compounds are no longer effective. Again, the reason for this is simply that there is not enough volume of cannabinoids in these oils for them to have any effect on the body. The only one taking effect is the CBD, which even in the “full spectrum” and “broad spectrum” oils are not as effective because it is diluted to make room for all the minute amounts of other cannabinoids and terpenes. For example: Say we have a full spectrum oil at hand and it consists of CBD, CBG, CBN, CBC, CBL, CBT, THC, CBDA, THCV, LIMONENE, MYRCENE, PINENE, LINALOOL, CARENE, NEROL, GERANIOL, HUMULENE…and I could go on with hundreds more. Now if all these compounds make up for 100% of the oil at hand, then how much of that percentage do you think is only CBD? In this case, buying Isolate or Isolate based oils is recommended and preferable. Therefore, our main focus until now has been advanced science botanicals combined with the purest form of isolated CBD. So, you’re getting the best of both worlds. Our proprietary blends of botanicals combined with Quality CBD at its purest form, is a commodity today. I’ll talk more about these advanced science botanicals very soon, but you can be sure that they are unlike anything out there in the market today.

In the meantime, my team and I over at EndoMen Labs is currently working on formulating the ultimate REAL full spectrum, which your body’s endocannabinoid system will thank you for. I will keep you guys posted on the progress. But at the end of the day, the point of this all, for me at least, always has been to make the world a better place with whatever means that are at my disposable. Not by amount of sales my company makes, nor the number of stores I open, but by making an industry that was intended by nature to help us humans, be a better one. A more effective one. Of course, making a living while in the process is incentive and necessary, but its most definitely not my inspiration. My inspiration comes from the smile of a client when they tell me that my product changed their life. We also always make sure to have fun every step of the way. After all, having good intended purpose in life while making a living doing is very fulfilling, but is not worth the effort if you’re not having fun doing it. Just ask our clients that use our oils religiously. Our commitment to your health and happiness is indispensable. #WeAreEndoMen 


Written by: Aaron Ronnie Almani

Art by: Aaron Ronnie Almani