If you’re just hearing about CBD hemp flowers, you’re probably wondering why there’s a lot of fuss about them online.
Well, CBD extraction is one of the main reasons for hemp cultivation. Although it can be extracted from any part of the plant, the hemp flower contains the largest CBD concentration, which makes it one of the most sought-after parts of the hemp plant.
Here’s everything you need to know about the industrial hemp flower.
What are CBD Hemp Flowers?
CBD hemp flower (also known as CBD bud) is the bud of a matured female hemp plant – a non-psychoactive variety of cannabis sativa. The female hemp plant usually produces flowers upon maturity to attract pollen from the male hemp plants.
It’s estimated that hemp flowers contain CBD concentrations of about 10-27% depending on the strain. What’s more, the flower contains negligible amounts of the psychoactive compound THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), meaning that it doesn’t make you high.
What are Industrial Hemp Flowers Used For?
Hemp has been grown for thousands of years for both industrial and domestic purposes. From biofuel to textiles, hemp is known to be an ingredient in more than 25,000 products, making it one of the most versatile plants in the world.
Industrial hemp flowers are primarily used for CBD extraction. Due to its various therapeutic benefits, CBD is used to manufacture various health and cosmetic products. Some of the common uses of CBD from the hemp flowers include:
- Pain relief: According to research, CBD can help reduce chronic pain by stimulating the endocannabinoid receptor which regulates your immune response, pain, sleep, and appetite.
- Reduce anxiety and stress: CBD has anti-depressant effects on the body, making it a good treatment option for stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
- Reduce acne: CBD oil can help prevent the sebaceous gland cells from oversecreting sebum as well as block the activation of pro-acne agents, such as inflammatory cytokines.
- Alleviate some cancer-related symptoms: CBD can help reduce cancer-related symptoms such as chronic pain as well as alleviate the side effects related to cancer treatment, such as nausea and vomiting.
- Contains neuroprotective properties: With CBD’s ability to work on the endocannabinoid and brain signaling systems, it can help improve the condition of people with neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.
- Improve cardiovascular health: CBD can help reduce high blood pressure, reducing the risk of several heart conditions including stroke and metabolic syndrome.
- Manage substance abuse: According to research, CBD can help modify the brain circuits related to substance addiction.
How Do You Consume Hemp Flowers?
When it comes to smell and looks, CBD hemp buds aren’t very different from cannabis buds. Hemp flowers contain the same flavonoids, terpenes, and other cannabinoid compounds – the only difference is the lower THC levels. This means you can use CBD hemp flowers the same way you use cannabis buds.
Some of the popular ways to people use hemp flowers include:
Making CBD Oil
CBD oil is extracted from industrial hemp flower in various ways including carbon dioxide extraction, alcohol-based extraction, butane extraction, and ice water extraction.
The quality of hemp you choose will dictate the quality of the CBD oil. Therefore, it’s important to choose the appropriate cannabis strain for your target market.
Smoking or Vaping
When you smoke hemp buds, benefits of CBD are heightened by the presence of other cannabinoids like flavonoids and terpenes. Although you won’t get high, these compounds work together to give you greater health benefits.
Smoking CBD buds can be extremely useful in situations where you want to experience the CBD effects faster. For example, you can use it to ease anxiety before a big meeting or presentation. Smoking allows the cannabinoids to reach your bloodstream faster.
Cooking and Baking
If you want to avoid the risk of lung irritation from smoking, consider using hemp flowers for cooking and baking. Many people usually grind the flower into flour and mix it with other ingredients.
While it’ll take longer to experience the effects of CBD in your body, the CBD relief will last longer than when you smoke it because the cannabinoids are released slowly into your bloodstream as the food is digested.
How to Properly Dry Industrial Hemp Flowers
While hemp biomass and stalks can simply be dried at indoor facilities with controlled conditions, hemp flowers are best dried in special dryer equipment. Under optimum conditions, hemp buds take around 3-6 days to dry, depending on the sizes of the buds.
It’s also important to maintain drying temperatures of about 60-70°F and optimal humidity levels (around 50%) to avoid compromising the potency of the CBD compound. While higher temperatures above 70°F can facilitate faster drying, they may also degrade the CBD content and trigger the volatility of other aromatic hemp flower compounds like terpenes.
By drying hemp flowers properly, you’ll remove moisture before the refinement or CBD extraction process begins. While hemp flowers can be sold as they are, refined CBD products bear more commercial viability. As such, CBD companies normally bulk-buy hemp flower biomass from which they extract the active ingredient (CBD).
Is CBD Hemp Flower Legal?
Hemp cultivation is still illegal in various parts of the world despite its immense medicinal benefits. Most legislations that are opposed to the growth and commercialization of hemp are usually concerned about variations in the levels of the psychoactive THC content levels in various hemp strains. However, most hemp strains contain THC content lower than 0.2%, making it safe for people of all ages.
In the U.S., the federal government stipulations require that all hemp products meant for commercial purposes should contain no more than 0.3% THC. This means hemp growers across the country can legally sell their CBD-rich hemp flowers as long as they meet the above stipulation.
Are You Using CBD Hemp Flowers?
With the increasing popularity of CBD hemp flowers as a panacea, you can now get to enjoy their therapeutic benefits – whether it’s in its unprocessed form, as an edible, or as an ingredient in a cosmetic product (ointment or tincture). The best time to invest in industrial hemp flowers is now.
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