This crystalline is 99% pure CBD but is it the most effective medicine cannabis has to offer?

Ever since CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, broke the internet three years ago when he admitted, “We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States,” the U.S. has been on a CBD craze. His 2013 documentary “Weed” was one of the first mainstream attempts at exposing a suspicious audience to the seemingly miraculous effects of cannabis-derived CBD.

While Gupta’s first documentary touched the tip of the iceberg, his coverage of four-year-old Charlotte Figi stole the hearts of people all over the world — it caused parents of children suffering from equally traumatic and consistent epileptic seizures to wonder if CBD was the answer they had been desperate to find.

CBD provides no psychoactive effects when ingested, but being that it is derived from cannabis, the potential life-saving compound is still considered a Schedule 1 substance with “no medicinal value.” This obstacle blocks many professional research facilities from conducting experiments with CBD to truly put its healing abilities to the test, at least in the United States.

Internationally, scientists are light-years ahead of the U.S. in terms of medical marijuana research. In fact, the annual International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) conference where countries meet to share new findings about the medical benefits of cannabis will be going on its 27th year in 2017.

Yet, over a quarter of a century later and we still haven’t adopted cannabis treatment into mainstream healthcare. Why is that? Is medical marijuana’s ability to replace thousands of expensive prescriptions too big a threat to the powerhouses of Big Pharma?

Just take a look at all the conditions cannabinoids have been shown to benefit:

Addiction / Substance Abuse
AIDS
ALS
Alzheimers
Antibiotic-resistant infections
Anxiety, Depression, and other Mood Disorders
Autism
Cancer
Cardiovascular and Heart Disease
Chronic pain
Crohn’s Disease
Diabetes
Epilepsy and Seizures
Fibromyalgia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Kidney Disease
Liver Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Neuropathic Pain
Osteoporosis
PTSD
Rheumatism
Rheumatoid arthritis
Schizophrenia
Sickle Cell Anemia
Tumor Growth

In 2014, Americans spent $374 billion on prescription medicine. Those are big numbers we’re talking; the pharmaceutical industry isn’t about to let that revenue wither away because of one little plant, at least not without a fight.

But after people watched Charlotte Figi, who was suffering 300 seizures a week while on seven different pharmaceutical medications, drop down to an astonishing two or three seizures a month after CBD treatment, the demand for CBD cannabis products skyrocketed despite the federal illegality.

The year after Gupta’s “Weed” documentary aired, 11 states passed CBD-only laws — allowing their citizens access to cannabis-derived CBD. Many are named after children who, like Charlotte, also suffer from debilitating epileptic conditions; Alabama has “Carly’s Law,” Delaware enacted “Rylie’s Law,” Mississippi established “Harper Grace’s Law,” South Carolina initiated “Julian’s Law,” and Utah sanctioned “Charlee’s Law.” In 2015, five additional states followed and legalized CBD-only oil. Each of these 16 states maintains limits on the amount of THC that can be present in the oil — the maximum THC limit varies from 7% to 0.5%, with many states opting for the federal THC ceiling of 0.5%.

There is no doubt that isolated cannabidiol (CBD) has power on its own. As seen in multiple videos, including the one below, CBD oil has proven its ability to stop an epileptic seizure in its tracks.

For many states that fear the federal repercussions of legalizing marijuana entirely, passing CBD-only laws is a great first step. But it’s important we touch upon something that is well-known in the intimate cannabis community but less understood in mainstream society, and that is the Entourage Effect.

The Entourage Effect

The Entourage Effect is a phrase coined and discovered in 1999 by Raphael Mechoulam, a decorated Israeli scientist who has made studying medical marijuana his life’s mission. Let’s start from the beginning: in 1963, he was the first scientist to discover the structure of and isolate cannabidiol (CBD) from the whole marijuana flower. Shortly after, he and his team were able to isolate delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). And they kept going, isolating the various compounds of cannabis to study each one individually. From cannabigerol, to cannabichromene, to cannabicyclol, to cannabielsoin, to cannabitriol … the list goes on and on. Incredibly, Mechoulam and his team have discovered over 480 unique natural compounds within the cannabis plant.

Even though CBD has received a sizeable boost in public awareness because of its medicinal value and lack of psychoactive effects, what Raphael Mechoulam discovered after 40+ years of research is that all of the compounds of cannabis work most effectively together, rather than when individually isolated. In particular, research has shown that THC actually enhances CBD’s therapeutic effects and vice versa. Amazingly, scientists have found that CBD enhances THC’s anti-cancer and painkilling abilities while also decreasing THC’s psychoactive effects.

Is Pure CBD the Most Effective Cannabis Medicine?

According to Raphael Mechoulam’s research, probably not. That doesn’t mean isolated CBD isn’t remarkably effective, especially when weighed against the damage caused by harsh pharmaceuticals and many other traditional treatment options. But 40+ years of research has proven that the most effective cannabis therapies involve the whole cannabis plant, including its cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids.

With a purity of 99%, CBD Crystalline is a perfect treatment option for patients nervous about the “high” related with cannabis therapy. Pure CBD could be ideal for younger patients who may not be developmentally ready to ingest large amounts of THC. CBD Crystalline may also be the only option for working patients who are subject to company-wide drug tests, as most company policies have not adapted to state legalization laws.

When reduced to its purest form, CBD, just like THC, is isolated to a natural crystal structure. Most crystalline is extracted during the second round of purification; the CBD compound is isolated from extracted oil rather than straight from the flower itself.

CBD Crystalline is so pure that there is primarily one molecule present, CBD. This is what causes the unique crystalline appearance rather than the honey or shatter consistency that is typically found on shelves at your local dispensary.

By itself, or combined with your favorite concentrate, the medicinal benefits of CBD are almost instantaneous and truly unparalleled. Crystalline is rare and genuine treat, if you can get your hands on it.