Full spectrum, broad spectrum or isolate: which CBD to choose?

All three start from an extract of industrial hemp flowers and leaves. What sets them apart is how much of the rest of the plant — other cannabinoids, terpenes, THC — stays next to the CBD after processing.

The table below puts them side by side. The names are not defined by law, so always check the composition in the batch report.

Extraction, usually with CO₂ or ethanol, pulls CBD out of the plant together with the other soluble compounds. After filtering, that is the full-spectrum extract.

An isolate goes all the way: the CBD is crystallised and purified until a white, almost pure powder is left, which is then dissolved in a base oil.

Broad spectrum sits between the two. It is made either by taking the THC out of a full-spectrum extract, usually by chromatography, or by starting from isolate and adding other cannabinoids and terpenes back. That is why its composition varies more from one maker to another.

How much CBD a bottle holds is shown by the milligrams on the label, not by the type of extract. A 10 % oil in a 10 ml bottle has 1000 mg of CBD, whether it is full spectrum, broad spectrum or isolate.

When you compare two products, put the milligrams side by side first, then the spectrum. If a 5 % full spectrum is sold as “more powerful” than a 10 % isolate, that is a marketing line, not a figure from the lab report.

The idea that the plant's substances work together differently from CBD alone is called the “entourage effect”. The term appeared in 1998, in a study by Shimon Ben-Shabat and Raphael Mechoulam on the cannabinoids the body makes itself; in 2011 Ethan Russo extended it to the cannabinoids and terpenes of hemp.

The hypothesis has support from laboratory studies, but it has not been confirmed as a proven effect in people. That is why we do not present it as an advantage of any product. In the EU a food may not promise health effects without an authorised claim (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006), and there is none for CBD.

If a seller presents full spectrum as “stronger” or “more effective”, take it as a warning sign, not an argument.

In Belgium, since 1 June 2024, cannabis falls on the list of controlled substances only when it holds more than 0.3 % THC (royal decree of 6 September 2017; VAD), and that limit concerns the plant. For the oil or cream in the shop we found no separate numerical THC limit in Belgian sources.

That is why a full-spectrum product may hold traces of THC, and only the batch lab report shows exactly how much. For broad spectrum and isolate, THC should appear as “not detected” (ND) or below the limit of quantification (<LOQ).

Drug tests usually look for THC or its breakdown products, not CBD. If you may be tested at work or on the road, choose broad spectrum or isolate with THC not detected — even then nobody can promise the result of a test.

There is no “best” type, only the one that fits what you want from the product. Start from the situations below, then check everything in the batch report; the guide to the lab report shows how to read it. You will find all three types in the catalogue, with the spectrum stated on the product page.

• You want to avoid THC completely, for example because you may be tested — choose isolate or broad spectrum with THC not detected.
• You want a product as close to the plant as possible — full spectrum, checking on the report how much THC the batch has.
• The smell of hemp bothers you — an isolate is almost neutral.
• You are comparing prices — divide the price by the milligrams of CBD, not by the millilitres.