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Hemp (the legal term for the Cannabis sativa plant with less than 0.3% THC content by dry weight) has over 100+ phytocannabinoids of which CBD, CBC, CBG CBN and THC are just to name a few that have been identified and studied. There are additional naturally occurring compounds called terpenes and flavonoids which are believed to have therapeutic effects in full spectrum extracts. During extraction for Full Spectrum hemp oil, the whole plant flower is used, maintaining the plant's balance of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. According to studies from Israeli biochemist Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, who has studied the endocannabinoid system throughout his career, the whole plant creates an “entourage effect” in the body, with greater efficacy when all the parts of the plant are maintained during the extraction process of the oil.
On the other hand, the Isolate extraction process attempts to remove all these phytocannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes and isolate only the cannabidiol compound (CBD) into what is defined as a CBD isolate. In a study done by researchers in 2015 in Israel, they found that the single-molecule CBD administration created a bell-shaped-dose-response curve with a narrow therapeutic window. These studies showed that when CBD exceeded a certain point its therapeutic impact declined dramatically. This is not the case with full spectrum hemp extract, as the compounds work synergistically together to create the anti-inflammatory response desired.