by Jake Black, Phd – Treehouse Hemp
There’s a lot of confusion around “broad spectrum” and “full spectrum” hemp extracts. Many companies sell wildly different products using the same terminology which can make the differences difficult to spot. You may find yourself frustrated and asking, “Aren’t they all pretty much the same?”
Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Below, we break down a few industry fallacies and provide insider tips to help you evaluate hemp extract quality. We’ll also touch on why Treehouse has avoided common terms like “distillate” or “T-Free” altogether when it comes to our premium hemp extract ingredient line “Elemental Extracts”.
The Broad Spectrum Fallacy
A general understanding of full spectrum versus broad spectrum is that full spectrum extracts contain detectable THC whereas broad spectrum extracts have had the THC and/or other cannabinoids removed. The US Hemp Authority goes further to define broad spectrum extracts as “…the total extract of the hemp floral material present in the finished hemp product that contains at least two cannabinoids derived from hemp and a minimum of one terpene.” Some circles view broad spectrum extracts as lower quality or poorer performing because they “lack” some of the cannabinoids present in full spectrum extracts.
Hemp processors should be capable of far more than what’s described by the US Hemp Authority. In fact, Treehouse would tell you to not buy the hemp extract described by the US Hemp Authority’s definition. A high quality broad spectrum product should contain many detectable cannabinoids if it’s produced using scientifically advanced methods, and the total minor cannabinoid content should be no less than what’s found in a full spectrum extract.
