Product Terminology
ter·mi·nol·o·gy /ˌtərməˈnäləjē/ noun - body of terms used with a particular technical application in a subject of study
"the terminology of semiotics"; synonyms: phraseology, terms, expressions, words, language, parlance, vocabulary, nomenclature
"the terminology of semiotics"; synonyms: phraseology, terms, expressions, words, language, parlance, vocabulary, nomenclature
The Basics
The Cannabis plant contains hundreds of compounds of medicinal interest. Of these hundreds of compounds, over 100 are known as cannabinoids.
While these medicinal compounds can be found in many parts of the Cannabis plant, the sticky resin produced by the flowering parts of the plant are the richest source of cannabinoids.
Of these hundreds of cannabinoid compounds, there are two that commonly make up the majority of cannabinoids produced by a Cannabis plant.
These two compounds are:
The Cannabis plant contains hundreds of compounds of medicinal interest. Of these hundreds of compounds, over 100 are known as cannabinoids.
While these medicinal compounds can be found in many parts of the Cannabis plant, the sticky resin produced by the flowering parts of the plant are the richest source of cannabinoids.
Of these hundreds of cannabinoid compounds, there are two that commonly make up the majority of cannabinoids produced by a Cannabis plant.
These two compounds are:
- Cannabidiol or CBD
- Tetrahydrocannabidiol or THC.
CBD & THC
These two cannabinoids (CBD & THC) have received a lot of media, scientific and medical attention. The scientific and medical communities used to believe that these compounds were “unique to cannabis” however, we now know that other plants can produce compounds similar to the various cannabinoids, including CBD! There are also plants that have components that can also affect the body’s endocannabinoid system. In addition, other therapeutic components of the cannabis plant can be found in different plant species as well.
These two cannabinoids (CBD & THC) have received a lot of media, scientific and medical attention. The scientific and medical communities used to believe that these compounds were “unique to cannabis” however, we now know that other plants can produce compounds similar to the various cannabinoids, including CBD! There are also plants that have components that can also affect the body’s endocannabinoid system. In addition, other therapeutic components of the cannabis plant can be found in different plant species as well.
Importance of Terminology
Both the scientific and medical communities have long understood the importance of terminology that allows practitioners to communicate efficiently with colleagues, reduce mis-communication, and allows precise and accurate descriptions.
It is inherent in our role as medical practitioners to ensure that we are utilizing language that allows us to effectively guard against harm and promote the wellbeing of our patients. Below are commonly used words and phrases within the veterinary cannabis industry along with their meaning and description of use.
Both the scientific and medical communities have long understood the importance of terminology that allows practitioners to communicate efficiently with colleagues, reduce mis-communication, and allows precise and accurate descriptions.
It is inherent in our role as medical practitioners to ensure that we are utilizing language that allows us to effectively guard against harm and promote the wellbeing of our patients. Below are commonly used words and phrases within the veterinary cannabis industry along with their meaning and description of use.
Medically-Relevant Product Definitions
Full Spectrum Product
- The plants within the genus Cannabis vary greatly. Certain plants will express high levels of various cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG, CBN, etc.) and differing variations and levels of terpenoids and flavonoids. No plant will contain all of these known medicinal components. Each chemotype of Cannabis plants has a unique pattern of medicinal compounds known as a chemovar.
- A product that is “full spectrum” is a plant-based cannabis product containing the full complement of the medicinal compounds (cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids) included in that chemotype's pharmacological profile.
- The complete expression of the molecular pattern or chemotype of a plant depends on many factors such as; that plant's genome (genetic pattern), the growth environment and available nutrition, the extraction process used, along with a host of other factors including heat, age, moisture, etc. as many of these compounds degrade/change with various factors. The Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for any product is essential in demonstrating which medicinal compounds are actually contained in the finished/on-the-shelf product.
- Be wary of products labeled as "full spectrum" without an accompanying CoA. Many of today's cannabis companies are utilizing this term for products that actually contain only one or very few components. Always ask for a CoA on any cannabis product to determine if it is truly "full spectrum".
CBD-rich Product
- A cannabis chemotype or product that contains either an equal or greater ratio of CBD to THC.
- This phrase contains information about CBD content of a chemotype or product only. There is no information about the content of other cannabinoids, terpenes or flavonoids in this product.
- The THC content of this product may be high (but still equal to or lower than CBD content) or low. A CoA should accompany this product to provide addition details to the medical provider about the range and ratios of other components in this product.
CBD-dominant Product
- A cannabis chemotype or product that contains either an equal or greater ratio of CBD to THC, but also has very low amounts of THC.
- There is no information about the content of other cannabinoids, terpenes or flavonoids in this product. A CoA should accompany this product to provide addition details to the medical provider about the range and ratios of other components in this product.
Hemp Seed Oil
- A frequently used base oil in cannabis tincture products.
- Hemp seed oil is made from hemp seeds and does not contain cannabinoids.
Isolate Product
- A product containing only a single or "isolated" compound.
- The source* of the single compound in an isolate product must also be identified for legal designation.
- For example, the CBD molecule can be obtained in any of the following ways
- isolated from hemp chemotype (<0.3%THC) of cannabis plants
- isolated from marijuana chemotype (>0.3% THC) of cannabis plants
- isolated from a non-cannabis plant
- synthesized in a laboratory
- To accurately identify the origin of an isolate product, the company must either be vertically integrated (control all steps from seed to sale) or have evidence of the product’s chain of custody throughout harvest, production and sale.
Ambiguous Product Definitions
Broad Spectrum Product
- A plant-based cannabis product containing most of the plant’s original chemotype but having some components removed entirely.
- Colloquially, this phrase is applied to products that have had all THC removed from the product but still contain the entire range of other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. Similarly to the phrase “full spectrum”, the term “broad spectrum” must be defined by a CoA that accompanies the product to inform the medical practitioner which compounds are present in the product and which have been completely removed.
Extended Spectrum Product
- A plant-based cannabis product containing the entire chemotype of the original harvested plant in addition to compounds (usually cannabinoids or terpenes) have been artificially added.
- Similar to all other references to the molecular spectrum of any product, this claim must be verified by a CoA so the medical practitioner is accurately informed about the components of the product.
CBD Oil
- An ambiguous phrase lacking adequate specificity to be medically relevant.
- This phrase could describe a single attribute of many products and thus provides an ambiguous description i.e. oil containing small amount of CBD, oil containing a large amount of CBD, oil containing only CBD, etc.
Hemp Oil
- An ambiguous phrase lacking adequate specificity to be medically relevant.
- This phrase could describe any product that was produced from a hemp plant. However there is no specification as to which parts of the hemp plant are in the product. A product might contain anything from zero cannabinoids to many different cannabinoids as well as other molecule profiles and in any concentration.
PCR (Phyto-Cannabinoid Rich) Product
- A marketing phrase utilized to avoid mention of legally-risky terminology.
- Any product made from a plant ("phyto") and containing cannabinoids is a PCR product. The molecular spectrum of any product must be verified by a CoA so the medical practitioner is accurately informed about the components of the product.
CBD Product
- An ambiguous phrase lacking adequate specificity to be medically relevant.
- This phrase could describe a single attribute of many products and thus provides an ambiguous description i.e. oil containing CBD, treat containing CBD, lotion containing CBD, concentrate (edible, waxes, resin) that contains at least some CBD (usually these contain quite high THC content), etc.
