New to CBD? Start Here
10 Common Questions About CBD
By Avery Martz | Updated August 2026
1. What is CBD and how is it different from hemp and cannabis?
Cannabis is the common name for plants belonging to the Cannabis genus. Humans have used cannabis for medicine, fiber, food, and its intoxicating effects for thousands of years. THC is the compound primarily responsible for the characteristic “high” associated with cannabis.
In the United States, cannabis that contains very little THC can legally be classified as hemp. Hemp and other cannabis plants are not fundamentally different kinds of plants—the distinction is primarily a legal one based on THC content. Hemp and hemp-derived products are regulated differently from cannabis sold through state-regulated dispensaries.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of many naturally occurring compounds called cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. It can be extracted from cannabis and used in a wide variety of wellness products. CBD itself is not intoxicating, but two identical products can be regulated differently based on which legal category the plant they were made from falls into.
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- CBD, Hemp & Cannabis: What's the Difference? (Publishing Soon)
2. What does CBD feel like? Will it get me high?
CBD is often described more by what you don't notice than by what you do. People may notice that something that was bothering them is less noticeable, rather than feeling a distinct effect or “high.”
CBD itself is not intoxicating and does not produce the characteristic high associated with THC.
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3. What can CBD help with?
People use CBD for a wide range of reasons, including sleep, relaxation, recovery, and general wellness. Rather than making a giant list of claims, we've organized the research and practical information by topic so you can explore what is actually known about the reason you're interested in CBD.
Part of the reason CBD has such wide-ranging effects is its interaction with the endocannabinoid system, a regulatory system involved in many different processes throughout the body.
Explore by topic → The CBD Wiki | Herbal Edge
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4. How much CBD should I take?
In our experience at Herbal Edge, standard industry dosing recommendations are often too low to represent a meaningful dose for many people, while simple bodyweight-based calculations don't reliably predict how much an individual will need.
That's why we developed the 1-2-3 Method: a structured experiment that starts with a reasonable dose and systematically increases it to help you find a meaningful dose for your purposes.
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5. Is CBD safe? Does it interact with medications?
CBD is generally well tolerated, even at relatively high doses, but it can cause side effects and interact with some medications. There are also certain medical conditions and circumstances where additional caution is appropriate.
If you take prescription medications or have a medical condition and are concerned about how CBD might affect you, we recommend discussing CBD with a healthcare professional who is familiar with CBD and cannabis. Many healthcare providers have limited training or experience with cannabinoids, so finding someone familiar with the current research can be important if you want informed guidance.
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6. What's the difference between CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN and THC?
Cannabis plants contain many different compounds called cannabinoids. When taken in meaningful doses, different cannabinoids can have subtly different effects. Some are better suited for daytime use, while others are better suited for nighttime relaxation.
It's important to understand the difference between trace quantities and meaningful doses. Many cannabis products contain trace amounts of several cannabinoids, but that doesn't necessarily mean they contain enough of each cannabinoid to produce a meaningful effect.
**THC is the only intoxicating cannabinoid on this list. At Herbal Edge we do not sell any intoxicants, synthetic or natural. **
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7. Do I need THC for CBD to work? What is the entourage effect?
No. CBD does not require THC in order to work. Cannabinoids can interact with one another, but the evidence does not support the common claim that trace amounts of THC are necessary to “activate” CBD.
This myth lives on only in the minds of dispensary workers across the nation.
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8. What do full spectrum, broad spectrum and isolate actually mean?
Over the years, cannabis marketers have developed a lot of inconsistent and imprecise jargon to describe their products. Extracts are generally called isolate when they contain a single isolated cannabinoid, broad spectrum when they contain multiple cannabis compounds but have the THC removed, and full spectrum when multiple compounds, including THC, remain.
Cannabis flower may also be described as Type I, II, or III based primarily on its THC and CBD composition, or as indica or sativa in an attempt to describe the kind of effects you should expect.
Some of these terms are more useful than others, but none substitute for knowing what's actually in the product. Terms like full spectrum, broad spectrum, indica, and sativa can imply much more about a product's composition or effects than laboratory testing can actually demonstrate.
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- What Do Indica, Sativa, and Full Spectrum Actually Mean? (Publishing Soon)
9. How do I read a CBD label and lab report?
CBD products are commonly labeled with the total amount of CBD in the entire container, not the amount in each dose. That means you may need to do a little math to figure out how much you're actually taking—and what that dose actually costs you.
Lab reports can be even less straightforward. At minimum, check that the report actually belongs to the product you're buying and look for:
- Product name and batch number
- Date the product was tested
- Manufacturer
- Laboratory that performed the test
- Amounts of each cannabinoid detected
- LOD and LOQ, which tell you how sensitive the test was and how small an amount the laboratory could reliably detect or measure
A lab report isn't useful just because one exists. You need to know what was tested, when it was tested, how precisely it was tested, and whether the results match what's on the label.
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10. How do I know which CBD product to buy?
Choosing a CBD product gets much easier when you break the decision into a few steps:
- Decide what you're trying to accomplish and which cannabinoids you want to use.
- Choose a delivery method that works for you.
- Select a reasonable starting dose.
- Choose a brand and decide how much you want to spend.
We have articles that can help with each of these decisions. Herbal Edge can also help with the last one: we vet the manufacturers we work with, independently verify the products we sell, and work with trusted makers to keep effective doses affordable for the average person.
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Bonus: Is smoking cannabis good for you?
Over the past two decades, cannabis advocacy groups have promoted smoking cannabis as medically useful, in part as a stepping stone toward broader legalization.
We believe cannabis prohibition has been an absolute failure of public policy and should be replaced with regulated legalization. But that doesn't require us to pretend that smoking anything is good for your health.
The idea that a doctor might prescribe cannabis joints for headaches, back pain, or endometriosis makes about as much sense as prescribing cigarettes for weight loss or bowel problems.
There are less harmful and more precise ways to deliver the bioactive compounds found in cannabis for therapeutic purposes. We don't need to perpetuate the fiction that smoking becomes wellness simply because the plant being burned contains useful compounds.
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- Smoking Is Not A Wellness Strategy (Publishing Soon)
About the Author
Before launching Herbal Edge, Avery Martz operated one of Idaho's largest CBD retailers, reviewing products, working with independent makers, and helping hundreds of people learn about CBD.