full spectrum

full spectrum /ˌfʊl ˈspɛktrəm/ adj. Of a CBD extract: keeping the plant’s other cannabinoids and terpenes, including some THC.

1. (labels) full spectrum. An extract that keeps the compounds the hemp plant made alongside CBD: minor cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN and CBDV, terpenes, and THC up to the legal limit.
2. (labels) broad spectrum. An extract with the other compounds kept but the THC taken out, usually to “non-detect”, meaning below the amount the lab’s method can measure.
3. (labels) isolate. CBD on its own, purified to a powder or crystals, typically 99% CBD or more.

Usage These are marketing terms. No federal statute or FDA rule defines them, so two products with the same word on the front can differ widely. The certificate of analysis (COA) for the batch is the only record of what is inside.

Origin From physics, where a spectrum is the full range of something (originally colours of light). Borrowed for plant extracts by the hemp CBD trade.

See also cannabidiol · CBDA · hemp

Checked against the sources below on Oct. 4, 2026.

Notes

How do the three compare?

Label word	Other cannabinoids	Terpenes	THC
Full spectrum	Kept	Kept, though some are lost in processing	Present, up to the limit
Broad spectrum	Kept	Often kept	Removed, usually to non-detect
Isolate	Removed	Removed	Removed; only the COA shows whether any remains

Why does the THC in a full spectrum product matter?

Two reasons. First, it is THC: in a full spectrum product it is there by design, and a product’s real THC content can differ from its label. In a study of 84 CBD extracts bought online, 18 contained THC, and only 26 held the CBD the label claimed, within 10 percent (Bonn-Miller and others, JAMA, 2017). The NIH also warns that over-the-counter CBD products may contain THC (NCCIH).

Second, the federal limit is changing. From Dec. 11, 2026, a final hemp-derived cannabinoid product may contain no more than 0.4 mg of total THC, and THC-like cannabinoids, per container (P.L. 119-37, sec. 781; date set by H.R. 6500, sec. 2019). A full spectrum bottle that carries more than that no longer counts as hemp under federal law. State law varies, and some states set their own THC limits for CBD products; check yours.

What should a label and lab report show?

• The batch. A batch or lot number on the package that matches the COA.
• Each cannabinoid. CBD, CBDA, THC, THCA and any minor cannabinoid the label names, with the lab’s limit of detection for each.
• Totals. Total CBD (CBD + 0.877 × CBDA) and total THC (delta-9 THC + 0.877 × THCA). The CBDA entry explains the factor.
• Per serving and per container. A percentage alone does not tell you how many milligrams of THC a bottle holds, and from Dec. 11, 2026, the per-container figure is the one the law counts.
• Contaminants. Pesticides, heavy metals, solvents and microbes.

Does “full spectrum” mean the product works better?

The idea that the plant’s compounds act better together than alone is often called the “entourage effect”. It is a hypothesis. The FDA has approved no full spectrum, broad spectrum or isolate product for any use; the one approved CBD medicine, Epidiolex, is a purified CBD (FDA). This glossary makes no claim for any of them.

The shop on this site

The shop sells flower, not extracts, and none of these label words applies to it. Our menu today is high-THCA hemp flower, not CBD flower. Smoked, it gets you high and shows up on THC drug tests.

Sources

• Bonn-Miller MO and others. “Labeling accuracy of cannabidiol extracts sold online.” JAMA 318 (2017): 1708–1709. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.11909
• NIH, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD).
• H.R. 5371 (P.L. 119-37), sec. 781; H.R. 6500, sec. 2019.

Questions

What does full spectrum mean?

On a CBD label, that the extract keeps the other compounds the hemp plant made, including minor cannabinoids, terpenes and some THC. No federal rule defines the term, so the lab report is the only proof of what is inside.

What does broad spectrum mean?

An extract with most of the plant's other compounds kept but the THC removed, usually to below what the lab can detect. Below detection is not the same as zero.

What is CBD isolate?

Purified CBD, usually sold as a white powder or crystals of 99 percent CBD or more, with the other plant compounds removed.

Can a full spectrum CBD product contain THC?

Yes. By design it keeps some THC. Researchers testing CBD products bought online found THC in about one in five, including products that did not list it.