Understanding hemp-derived CBD: a primer
CBD, CBG, hemp, the 2018 Farm Bill, Δ9-THC limits — the language around hemp-derived products is dense. A short primer on what the terms actually mean.
The language around hemp-derived products is dense — half legal, half chemistry, all jargon. If you've spent any time on a CBD product page and walked away feeling like you needed a glossary, this is the glossary.
Hemp vs. marijuana
Both come from the same plant species: Cannabis sativa. The legal distinction is concentration. The 2018 Farm Bill defines hemp as cannabis containing less than 0.3% Δ9-THC by dry weight. Anything above 0.3% is marijuana, which sits under a different (much more restrictive) regulatory framework.
Everything Elixir produces is hemp-derived by this definition. We test every batch against that ceiling.
CBD
Cannabidiol — the most-studied non-intoxicating compound in cannabis. It's what most hemp-derived topicals lead with on the label. It doesn't get you high.
CBG
Cannabigerol — often called "the mother cannabinoid" because it's the precursor that most other cannabinoids are biosynthesized from in the plant. It exists in much lower concentrations than CBD in mature flower, which is part of why it's more expensive to produce. We include it in both Mitigate and Peak as a companion to CBD.
Δ9-THC
The intoxicating one. The Greek letter and the number specify the molecular structure (the location of a double bond). When you see <0.3% Δ9-THC on a hemp label, that's the Farm Bill compliance line.
Δ8-THC, THCV, HHC, etc.
There are dozens of minor cannabinoids being studied. Some are intoxicating, some aren't, the regulatory status varies, and not all of them have been characterized well enough to make confident claims about safety. We don't formulate with these.
Topical vs. ingestible
Different delivery routes do different things. A topical stays largely at the application site — it's not designed to enter systemic circulation in meaningful amounts. An ingestible (oil, capsule, gummy) is metabolized and circulates throughout the body. Mitigate and Peak are both topicals.
What "third-party tested" means
It means the formula was sent to an independent lab — not one Elixir owns or has a financial relationship with — and the results were published. The lab document is called a Certificate of Analysis (COA). If a brand says they're third-party tested but doesn't publish COAs, that's a flag.
Ours live on the Lab page, one PDF per batch.
What to read next
We'll go deeper on each of these in future posts. Until then, the Lab page is the most concrete thing on the site — every claim we make about purity and potency is documented there, batch by batch.