Grape seed oil, olive oil, MCT oil, and hemp seed oil are all common bases for CBD and CBG tinctures. Since cannabinoids are fat-soluble, a carrier oil is necessary to unlock their full potential and deliver the best results. FlowerChild uses grape seed oil in all our tinctures and salves. But why? What are the benefits of this oil?
Grape seed oil is high in vitamin E, healthy fats, and Omega 6s — all of which contribute to good health. It is easily absorbable due to its light texture and has a mild, neutral taste. Scientists have reported it to be anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective.
Read on to learn why grape seed oil is the best carrier oil for CBD and CBG products.
Taste and Tinctures
One of the most noticeable qualities of grape seed oil is its light, neutral flavor. It’s easy on the palate and has absolutely no bitterness. Since FlowerChild tinctures are made with whole-plant, full-spectrum extract that contains all the plant’s natural terpenes, flavonoids, and chlorophyll, the neutral taste of grape seed balances out the earthiness from the hemp extract. Many companies use distillate extracts in an effort to get rid of the hemp flavor, but by doing that they are sacrificing healing potential.
You may have heard the phrase “medicine isn’t supposed to taste good”. And while we can’t call hemp a medicine since it is not FDA-approved to treat disease, the same logic applies. Adding sugary flavorings and removing healing compounds for the sake of taste makes no sense for a product intended to help you heal. So instead, we use a neutral-tasting, health-packed carrier oil. To further improve the taste and add even more benefits, we offer an option with peppermint essential oil. Since the grape seed has such a neutral taste of its own, the combined notes of peppermint are clear and refreshing.
Texture and Topicals
For skincare and topical applications, the lightness of grape seed oil makes it profoundly effective. Lighter oils absorb better and faster into your skin. In our case, the grape seed oil is carrying cannabinoids, and since it is lighter than most other carrier oils, grape seed oil can deliver more cannabinoids into your system and deliver them faster. Also due to its light consistency, grape seed oil will not leave your skin oily. It absorbs completely just a few minutes after rubbing it in. It glides onto your skin like silk and leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean.
What is Grape Seed Oil?
So you know what it tastes and feels like, but what is grape seed oil? Simply put, it is oil pressed from the seeds of grapes. Those seeds are a byproduct of winemaking. The grapes are crushed, the seeds are saved, and we end up with this wonderful oil.
Grape seed oil is full of vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acid (in the form of linoleic acid). It’s a great antioxidant and offers a multitude of health benefits.
Grape Seed Oil for Skin Care
This lovely oil does wonders for your skin. A study conducted by the Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry at the University of Athens found that grape seed oil can do all of the following:
- minimize skin aging
- maintain collagen and elastin
- increase the amount of antioxidants in the blood
- reduce wrinkles
- reduce and fight acne
- accelerate wound healing
- tighten skin
- reduce dark circles around the eyes
- hydrate skin
- protect skin from UV radiation
- improve the health of and texture of hair
Pretty amazing, right? This nourishing oil is a skincare routine all by itself. You can apply it directly to the surface of your skin with or without added cannabinoids. For the best results, use it topically and take it orally.
Grape Seed Oil for Optimal Health
This fantastic oil can do more than just heal and protect your skin. When eaten or taken as a tincture, it helps your entire physiology.
A study done in 2010 found that grape seed oil consumption reduced inflammatory condition and insulin resistance in overweight women. Insulin helps control the levels of sugar (glucose) in your blood, and resistance to it can lead to type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, eating this incredible oil may reduce your risk of Diabetes.
A 2016 article published by the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health cites grape seed oil as having the following beneficial properties:
- anti-inflammatory
- cardioprotective
- antimicrobial
- anticancer
Inflammation and Oxidation
Chronic inflammation is linked with the onset of disease and can be caused by many factors, such as smoking, obesity, poor diet, chronic stress, and alcohol. In order to help your body combat the stressful, toxic environment most of us live in, it’s important to have a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods. CBD, CBG, and grape seed oil all have powerful anti-inflammatory abilities. The 2016 PubMed article mentioned above writes, “The polyphenols present in grape seed oil are able to inhibit the release of arachidonic acid (AA), responsible for the production of leukotrienes and prostaglandins, which in turn activates the inflammatory response”. In simpler words, it reduces the production of inflammatory compounds.
Then there’s oxidation, which goes hand-in-hand with free radicals. Antioxidants control the level of free radicals in your body and thereby contribute to good health. Free radicals can cause accelerated aging, cell damage, illness, and disease. They are caused by the same harmful factors that cause inflammation: smoking, alcohol, poor diet, and chronic stress. Too many free radicals hanging around for too long can cause cancer and heart disease. Grape seed oil is a powerful antioxidant and directly removes free radicals from your system.
To read more about inflammation and oxidation, check out this blog post.
Common Concerns about Grape Seed Oil:
Chemical Solvents
One of the biggest concerns regarding all carrier oils involves the use of chemical solvents. Hexane and other solvents are often used in commercially available plant oils, and traces of those chemicals can make it into the final product. It’s not only grape seed oil that you have to be cautious about; olive oil, hemp seed oil, and any other oil can be at risk. This is why ‘extra virgin’ olive oil is far healthier than plain olive oil. Extra virgin means that the oil was expeller-pressed without the use of chemical solvents. And when it comes to optimal health, reducing chemical intake is highly important.
FlowerChild’s grape seed oil is expeller pressed and refined and totally free of chemical solvents. We source it from a company that prides itself on being preservative free, cholesterol free, and non-GMO verified.
Omega 6s and Omega 3s
Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats — healthy fats. Polyunsaturated fats are essential for brain function and cell growth, and our bodies do not produce these fats on their own. You have to get them from food. These fats can help lower bad cholesterol and play an important part in keeping your immune system healthy.
Sources of Omega 3s and 6s include:
- fatty fish
- eggs
- nuts and seeds
- soybeans
- plant oils
Many oils, including grape seed, contain high amounts of Omega 6s and much lower amounts of Omega 3s. Omega 6s in particular can help lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and reduce your risk of diabetes. However, some people believe that having an unbalanced ratio of Omega 6s to Omega 3s in your diet can have negative effects. The main concern is that high amounts of Omega 6s without the Omega 3s to balance them out can cause inflammation in the body. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim.
A scientific article from 2012 explores this. They conducted 15 studies and concluded that there is no evidence to support the belief that high amounts of Omega 6 linoleic acid (the acid present in grape seeds) contributes to inflammation or cardiovascular disease.
Regardless, a balanced diet is always a good idea. If you’d like to get more Omega 3s in your diet, try including seaweed, chia seeds, edamame, or walnuts into your routine. If you’d like to include more anti-inflammatory foods, start eating more kale, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, oranges, and tomatoes.
Conclusion
When it comes to grape seed oil, evidence suggests that it’s a healthy source of polyunsaturated fat and offers a variety of health benefits. From nourishing the skin to helping prevent disease, this lovely oil supports your health and protects you. It has a neutral taste, high absorbability, and is a powerful antioxidant. It can help reduce acne, speed up wound healing, and control blood sugar levels. When combined with CBD and CBG, this powerful carrier oil delivers maximum cannabinoids to you at maximum efficiency.
At FlowerChild, we strive to give you the most effective hemp products available. That’s why we chose grape seed oil. We’re convinced it’s the best carrier out there, and if you try our products, we think you’ll be convinced too.
Thanks for reading, and happy healing!
Click here to check out our full line of grape-seed oil based CBD, CBG, CBDa, CBDv, and CBN products! Whole-plant, full-spectrum goodness from our family to yours.
Article written by Britt Foster
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