Hello all.  I have been doing some digging on the hops CBD situation, and I have put together some useful information for all of you.  As a quick note, I have a degree in chemistry specialization and I took many courses focusing on organic chemistry (ie. The chemistry of carbon based molecules, such as THC and CBD). 

See this link (https://www.phyto.clinic/shop/immunag-75mg-bioactivecbd-tablets) from Phyto Clinic where Immunag is sold, and click on the third thumbnail over on the right of the page near the image of the hops.  This clearly states that the CBD from hops is an isomer of the CBD found in cannabis.  What is an isomer?  See this link (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol) from Wikipedia on the structure of CBD.  Scroll down to the section showing the different isomers.  These are essentially variations of the CBD molecule where the double bond (electrons and hydrogen atoms) move around there positions slightly on the 6-carbon ring.  If you know anything about chemical structures, this will make some sense, but if not, it won’t take much digging to get more information.  Also check out the difference between delta 9 THC and delta 8 THC to see what I am talking about.

Now even though these are nearly identical molecules, the slight variations can have a wide range of effects on how the molecules interact with receptors in your body.  As you can see from the CBD Isomers section, there are 7 different isomers where only the double bond has moved.  There is likely very little research on which of these 7 variations has the best effects on the CBD receptors in your body, as well as which ones are easiest to isolate and from which plants.  That is why no one was familiar with CBD from hops until recently.

From what I can tell from the various news releases and information provided to date, the CBD isomer(s) that have been extracted from hops is/are different than the one(s) isolated from cannabis, BUT they are more bioactive, meaning that they have a greater effect on the receptors (ie. They “fit” into the receptors better).

To see what I mean by “fit”, have a quick look at D- vs L- amino acids as an example.  These are the same molecule, except they are mirror images of each other (and due to their structure, not superimposable on eachother), and therefore have different effects on receptors.  It turns out that many receptors only work with L- amino acids, and the D- amino acids do nothing.  Also note how strikingly similar the CBD and THC molecular structures are, yet how differently they affect the body and brain.

When they do come out with a news release about the hops CBD, it won’t be to confirm that it is true, it will be studies showing the effects and efficacy of the hops CBD isomers and how they compare to the cannabis isomers.  That is not a study that can happen overnight, but I am sure it is well underway.

At the end of the day, until we know which CBD isomer(s) work best for what ailments, and until there is much more information on which extraction methods are the most efficient (ie. Hops, cannabis, hemp, other plants), we won’t really know which, if any, will take over the majority of the market.  That being said, it certainly is not a disadvantage to be the only ones who know how to extract some form of CBD from hops, that from all the reviews and testing I have read, appears to work very well.  If it ends up being more effective, or less expensive to extract, or both, then just imagine the potential.  But if it ends up not being an advantage, that changes very little about ISOL’s big picture based on what we currently know and expect.