Part of a retailer’s job is to clear up any confusion consumers may have about the products they sell.

Especially when it comes to CBD products and hemp products.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is non-intoxicating and one of the more than 540 phytochemicals found in the Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound that gets people high. Hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, not enough to produce psychoactive effects.

Hemp is a specific variety of C. sativa. People have grown it for centuries, and have used it to make rope, clothes, sails, food and more. Industrial hemp has an equally long history in the U.S. In fact, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the nation, grew it himself.

Interestingly — and this is where much of the confusion comes from — CBD is actually a chemical found in the hemp plant. For that reason, comparing CBD to hemp is no different than comparing milk to dairy. The two compounds come from the same plant family, but from different species within it.

The primary difference between CBD and hemp is the cannabinoid content. While each comes from the same plant, hemp plants include a good amount of CBD; hemp seeds do not. Since CBD is extracted from different parts of a mature plant it contains cannabinoids. When someone ingests it, he can usually feel its effects.

CBD is taken out of parts of a hemp plant, including any cannabis strain that has high levels of cannabidiol. After this step, product is heated so as to activate the CBD and other cannabinoid compounds. What remains is a concentrated CBD extract that is most often combined with a carrier oil and sold as CBD oil.

Hemp oil, sometimes referred to as hemp seed oil, is taken from just the seeds of the hemp plant. It typically offers greater nutritional benefits, while CBD oil is reported to be better for anxiety relief. Both alleviate pain, although CBD is often considered to be more effective.