Charlotte's Web: Cultivar Profile With Sources, Lineage Claims and Lab Data Limits

Charlotte's Web is the name of a high-CBD, low-THC cannabis cultivar (commonly called a strain). The same name is also used by a company and its products, which makes sources easy to mix up. This page covers the cultivar only and keeps documented facts apart from reported and marketed claims. It is information only and does not recommend any product. For how these pages work, see how cultivar profiles work.

Evidence labels used here: approved medicine means a regulator has approved a drug for a stated use; marketing claim means a statement from sellers or media without independent testing; insufficient evidence means too little to judge; Proper evidence not found means we looked and found nothing usable.

Identity and reported origin

A strain encyclopedia describes Charlotte's Web as a cultivar bred by the Stanley Brothers of Colorado for high CBD (cannabidiol) and low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), with proprietary genetics.[1] An encyclopedia entry says the Stanley brothers developed it by crossbreeding a marijuana strain with industrial hemp, and that an early version was called "Hippie's Disappointment" because its low THC gave no "high."[2] A trade interview says the company named its variety Charlotte's Web after a local girl, Charlotte Figi.[3]

The breeder claim is reported, not independently verified, and the parent plants are not publicly documented in the sources we could read. We found no public record of the cross, so lineage confidence is "unknown." Because the genetics are described as proprietary, other products with the same or a similar name may not be the same plant.

Cultivar versus company and product

The encyclopedia entry itself treats "Charlotte's Web" as a brand of hemp-derived products as well as a strain.[2] A statement about "Charlotte's Web" may refer to the plant, an extract, a finished product or a law nicknamed after it. Be careful not to treat a claim about a product as a finding about the plant. See CBD products, forms and labels.

Classification

The strain encyclopedia calls it a sativa marijuana strain and hemp cultivar.[1] That is a retail label, and large chemistry work on tested products found that indica, hybrid and sativa labels do not consistently align with measured chemistry.[4] The more informative category is chemotype: Charlotte's Web is reported as CBD-dominant, meaning CBD is the major cannabinoid.[1] We found no independent laboratory data confirming this for a named batch. See THC-dominant, CBD-dominant and mixed chemotypes.

Appearance, aroma and constituents

We did not find a readable, non-promotional source describing appearance or aroma, so none is given. Measured terpene and cannabinoid data for Charlotte's Web were not available in the sources we could read. The large terpene dataset used elsewhere in this library did not include it.[5] We do not infer values from the name.

Potency

Verified batch data was not available, and composition varies. A hemp label may give a THC limit, but that is not a reported result for a stated batch. We checked the encyclopedia entries and the research papers listed here; none gave CBD or THC values tied to a batch, laboratory and date. To learn how to read a real report, see how to read a cannabis COA and CBD product quality and certificates of analysis.

Reported experiences

The cultivar became widely known through news coverage of families whose children had severe epilepsy, and the entry says the early reports were anecdotal.[2] Anecdotes from parents are not controlled research. The entry notes that medical bodies published statements of concern about anecdotal claims, including a 2014 statement from an epilepsy society that robust scientific evidence was lacking at that time.[2]

Research and approved medicine

Proper evidence not found for clinical trials of the Charlotte's Web cultivar by name. We searched a biomedical literature index for the name with cannabis and trial terms. The hits concerned company marketing and product surveillance, not trials of the plant.

Separate from any consumer cultivar, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved one cannabis-derived drug, Epidiolex (cannabidiol), as a prescription medicine, and says it has not approved other cannabis-derived or CBD products on the market (read 2026-10-22).[6] That approval does not transfer to a cultivar, an oil or any other product. See approved cannabinoid medicines and cannabidiol and epilepsy.

Safety

Do not stop or change any prescribed medicine, including seizure medicine, without the prescriber. CBD can interact with medicines; see CBD and medication interactions and pregnancy and breastfeeding. Product variability and mislabeling are real concerns; see adulterated and mislabeled products. Keep all cannabinoid products away from children; see accidental child and pet exposure. In the US, call 911 in an emergency or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Laws differ and change; see hemp legal definitions. This is not legal or medical advice.