CBD is sweeping the nation as the next best thing in alternative medicine. There has been some positive research to indicate the CBD may help with a number of mental and physical health problems including anxiety, pain, inflammation, sleep problems, and even serious health problems like heart disease or diabetes.
Even more impressive is the number of stories from everyday individuals touting the great uses of CBD.
If you’re interested in trying CBD, you should know that the market is somewhat irregular, and you’re often responsible for ensuring the CBD products are of the best quality. Here are six things you should know before buying CBD oil.
- THC Content
The number one factor to consider when purchasing CBD is the THC content. For your own safety, make sure the CBD you’re purchasing online does not contain THC higher than 0.3 percent.
If you’re buying CBD in a dispensary in a state where cannabis products are sold legally, the THC content could be higher—know what you’re getting into before purchasing it.
This is essential because the THC component in hemp is what produces that “high” feeling users of marijuana are familiar with. It will show up on a drug test, and it can make it dangerous for you to drive, operate heavy machinery, or participate in other activities throughout the day.
- Third-Party Lab Tests
All CBD products you purchase online or in a dispensary should have had a third-party lab test for the most recent batch of products, and you should be able to read the results. If it doesn’t, you should buy your CBD somewhere else! (Note that some CBD companies do not publish their third-party lab tests online, but if you request a copy through customer service, they should produce one for you.)
Third-party lab testing is the CBD industry’s way of reducing the number of problems found in the CBD industry. Too many CBD companies try to sell products that contain less CBD than the label says.
Others might not properly measure the THC content to ensure it doesn’t go beyond legal limits.
In any case, the responsibility of checking that the ingredients are correctly listed falls on your shoulders. The FDA is not involved in the production of CBD, and it likely won’t be for many years.
- Extra Ingredients
Anytime you purchase a product, you should read the label. Count how many ingredient names you can pronounce. Then, count how many you can recognize. It might surprise you to learn that the foods on your shelves contain a lot more junk than you realize!
While eating some of those unnatural foods isn’t always a bad thing, it’s not a good idea with CBD. In order to get the full potency and effectiveness of CBD, it must be organically produced, and if it’s surrounded by organic, recognizable ingredients, it will enter your bloodstream more seamlessly and with fewer lost enzymes.
- Reviews
Always read reviews about a company before making a purchase! Ideally, the company you’re considering purchasing from will have a rating of 4.5 stars or higher. Read through the comments to determine the customer satisfaction level. Identify with consumers in a similar situation as you and consider the pros and cons of the products.
It’s important to note that reviews aren’t always an accurate depiction of a company’s satisfaction rate because sometimes reviews can be purchased. An easy sign is a list of reviews that were obviously written by someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language.
Additionally, watch out for a company that has 5 stars and several hundred reviews. Out of several hundred customers, it’s highly unlikely that every single customer is satisfied—that’s simply not human nature! This indicates that the reviews may have been purchased, and they don’t match the quality of the product.
Finally, just go with your gut. If something about the reviews doesn’t seem right, don’t trust the products. There are plenty of wonderful CBD companies out there, so if you’re not comfortable purchasing from one company, find another.
- Absolute Health Claims
As a concerned consumer, there are many ways that you can identify a product that may not be truthfully marketed. It should raise some red flags if the company makes absolute claims. Look for words like “always,” “all,” “guaranteed” in associated with health claims.
For example, you might read an article that says, “CBD will always relieve your pain,” or “Our CBD oil is guaranteed to remove your anxiety.” There are very few medications out there that will work for absolutely everyone.
Even though there are clinical studies to support CBD’s use in dealing with many health problems, there are no studies (and there never will be) that claim CBD will cure any ailments for absolutely everyone.
When you see absolute health claims, take that as a sign that the company is trying to pull one over on you. If they’re going to lie about what CBD can do for you, chances are, they’re lying about other things as well.
- CBD Extraction Method
A reputable CBD company will use CO2 extraction, which is the safest and purest method of CBD extraction. It’s the use of pressurized carbon dioxide to separate the CBD oil from the hemp plant. It creates a supercritical cold liquid that preserves all the cannabinoids, terpenes, and trichomes of the plant.
CO2 extraction can also be used to separate the THC and other components of the hemp plant from the CBD to bring you pure CBD products. This is by far the best way to extract CBD, and if the company you’re considering extracts their CBD in another way, it means that the CBD isn’t of the highest quality. You run the risk of contaminated CBD that contains a high THC content and isn’t at all what’s advertised.
CO2 extraction is a more expensive method of removing CBD from the hemp plant, so it will drive the price up. However, it’s more than worth the price for the peace of mind that your CBD is of good quality and won’t cause problems for your endocannabinoid system.
