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There are so many CBD brands it’s hard to know what you’re actually buying and how beneficial products are. With all of the potential benefits of CBD – from reducing anxiety, inflammation, depression, nausea and more – it’s pretty clear why so many consumers are willing to try it out.
There is a huge range of quality of CBD products out there, and most of them are not worth spending money on. Here are the top things you should be looking out for when purchasing CBD oil:
1. Is the company you are buying from trusted, transparent and focused on the best possible plants and science?
A lot of start-ups have jumped into the CBD business without much experience and a focus on short-term gains. We all know how that works out. In order to end up with the highest quality botanicals, the founders of a business have to be focused on wanting to help people and have a deep understanding of regenerative farming and plant chemistry. Sadly, very few companies we have seen have this approach and end up with a quality product worth buying.
2. Is your product single strain?
Given the wide variety of genetic strains, it is important that you consume single strains of CBD to gauge the effect on your body. Most CBD on the market is either distillate (most often using CO2 to extract the CBD oil from flowers) or isolate (pure powder form of CBD which has all other nutrients removed). These practices reduce or eliminate the uniqueness of individual strains which therefore reduces the potential benefits from consuming CBD.
3. How are CBD flowers farmed?
Regenerative agriculture is largely focused on improving the soil microbiome and local ecosystem health. Having cannabis grown outdoors with living soil often helps increase the nutrients, flavors and aromas, versus cannabis which is now being grown indoors in greenhouses or industrial buildings. Whatever inputs in the growing process – sun, soil, and water – will show in the end product.
4. How are flowers processed?
While regeneratively farmed and outdoor grown CBD is important, it is equally important to understand how the flowers have been treated during processing. Once flowers are harvested, they should be properly air hang dried for 10-14 days to remove all moisture most of the water content. Thereafter, air-tight, temperature-controlled storage is critical to avoid mold and other contaminants. Finally, how the flowers are processed into tincture oil is important to understand. Is CO2 used to extract the CBD, or is CBD isolate used? You should be looking for minimally processed (i.e., cold-pressed) flowers to ensure you are getting maximum phytonutrients (potency).
5. Has the product been tested for pesticides and microbial contaminants?
Given gaps in required testing, you definitely want to make sure whatever oil you are buying has been tested by a certified lab to ensure no pesticides or microbial contaminants. This could have the reverse effect of what you are taking CBD for!
6. Also tested for cannabinoids and terpenes?
Similarly, you should ask for the lab test results for cannabinoids and terpenes to ensure potency in what you are buying. The lab results will show the weight percentage and milligrams of CBD, THC, and other minor cannabinoids as well as terpenes present. This is super critical to understand the whole impact the oil may have.
7. What other additives are there?
Check all the ingredients in the products. Often, you will find flavors, sweeteners, and other unwanted ingredients additives. Other than a solid base oil (such as organic olive oil), any tincture should does not need to have any other ingredients.
8. How many mg’s of cannabinoids?
Given a lack of regulation, many CBD products don’t contain what they say they contain. Again, this comes back to the first point about how trusted and transparent the company marketing the products is.
As you can tell, there is a lot to go into legitimate, potent, and natural CBD. We highly recommend doing due diligence before buying any products! In order to optimize biological homeostasis, you need to have the right strain, grown in the right conditions, carefully handled, processed and tested, and made with care and love!