Because CBD is still a relatively new product on the market the quality and content of products vary widely. Some products don’t even contain what is advertised and stated on their own labels.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that about 1 in 4 CBD products that they tested didn’t have the amount of CBD advertised. In fact, they had so little CBD that they couldn’t possibly have any clinical response. In other words, they were useless.
How can you sort through the myriad of products available and find high quality products at an affordable price?
Read on for our guide on selecting high quality CBD.
1. Always Read the Ingredients
You should always read the labels on ingestible CBD products. Because they aren’t regulated by the FDA it is possible that some products contain ingredients that aren’t safe to ingest. While most don’t contain toxic ingredients they may have additives that aren’t beneficial, which means you’re paying for a product that isn’t going to yield the results you expect.
Avoid CBD products that contain artificial coloring. Instead of “artificial flavor” look for products that contain “extract of”.
Vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are both potentially harmful in large doses and are a common additive in CBD vape products.
Get used to reading the labels and researching the ingredients. You’ll feel more comfortable and confident in what you’re putting into your body.
2. How to Understand CBD Lab Reports
You should never buy a CBD product from a company that can’t provide you with a valid lab report or certificate of analysis on their product. Further, you should read and understand the report before using their products.
A cannabis testing lab will be able to test a CBD product for everything relevant to consumption including cannabinoid potency, terpene profile, heavy metals, microbials, pesticides, mycotoxins, foreign matter/filth screening, water activity/moisture content, and residual solvents.
Here’s what to pay attention to:
- When was the report completed (the more recent, the better)?
- Is the lab accredited (look for an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) logo)
- What is listed in the “contaminants” section, and does it pass safe levels?
These questions and more can help you better select the product that’s right and safe for you.
3. Finding the Best Brands for High Quality CBD
When you’re trying to find a reliable brand for CBD products it’s important to look at their level of transparency. To gauge, consider asking some of these questions:
- How does their product get from the farm to the shelf?
- How transparent are they about that process?
- What types of research are being done on their products?
- Do they seem to prioritize innovation?
You can find out a lot about a CBD brand by how easily consumers can access this type of information. Reliable brands will have a short farm to shelf chain and a close relationship with their growers and suppliers.
They’ll also be consistently investing in research and innovations that make their CBD products healthier, more accessible, and more versatile.
If a brand can’t provide you the journey their product takes from plant to supplement and they don’t seem to prioritize research, it’s likely that they care far more about profits than producing quality products.
Remember This
Finding high quality CBD is going to require some work on your part. But when you find a product that’s effective, the results will be worth the effort.
What CBD product will you try next?
To read more on topics like this, check out the Lifestyle category
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