by Adrianne Mae Guatno, CPhT
Tues. August 30th, 2022 at 11:56 PM PST
Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is a compound found in the cannabis hemp plant that is known to have many health benefits proven through medical research within recent years. Through the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD products are now legal when it is grown through industrial hemp in the United States1. And as CBD products become increasingly popular everyday since its legalization, many people are still cautious about whether or not available CBD products come from reliable sources. In this article, we’ll go over important steps on finding and buying the best quality CBD products available for you.
1. Opt for Full-Spectrum CBD over Broad-Spectrum Options while also Avoiding Isolates
First off, we need to quickly differentiate between the three types of CBD products legally available:
- Full-spectrum CBD: This type of CBD product contains most, if not all, compounds found in the whole cannabis plant including some trace amounts of THC (also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the compound in cannabis that gives people the “psychoactive high”). *Note that for federally legal full-spectrum products, the level of THC must always have less than 0.3% while legal cannabis states can have a higher percentage amount of THC.
- Broad-spectrum CBD: Unlike full-spectrum CBD, this type of CBD product does not contain THC and its percentage of CBD would not be 100%.
- CBD isolate: Finally, with this type of product you will be getting 100% CBD . There are no other cannabis compounds found in this type of product but CBD itself.
It is better to choose full-spectrum CBD products compared to the other CBD options as research entails major health benefits of applying all of the plant’s molecules, known as the “Entourage Effect“, can “provide additional therapeutic benefits” for symptoms in pain, anxiety, inflammation and cancer2. The “Entourage Effect” can be very effective at lower doses and even lowers the risks of having any adverse effects.
On the other hand, CBD isolates are mostly synthetic and have less potential in having benefits before causing any adverse effects. CBD isolates may also have a negative “drug-to-drug” interaction because a higher dosage of CBD maybe needed to retrieve good results in treatment.
2. Choose to Buy Organic and Responsibly Sourced Products
To make sure that you would not buy any CBD products that have contaminants or other dangerous chemicals in them, begin with products that use natural farming methods as well as organic resources. Having organic CBD products emphasize standards of having no additives or artificial agents being used in its growing and manufacturing processes.
Besides buying organic CBD products, it is highly recommended that your products are sourced locally or at least domestically. CBD products that come from international companies may have poor quality and may also contain heavy metal contaminants in them. So when the plant gets broken down into a concentrated product, those contaminants get concentrated as well and may lead to further health problems.
3. Know Your Dosage with CBD:THC Ratio
CBD is a personalized medicine and you can optimize your therapeutic use of it by finding out the proper CBD:THC ratio dosage that best suits you. For instance, if a person has a sensitive reaction to THC, they may want to find more of a CBD-dominant product to balance out the THC.
Some people do indeed enjoy the “head high” that THC gives through the cannabis plant, but some people don’t. To help balance out the psychoactive “high” effects of THC, a higher CBD:THC ratio dosage in a product should be recommended.
Effective dosages can be ranged from as small as a few milligrams to a full gram or more of CBD-enriched products. A clinical research conducted in Canada has suggested that a 1:1 CBD:THC ratio can be very effective in pain from cancer, autism and seizure disorders3. They find that having a balanced ratio of both CBD and THC shows positive results on those who have experienced pain from these ailments.
4. Find the Best Delivery Method of CBD for YOU
There are many ways to consume CBD with a wide selection of products available since its legalization. For choosing the best method that suits you, start by limiting the types of products with the best onset and duration times that benefit your health goals the most.
Here are the most commonly used CBD product types available in the market4:
- Edibles: These types of CBD products are basically ones you can ingest – they include drinks, candies, cookies, chips and granola bars. They are easy to consume especially when they are packaged because they come in a specific dose, but absorption of the body can take longer for the CBD to kick in making the effects of it last up to 6 hours.
- Vaporizers: Also known, as “vapes”, vaporizers are similar to e-cigarettes on how they deliver an “inhalable vapor” to consume CBD. Vaporizers are the fastest way to get results with an onset time of about 10 minutes or less and its effects lasting up to 3-5 hours.
- Oils/Tinctures: These CBD products are usually extracted directly from the hemp plant and then diluted with oil. To take it, you place a dropper of oil underneath your tongue so it can go directly through your bloodstream. Tinctures are the second-fastest method in consuming CBD after vaporizers because onset takes about 30 minutes or less, and effects last for about 2-3 hours.
- Topicals: Lastly, topicals are CBD products that include balms, lotions, and body creams. Topicals can usually be as effective as tinctures, but work more locally. Topicals are said to be very helpful when applied to areas where symptoms of arthritis, cramps and other aches are present. Due to the nature of topicals being applied to skin, they tend to have a higher CBD content in them making topicals a bit pricier compared to the other CBD options available.
5. Avoid Products with Residual Solvents that Contain Heavy Metals, Pesticides and Mold at ALL COSTS
Since the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is in charge of quality industry measures in drug substances and products, they created a guide of three classifications for residual solvents. Here are the three classes of solvents to recognize to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones when considering hemp/CBD products for wellness5:
- Class 1 solvents: “Solvents that are known to cause unacceptable toxicities and should not be employed in the manufacture of drug substances, excipients, and drug products because of their unacceptable toxicity or their deleterious environmental effect.”
- Class 2 solvents: “Solvents that are associated with less severe toxicity and should continue to be set on a risk-based, case-by-case basis, taking into consideration issues of safety and product quality.”
- Class 3 solvents: “Solvents that have low toxic potential and there’s no health-based exposure limit is needed.”
Out of these three solvent classes, Class 3 solvents are the safest. Consumers should be very cautious and try to avoid CBD products that contain solvents in the Class 1 and Class 2 categories as much as possible.
6. Ask the CBD Manufacturer about their Third-Party Testing Certificates
Finally, the last step to finding the best quality CBD products for you is to look for the company’s disclosure on their Certificate of Analysis, or “COAs”. This document tells you about the quality of the company’s CBD sources, potency, solvents, microbial analysis, and testing for any heavy metals and pesticides.
Most, if not all, credible CBD companies usually provide two sets of COAs to verify their products’ quality. One COA is presented and conducted by the CBD company themselves, while the other is conducted by a third-party testing laboratory. Third-party lab testing is important in making a CBD company more reputable because there’s “no bias in testing” and results are guaranteed to be true and accurate6.Below are examples of COAs from Joy Organics‘ Full Spectrum Tropical 900mg CBD Tincture. The top COA is conducted by the Joy Organics themselves, while the bottom COA is conducted by Botanacor, a third-party laboratory7:
In conclusion…
Following these steps are very crucial when deciding reliable and quality CBD products for yourself and your loved ones. Hope these Steps to Finding the Best Quality CBD Products can help you in your CBD journey to wellness!