5 Things to Check Before Buying CBD

You’ve already decided that a CBD product is right for you on your path to living a healthy lifestyle. You may have already learned the 5 Common Mistakes People Make with CBD or had most of your CBD questions answered. Now it’s time to make a purchase of a new CBD product or replace a product that isn’t meeting your standards for efficacy or purity.

Here are 5 things to check before buying CBD:

1. Certificate of Analysis (COA) for Your CBD product
2. Manufacturing Process of Your CBD Product
3. Dosage of Your CBD Product
4. Product Form or Delivery Method of Your CBD Product
5. Company Who Sells Your CBD Product

How do you determine if a CBD product is high quality?

Find out what goes into – and what’s kept out of – your CBD merchandise. The packaging or online product listing of your potential CDB purchase should reference and provide a path to information about the Certificate of Analysis (COA).

• A CBD product is only considered “safe” if it is tested by a third party for full potency while providing verification of cannabinoid content and lack of THC.
• Confirm that the product has been screened for heavy metals and pesticides – look for proof of a 50 pesticides panel – and the absence of heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
• Lab-created CBD products exist, is this really what you want to consume when there are many plant-based hemp-sourced CBD products?

If there is no ingredient list, no link to the COA, or no confirmation that your CBD comes from a plant and wasn’t formed solely in a lab, keep looking.

Are all CBD products the same?

Purity, source, and ingredients matter when it comes to CBD that goes on or into your body.

CBD product information should provide some indication of the origin of the original hemp plant and the other ingredients used to stabilize and preserve the CBD until it can be delivered into your body.

• Learn about the manufacturing process of your CBD product. Many natural, plant-based products are extracted, modified, “improved”, and sometimes cloned or put through various other processing methods in the name of science and making the product better.
• Modifications often alter the state of the plant or natural ingredients in ways we don’t yet understand. Genetic modification and extraction techniques create isolates and other derivatives and the natural hemp has been compromised.
• Some companies don’t even use a plant at all and CBD is “created” in a lab!

Look for companies that manufacture products with full-spectrum, natural hemp from one of its originating sources near the Himalayan mountain range. Research and choose a company that modifies the original hemp plant as little as possible to retain the entire, full-spectrum components known to benefit human bodies.

What Dosage of CBD Should I take?

A study led by researchers from the School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK., and published in 2019 found that “CBD has a potentially wide range of activity in several pathologies” [see Millar SA]. In short, yes, it is important to understand the proper dosage for your CBD purchase.

• Look for serving sizes and clear “suggested use”
• What if I get too much of my CBD product? According to a 2017 study, “the high doses of oral CBD do not cause psychological, psychomotor, cognitive, or physical effects that are characteristic for THC or cannabis rich in THC” [see Grotenhermen].
• What if I take too little of my CBD product? Too little may be ineffective and unhelpful when you are treating a symptom or trying to find balance and impact through your CBD purchase.
• CBD doses vary widely. Adjust your dosage accordingly as instructed by the product packaging or your healthcare provider.

Consult with your physician for contraindications related to your diagnosis and other prescriptions. CBD can interact with other medications and careful consideration should be given prior to combining it with your prescription medications, or if you are pregnant or nursing.

What form of CBD is most effective?

Choose the right CBD product form to increase the effectiveness of CBD by taking two factors into consideration:

1. Absorption of the CBD product
2. Ease of use of the CBD product

CBD is sold in many forms.

• Dissolvable tablets
• Oils and Tinctures
• Edibles and as an added ingredient in recipes
• Vaporizers
• Creams and Lotions
• Beverage infusion or tinctures held under the tongue
• Oral sprays or nano mist products

Understanding the best way to absorb CBD is an important consideration. Know why you are taking a CBD product, the health goal you are trying to achieve, and the best absorption method for your situation to get the most effective treatment with CBD. For example, research indicates that the oral bioavailability of CBD is about 6%, and you and your care provider should determine the dosage that is right for you.

Equally important?

Having the product available when you need it!

Look for convenient, on-the-go options to take into your life, discreetly and without the mess or threat of an oily spill by choosing balms, sprays/nano mist, gummies, gels, or a specialized delivery like topical freeze spray.

Do I have to buy from one of the “Top 10 CBD Companies”?

Research the company selling the CBD product you have decided to purchase. Some of the packaging or special product sheets may provide information or lead you to a website.

Find out if they specialize in CBD or if the company just decided to tack a “popular” product like CBD onto an already extensive list of health & wellness products.

CBD should be the focus and passion of the company!

Ensure that the CBD company selling your product meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Provides the highest quality ingredients and backs it up with proof via COA
• Uses the purest and best sources of whole-plant hemp available
• Offers the most sustainable, reliable extraction methods for full-spectrum potency
• Ensures purposefully chosen vendors and transparency at every stage of the process
• Proper dosage information for your CBD
• CBD products and forms available for sale either in stores or online

Available and reliable information should be a hallmark of any company selling CBD. Confirm that the CBD company provides complete transparency on their testing, quality control, and technology.

Find a company that understands the miracle of full-spectrum hemp and strives to produce a worthy product.

The hemp plant has been used in medicinal ways for thousands of years and the original process of using a sustainably grown real-live plant is still the most effective way to produce a premium, pure, and potent product.

Jot down this list before your next shopping trip or keep it nearby while shopping online”

• Certificate of Analysis (COA) for Your CBD product
• Manufacturing Process of Your CBD Product
• Dosage of Your CBD Product
• Product Form or Delivery Method of Your CBD Product
• Company Who Sells Your CBD Product

Use this list of 5 Things to Check Before Buying CBD and build buying confidence as you take the next step toward health & wellness with full-spectrum, all-natural, hemp-derived CBD products.